by Susan Burton – founder, A New Way of Life
When the LA fires began and many Angelenos evacuated for safety, it was our heroes—firefighters—who ran toward the danger to save entire communities. Unknown to many is that more than 900 of the 7,500 personnel fighting the fires are incarcerated. When the fires are out, they’ll return to prison—but in exchange for risking their lives to save our lives and our homes—they receive as little as $5.80 per day, paid by the California Department of Corrections.
As these heroes defend the homes of others—be they mansions or modest homes that a family struggled to afford—there is an exploitative side of prison labor that requires our attention.
California’s firefighters, both incarcerated and not, have done heroic work battling the Palisades, Eaton, Hughes, and Hurst Fires, which have together, to date, burned over 48,600 acres. They do so despite the fact that firefighting carries the highest rates of injury of all prison jobs, and the incarcerated are four times more likely to be injured compared to other firefighters according to a 2018 report by Time Magazine. They work long hours and take on extremely dangerous tasks, risking physical injury when they inhale toxic air, and handle treacherous equipment such as axes and chainsaws.
But for their essential work saving lives, homes, and communities, they are paid $1.12 per hour—with an extra dollar an hour paid for working an active fire, such as the deadly fires that began on January 7. Full-time firefighters receive an average of $42.26 an hour, with healthcare and generous retirement. Yet, while incarcerated individuals eagerly volunteer to fight fires, in part because it pays much more than in-facility jobs like laundry or cooking, it is still a form of exploitation.
But for their essential work saving lives, homes, and communities, they are paid $1.12 per hour—with an extra dollar an hour paid for working an active fire, such as the deadly fires that began on January 7. Full-time firefighters receive an average of $42.26 an hour, with healthcare and generous retirement. Yet, while incarcerated individuals eagerly volunteer to fight fires, in part because it pays much more than in-facility jobs like laundry or cooking, it is still a form of exploitation.
In all but four states, slavery clauses in state constitutions mean those jobs are often unpaid. And even when incarcerated people are paid, wages are garnished to pay court fees, commissary prices can be marked up by 35%, and video calls with friends and family cost 20 cents per minute.
Slavery was abolished in 1865 with the passage of the 13th Amendment, but abolition contained an intentional loophole. It allowed involuntary servitude as punishment for a crime. As mass incarceration expanded with disastrous effects in the ’80s and ’90s, America had an ample supply of unpaid labor—just like in the 1800s.
While California’s prison population has dropped dramatically, the use of incarcerated labor remains. Today we need to call this practice what it is: modern-day slavery.
On November 5, 2024, with Proposition 6, California voters had the opportunity to change the state constitution to ban involuntary servitude in every form. But Californians decided not to pass Prop. 6.
Now, as the state’s fire season has become year round, and hurricane-like Santa Ana winds produce blazes that can destroy a community in a few hours, LA County Fire Chief, Anthony Marrone, recently admitted he was lacking the necessary manpower. The state actively recruits civilians, but incarcerated firefighters still form up to 30% of the wildfire workforce statewide.
The shortage of firefighters is not a recent problem. In 2014, lawyers from the Attorney General’s office argued against an early-parole program. The reason? Early release threatened the firefighting force.
Yet, in addition to the fact that incarcerated firefighters put their lives on the line for little or nothing fiscally, they’re also given few opportunities after release, despite their skill and experience. Prison jobs don’t build wealth, credit, or marketable skills.
On the state’s dollar, men and women can also learn a variety of other trades like hairstyling and cosmetology to secure jobs upon reentry. But most are denied state licenses due to their felony record—which amounts to a huge waste of potential, and taxpayer dollars.
It was once like this for firefighting, but the state is taking steps in the right direction. In California, nonviolent felons can now have their records expunged to obtain the required EMT license. However, they still face other barriers: the application process is lengthy and complex, and fire departments set their own stringent standards for background checks.
As a result, many formerly incarcerated individuals take on lower-paying seasonal firefighting work in which they are deployed at a moment’s notice. This sudden deployment can exclude parolees with weekly check-ins with their parole officers, or those who serve as the primary caretakers in their households.
For incarcerated people, fire camp is transformational. It’s one of the few ways that they can form ties to the community outside—a critical step to reducing recidivism.
Yet, as incarcerated firefighters defend our lives and neighborhoods, states must acknowledge their heroism with more than verbal praise. We must provide our firefighters fair wages, meaningful post release opportunities—and the abolition of involuntary servitude from our state constitutions.
No one who is risking their life to save ours should be treated as a second-class citizen.
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