Inmates are fighting California wildfires: When did it start, how much do they get paid?

As wildfires continue to devastate Southern California, thousands of first responders are on the ground, trying to get the destruction under control. About 900 of them are prison inmates.

Multiple blazes in the Los Angeles region have burned more than 40,000 acres, killed at least 24 people and displaced more than 100,000 others in less than one week, according to a Monday update from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, also known as CalFire.

Through the California Conservation (Fire) Camp Program, incarcerated people are among those risking their lives to fight the flames.

The inmates, who are trained to respond to disasters like floods and fires, have been a large part of the state's firefighting force since the 1940s, drawing controversy every step of the way.

While the program is framed by the state as a rehabilitative one that enables successful reentry into society, it has long been criticized for its low pay and the high risks involved. Kim Kardashian recently condemned the program's current parameters, saying: "They get paid almost nothing, risk their lives, some have died, to prove to the community that they have changed and are now first responders."

Here's what to know about the California inmate firefighter program.

What is the Conservation (Fire) Camp Program?

The California conservation or fire camp program is jointly run by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, CalFire, and Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The camps are minimum-security facilities at which incarcerated people can volunteer. At the 35 camps operated across 25 California counties, inmates learn to respond to all types of emergencies such as fires, floods, and other natural or manmade disasters. Two of the camps are specifically for incarcerated women.

When not responding to disasters, groups work on community service projects near their camps. Participants can also work on-site as cooks, laundry workers, landscapers and water treatment plant operators.

The program is 18 months long and entails an orientation and basic training phase, months of firefighter and more advanced training and then a 12-month crew assignment.

The program also includes rehabilitative and reentry training and planning aspects, ostensibly enabling participants to seek related professional work once released or giving them a path to have their records expunged.

When did California start using fire camp programs?

Before fire-specific programs started, there were "road camps" in which incarcerated people did work including agricultural, construction and emergency responses, according to the corrections department. The government officially sanctioned the camps in 1915, and the Rainbow Conservation Camp became the first in 1946 because of World War II firefighter shortages.

California Senate Bill 516 expanded the program in 1959 and by 1966, 42 camps were built throughout the state. In 2020, Assembly Bill 2147 allowed inmate firefighters to petition courts to dismiss their convictions after serving their time, freeing up their qualifications to become full-time first responders.

Do other states have similar programs?

Yes, several other states have similar programs, including Nevada, Washington, Colorado, Georgia and Arizona.

How much do inmate firefighters get paid?

Incarcerated fire crew members earn between $5.80 and $10.24 daily depending on skill level, according to the corrections department.

During active emergencies, all crew members earn an additional $1 per hour paid by CalFire. While working in these emergency situations, crews can work 24-hour shifts followed by 24-hour rest periods, still on the clock. An example provided by the corrections department said that during one 24-hour emergency, the lowest skill level would earn $29.80 per day.

Additionally, incarcerated firefighters can receive two days off their sentence for every one day served.

In comparison, the lowest-level, seasonal firefighters with Cal Fire made a monthly base salary of $3,672 to $4,643, plus $1,824 to $2,306 extended duty week compensation paid every four weeks.

'I see them as heroes': Kim Kardashian calls for pay raise for incarcerated firefighters

Have inmate firefighters been killed on the job?

At least three inmate firefighters have been killed on the job, according to the California Legislature and archived news stories.

They include Matthew Beck, who was killed in May 2017 when a 3,000-pound tree fell on him while he was clearing brush in the Six Rivers National Forest in northern California, leaving behind a 5-year-old son, according to reporting from KQED.

Beck's mother, Karen Williams, told the outlet that he was trying to turn his life around (he was serving a six-year sentence for burglary) and saw the firefighting program as a better path. "It gave him a sense of purpose," she said. "He told his son, his daddy was a hero."

How many inmate firefighters are fighting the California wildfires?

As of Sunday night, the corrections department said that about 900 inmate firefighters were working among the roughly 7,500 firefighting and emergency personnel that were deployed to the fires.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Inmate firefighters: What to know about their role in California fires