California Inmates Fight Wildfires But Can’t Become Firefighters After Prison
Janet and Dan Condron told when a roaring CNN wildfire approached their door in Santa Rosa, California, in 2017, they were certain their home would be destroyed. The retired couple decided to evacuate.
That’s when an unexpected firefighting crew appeared on their cul-du-sac and got to work, creating a break in the fire that ultimately saved the Condrons’ home.
These firefighters weren’t from the fire department — they were from a nearby correctional facility.
“I don’t think we would still have our homes if it wasn’t for those 26 individuals,” said Dan Condron.
Via CNN,
California employs about 3,100 inmates as part of the state’s Conservation Camp program, which provides critical support to state and federal agencies responding to emergencies such as wildfires, floods and other disasters. About 2,150 of those inmates are authorized to fight fires.
As multiple fires rage across California, the role firefighting inmates play is coming under renewed scrutiny. Despite their extensive training and heroic efforts in times of crisis, these inmates are often denied roles in fire departments after they’re released because of their felony records.
“These inmates go through the training and then they want to go on and pursue additional training and that door is closed to them,” says Mark Farouk, a spokesman for California Assemblywoman Eloise Reyes, who earlier this year introduced a bill that seeks to ease restrictions on ex-convicts. The bill has stalled in the state government, but may be considered again in January, Farouk says.
Currently, most fire departments require candidates to have an EMT license, which Farouk says is extremely difficult to acquire with a felony conviction. Reyes’s bill aims to provide a path for former inmates to become professional firefighters after their release.
But some say the law doesn’t do enough to fix the problem. “This is a bill that puts lipstick on a pig and doesn’t tackle the real problem,” says Katherine Katcher, the founder of Root & Rebound, an advocacy group for former inmates.
California has plenty of applicants for fire department jobs, says Carroll Wills, a representative for California Professional Firefighters, an advocacy group. But the state needs more people who can assist in emergencies by clearing brush and trees.
If an inmate has done his time and has proven not to be a danger to society then their should be no reason for not allowing them to land a job as a firefighter, especially if they have went through all the necessary training.
What do y’all think? Should inmates be allowed to land a firefighting job once they’re released? Leave us a comment below.
