fact sheet

For Informational Purposes (916) 445-4950

June, 2016

Inmate Fire Fighters and Conservation Camps

CAMP BACKGROUND:

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has safely assigned
thousands of inmates to fire camps since 1946. Their primary mission is to support state and
federal government agencies as they respond to all types of emergencies such as fires, floods,
and other natural or man-made disasters. These inmates perform a vital service for the people
of California by helping fight wildfires. They provide approximately 3 million hours of firefighting
work and approximately 7 million hours of community work each year.

It is the primary mission of conservation camps to support state agencies when they respond to
all types of emergencies such as fires, floods, and other natural or man-made disasters.

CDCR, in cooperation with CAL FIRE and the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LAC
FIRE), jointly operates 42 adult conservation camps located in 27 counties. The camps house
over 200 fire crews and up to 4,300 inmates who are permanently assigned to a camp. All
camps are minimum-security facilities and all are staffed with correctional officers. Most are
located strategically in rural areas so that crews can respond quickly to a fire.

Three of the conservation camps house female inmate fire-fighters who must meet all of the
same criteria as male inmates and who are trained at the California Institution for Women in
Chino.

The most recent estimate of cost-savings to taxpayers is approximately $124 million per year,
although those savings are not the primary purpose of the conservation camp program.

There is considerable rehabilitative value for inmates who are successful as fire-fighters. This
is not a vocational program. Most inmates do not express a desire to graduate from CDCRs
program to become professional fire fighters. But many inmates have expressed the value of
life skills they have learned from working in fire camps: teamwork; the ability to work with
people from different backgrounds; responsibility and commitment to completing a job.

The rehabilitative value of the camp program is measured by recidivism rates. Among inmates
who have paroled from the fire-fighting program, that rate is nearly 10 percent lower than the
general inmate population.

more

CDCR Fact Sheet Page 1

How are Inmates selected for the fire camp?

They must volunteer; no one is involuntarily assigned to work in a fire camp;

They must be certified by CDCR medical staff as physically fit for vigorous activity;
They must have minimum custody status, the lowest classification for inmates based
on their non-violent behavior in prison, their conforming to rules within the prison and
participation in rehabilitative programming;
They must show the appropriate attitude and aptitude to work on a fire crew, even if they
have minimum custody status. Each inmate is evaluated individually to ensure that all those
selected for the camp program are willing to be team members with non-violent behavior, even
if their original conviction was for a violent crime. CDCR may allow an inmate with a violent past
to participate, but only if the inmate passes a rigorous assessment verifying a low risk for
violence currently.
CDCR correctional staff may return any inmate to an institution at any time if they
believe that person cannot continue to meet camp standards either physically or by their
behavior.

MANY INMATES ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO VOLUNTEER

Inmates with a classification level higher than minimum custody, which includes the
majority of inmates, especially those in prisons with a Level III or Level IV security status;
Inmates who have committed murder, arson, rape, sex offenses or who are serving a life
sentence are NOT eligible to be considered;
Inmates with active warrants for felonies not yet prosecuted are NOT eligible for camp;
Validated gang members are NOT eligible for camp placement;
Inmates with medical, psychiatric or dental issues are NOT eligible for camp placement;
Inmates with high notoriety based on circumstances of their offense or subsequent
conduct in prison are excluded from camp consideration.

ON THE FIRE LINE

Inmates work in crews of 12-14 people and the duties of each person is critical to their success.
In addition, the cooperation and teamwork among the crew is critical to maintaining safety.
Using chain saws and hand tools, the primary purpose of the CDCR crews is to cut fire breaks
to stop the spread of a wild fire. Crews often are working in back country to clear brush or set
backfires and always work under the supervision of experienced fire personnel from CalFire or
Los Angeles County Fire Department.

When not on a fire line, CDCR crews perform a wide range of duties such as maintaining hiking
trails, clearing flood channels, or cutting brush or large stands of trees to reduce fire danger. In
extreme conditions, inmate crews may be dispatched from a larger command center and can be
on the fire line for up to 24 consecutive hours, cutting firebreaks while wearing full fire-resistant
turn-outs and approximately 60 pounds of support gear on their backs.

more

CDCR Fact Sheet Page 2

So, why do inmates chose to work on fire crews?
The minimum security environment and rural location of fire camps is an alternative to
being housed in a more typical institution;
The pay---$2 for each day in camp and $1 an hour for time on the fire line---is higher
than any other inmate job, providing inmates with some financial foundation when they parole or
to pay victim restitution;
Inmates can accelerate their release from prison by earning credits for their time in
camp. The majority of CDCR inmates earn day for day credits for good behavior as
prescribed in statute, ie a day is reduced from their sentence for each day of discipline-free
behavior. Inmates in fire camps earn two days of credit for each day they are in camp. To
maintain some stability and reduce turnover on the crews, many inmates chosen for the camp
program have as much as five to seven years remaining on their sentence, ensuring that some
of them are on a crew for two or three fire seasons.
A sense of accomplishment. After being in the camp for a time, many inmates have
said that appreciated the opportunity and were proud to save lives and property by fighting
wildland fires and consider it a way to compensate the community for the crime they committed.

PHYSICAL FITNESS and FIRE FIGHTING TRAINING

Inmates selected for the camp program undergo two weeks of physical training and fire-fighting
education. During physical fitness training, inmates must complete the following to the
satisfaction of CDCR coaches: 35 push-ups; 25 sit-ups; 35 burpees; 5 pull-ups; 5 chin-ups; a
one-mile run in nine minutes or less; 14 minutes of Harvard steps; and a four-mile power walk
in less than 54 minutes.

Fire-fighting techniques are taught by CAL FIRE staff, beginning with 29 hours of classroom
training.

Day 1: Standard Fire Orders, Basic Fire Fighting Terminology, Fire Fighter Preparedness, Heat
Related Illness, Transportation, and a quiz at the end of the day.
Day 2: Introduction to Fire Behavior, Wild Land Fire Behavior, Topography, Fuels, Weather, Fire
Environment Factors, Risk Management, Common Denominators and Downhill Guidelines, Fire
Shelters, followed by a quiz at the end of the day.
Day 3: Hand Tool Description and Use, Fire Suppression Dozer and Air Craft, Mop-Up and
Water Handling, Radio Use, Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT), and a quiz at the end of the day.
Day 4: First Aid on the Fire Line, Human Factors, Lesson Learned Using a Sand Table map,
followed by a quiz at the conclusion of the classes. The afternoon is dedicated to reviewing the
training, followed by a final exam. The inmates must maintain an 80 percent average on all
written tests and achieve a minimum of 80 percent on the final exam.

WEEK TWO includes 29 hours of field training. In this week, the inmates will start every day
ensuring their personal protective equipment fits properly and is in good condition. Field training
consists of riding in the Emergency Crew Transports or other crew vehicles to learn proper seat
assignments, seat belt use, public contact, receiving and returning tools, tool inspection,
carrying and storage of tools, and the use and sharpening of tools. Instruction also includes the
use of each tool, construction of different types of fire lines, participation in practical exercises
on how and when to deploy a fire shelter, and participation in a mop-up exercise.

To graduate from the training program inmates are evaluated during a four -mile hike while
wearing all of their turn-out gear. During the hike, the inmates must maintain hook line order
and carry the tool they have been assigned for the day while keeping themselves hydrated.
CDCR Fact Sheet Page 3
CDCR Fact Sheet Page 4