The prison inmates risking their lives fighting LA wildfires for just $1 an hour

Fire crews are getting a unique hand in trying to slow the blazes tearing through Los Angeles - the California prison system

Nearly 400 inmates are among the 14,000 emergency responders working on the wildfires that have destroyed at least 2,000 buildings and killed at least seven in the Los Angeles area.

At present, inmates are believed to make up approximately 30 percent of the state’s firefighting force, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“Wildfires are a constant and formidable challenge for California, and CDCR conservation fire camps remain dedicated to supporting the state’s response,” Jeff Macomber, secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said in a statement this week. “The work of our incarcerated firefighters and staff is an essential part of this effort, and their commitment to protecting lives and property during these emergencies cannot be overstated.”

The practice isn’t new; California has been using inmate firefighters since as far back as 1915, and began a fire camp program to properly train the inmates in firefighting methods began in 1946, according to Forbes.

The arrangements is about as consensual as an agreement between a jailer and a prisoner can get; no inmates are forced to join the firefighting crews, and all who join do so of their own free will. Any inmates who want to join must meet the program’s qualifications, which take into account physical ability as well as their behavioral record behind bars.

For example, participants must have eight years or less on their sentence, and certain convictions — such as sex offenses or arsons — disqualify them from participation.

The inmates are paid, though it’s a pitifully small amount — approximately $27 for an entire 24-hour shift. They’re also provided food in the form of sandwiches and fruit.

Inmate firefighters are trained at one of the state Department of Corrections’ more than 30 “fire camps,” which are essentially minimum security prison camps doubling as firefighter schools. The camps are commonly referred to as Conservation Camps.

While the program provides trained firefighters to California authorities at a time when they’re most needed, it isn’t without its detractors. The top criticism is that the program is too close to slavery to be ethically acceptable.

Using prisoners as labor is actually protected in the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The relevant portion reads as follows:

“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

“Except as punishment” for a conviction is the operative phrase giving prisons the green light to make their prisoners work.

NPR reports that some inmate firefighters struggle to find jobs in the field once they’re out of prison, though California does have programs in place to help inmates who went through the Conservation Camps to find work, and Governor Gavin Newsom passed a law that makes it easier for inmate firefighters to have their records expunged once they’ve served and been released.

California is one of 14 states that uses inmates to help fight fires.

According to stats from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, 395 imprisoned firefighters have been deployed to 29 crews fighting the Palisades Fire.

Santa Ana winds in Southern California are helping to spread and fuel the various fires, making containment a constant struggle. As of Monday, the Lidia, Woodley, and Sunset fires have been fully contained. The Hurst Fire is 89 percent contained, while the Eaton fire is 33 percent contained.

By far the largest threat is the Palisades Fire, which has spread out to 23,700 acres and has exhibited “extreme fire behavior.” The fire is 13 percent contained.

A red flag warning — a National Weather Service alert indicating that conditions are ideal for wildfires — is in effect until Wednesday, meaning more fires could crop up as firefighting efforts continue.

Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said on Thursday that the current line of wildfires burning near LA is one of the most destructive natural disasters in the city’s history.