In summary
Inmate firefighters say their criminal records make it hard to get a regular firefighting job once they’re out. This bill can smooth the way.
As the Los Angeles fires raged in January, about 1,000 inmate firefighters labored on hand crews alongside professional firefighters battling the blazes.
In payment for that dangerous work, participants in the California Conservation Camp program earned $5.80 to $10.24 a day, plus $1 an hour, and they’ll get a chance to clear their record and seek work as a professional firefighter upon release.
But inmate firefighters say it’s hard to advance from a prison crew to a civil service firefighting job, because their criminal records make it tough to obtain the necessary certifications.
State Sen. Eloise Goméz Reyes wants to make it easier. In January the San Bernardino Democrat introduced Senate Bill 245, which would require the Department of Justice to help incarcerated firefighters get their criminal records expunged and prevent their convictions from being used against them.
The bill expands on a 2020 law that Reyes authored which enables former prisoners who worked on fire crews to pursue careers in firefighting.
“This bill is specifically to remove the barriers to the expungement that the former inmates have been dealing with,” Reyes told CalMatters. “We want to ensure access to opportunities that are afforded to those who have put their lives on the line to protect Californians.”
Inmate firefighters have fought alongside local and state fire crews and other emergency responders since 1915. Today more than 1,800 live year round in minimum-security conservation camps, known as fire camps, in 25 California counties.
That experience can prepare them for jobs with agencies such as Cal Fire, where entry level firefighters earn a $4,296 to $5,432 base salary per month. But legal obstacles often get in the way.
“During the LA Fires, incarcerated fire crew members emerged as true heroes, bravely protecting homes and communities from destruction,” said Sam Lewis, executive director of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, a sponsor of SB 245. “But upon reentry, many formerly incarcerated fire camp participants still have difficulty obtaining an expungement.”
Former inmates on fire crews often lack legal support to clear their records, Reyes said.
“They also get stuck in the bureaucratic process for licensing and certification, even after they meet the eligibility,” Reyes said. “Our public defenders have said they’re ready and able to help with these expungements, but if our inmates aren’t aware that’s an option, connecting with the right agency becomes a problem.”
The bill would require the Department of Justice to contact people who are entitled to relief and initiate requests to expunge their criminal records. And it would ensure that convictions can’t be used against them when they seek emergency medical technician certification or other credentials needed to work in fire departments.
The bill would not open the door for violent offenders to serve as civilian firefighters; it excludes people convicted of rape, murder, kidnapping, arson and other serious felonies.
The measure also would track data on former inmates who gain expungements and pursue careers in firefighting, which Reyes said is currently missing for most California counties.
“Making sure we have the data to make sure the courts are doing what they need to do and people are getting the help they need is a big part of this bill,” said Reyes’ Chief of Staff Matthew Hamlett.
The bill passed the California Senate Public Safety Committee in a 5-1 vote, with Sen. Kelly Seyarto, a Murrieta Republican, voting no. The ACLU, the California Public Defenders’ Association and other justice organizations supported the proposal, and none were listed opposing it.
Robert Wynne served seven and a half years in prison and spent two and a half years at the Chuckwalla Valley State Prison Fire Department. He told the committee he’s now a captain at a Cal Fire training center and has worked for the agency since 2019, but the journey “has been everything but easy.”
“The process is daunting and time consuming for someone trying to rebuild their entire life from the ground,” he said. “I started the process and quickly found out that I had to commit a significant amount of time and navigate complex law procedures. I still do not have my record expunged.”
By expediting that process, the bill would allow him to compete for jobs with city and county fire departments, Wynne said, and it would elevate opportunities for those who complete their institution’s fire camp program.
