College Voices
Inmate Volunteers paid $2 a day to fight deadly fires in California
79 people and counting have lost their lives to the fires in California. More than 1000 people are missing. California is suffering from the worst wildfires in its history. Cities are devastated.
The fire shows no sign of letting up. Paradise, California, has 6 remaining buildings due to the fire’s destruction. Firefighters are not the only people battling the fire from the front lines, incarcerated men and women are also fighting.
However, incarcerated people are only being paid less than $2/Hour. They earn $1 an hour when battling active fires.
Inmates can earn time off their sentences and up to $2 a day through The Conservation Camp Program. An inmate has to volunteer for this program and are never forced to participate.
Each volunteer is evaluated individually and screened for violent behavior. If they have “minimum custody” status, they will be accepted into the program. When they are not fighting fires, they are responding to other emergencies such as floods and other natural or manmade disasters.
These inmates usually work 24-hour shifts under conditions that are anything but predictable. Their lives can be compromised in a matter of minutes. For every day they serve in the fire camps, they earn 2 days off their sentence.
Though this program allows inmates a way to shorten their sentences, there needs to be a safer path that doesn’t include risking their lives. In Brazil, inmates can shorten their sentence by reading a book and writing an essay.
It will shorten their sentence by 48 days. Reading a book is a lot less strenuous than fighting flames up to 100 feet in height, right? The juxtaposition between these two options is telling.
When American inmates are out battling fires, it is no easy task. It is demanding and debilitating on the person’s health. If they die in the line of fire, they do not receive any death benefits. It insinuates that these inmates are expendable. No human is expendable.
Though a volunteer has frontline experience fighting fires, it is unlikely they will be able to pursue a career in firefighting. In many counties in California, a firefighter must first attain an emergency medical technician license (EMT). Anyone with a criminal record is usually denied the opportunity of earning this credential. Therefore, they are unable to become firefighters.
In times like these, people applaud firefighters for their bravery. Up to 40% of those battling the fires are incarcerated people. The firefighters deserve the recognition, but so do the volunteers.
Risking your life for the safety of others is heroic. Licensing laws that forbid those with a criminal record to attain an EMT license need to be reevaluated. Fighting the fires during an inmate’s sentence should be applicable to careers in the firefighting field.
By taking this step, inmates who serve their sentence will “maximize their chance of succeeding and being productive members of society.”