California is suffering record-breaking wildfires as the Mendocino Complex, Carr, and Ferguson fires continue. But to combat the flames, the state is turning to a controversial practice: prison labor.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) tweeted that more than 2,000 volunteer inmates were serving as firefighters in the state. That included 58 individuals under 18 years of age.
Today, more than 2,000 volunteer inmate firefighters, including 58 youth offenders, are battling wildfire flames throughout CA. Inmate firefighters serve a vital role, clearing thick brush down to bare soil to stop the fire's spread. #CarrFire #FergusonFire #MendocinoComplex
— CA Corrections (@CACorrections) July 31, 2018
While the tweet was meant to praise the important role inmates play during wildfire season, it instead prompted discussion online over the controversial practice, which hasn’t taken place in California since World War II.
Inmates do get paid for the dangerous and potentially deadly work, but the pay is ridiculously below federal minimum wage, at $1 an hour plus $2 a day, with the possibility of 72-hour shifts. Meanwhile, the inmate firefighting program reportedly saves the state $90 million to $100 million a year, according to California officials because California Fire Firefighters make at least $10.50 per hour.
Some inmates appreciate the experience and the chance to get out of their cells, everyone doesn’t view the volunteer work as such an opportunity.
A Washington Examiner article explains that “despite their heroics” and job experience, these inmates will never be able to become actual firefighters once leaving prison.
That’s because California law occupational licensing laws prevent felons from earning EMT certifications.
“This isn’t just an injustice — it’s a waste of acquired skills and state resources. Inmates have to volunteer for the job in the first place, then go through significant training while incarcerated,” the article reads.
About 110 major wildfires are burning across the western U.S. and have burned an area larger than the state of New Jersey, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
