Incarcerated Firefighters are Fighting Flames and Facing Injustice
By María Morena Vicente and Emiliano Rodríguez Nuesch
In California, hundreds of incarcerated individuals are deployed to the frontlines of wildfires each year. They risk their lives battling flames under challenging and dangerous conditions.
In the recent Los Angeles wildfires, nearly 950 incarcerated firefighters were sent to contain the devastation, earning between $5.80 and $10.24 per day, with an extra dollar per hour for active emergencies.
They often express that volunteering for firefighting duties provides them with a sense of purpose and the opportunity to contribute positively to society.
This practice, while framed as rehabilitation, still raises ethical questions about how society values human life and labor. These ethical concerns become even more pressing when considering the tangible barriers these individuals face: despite their vital contributions, they remain invisible—receiving little pay, recognition, or post-incarceration support. The firefighting skills they gain could be life-changing, yet licensing restrictions and the stigma of a criminal record often block their path to employment after release.
Inmate firefighters dig a containment line as they battle the Palisades Fire on Saturday in Los Angeles. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images).
The system operates on dehumanizing assumptions: Do we value the lives of incarcerated individuals less? Are they sent because no one else is willing to take on this dangerous work? Or have we normalized this practice to the point of indifference?
Compassion and fairness must guide our approach to reform. Offering opportunities to reduce sentences through work can be positive, but it must not come at the cost of fairness or dignity.
Inmate firefighter at the Sunset fire on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Los Angeles. Rolling Stone.
Turning Struggle Into Opportunity
Royal Ramey, a former incarcerated firefighter, experienced these challenges firsthand. After his release, he co-founded the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program (FFRP) to support incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals interested in careers in firefighting and forestry.
The FFRP addresses systemic barriers by providing training, skills, and resources to help individuals secure stable jobs in the Wildland and Forestry sector. Ramey’s work demonstrates the potential for transformative change when incarcerated individuals are given the support and opportunities they deserve. His organization is not only addressing the workforce needs for wildfire response but also advocating for a fairer system that values the lives and contributions of all firefighters.
His story invites us to consider:
How can we ensure dignity and fairness for those risking their lives in dangerous jobs? What steps can society take to move from exploitation to empowerment? Are we willing to challenge our assumptions and create systems that prioritize compassion?
Inmate firefighters battling the Palisades Fire construct a hand line to protect homes along Mandeville Canyon Road. (Noah Berger/The Associated Press).
The sacrifices of incarcerated firefighters should never be invisible. Their lives, work, and humanity matter. It’s time we stop being numb in face of other people’s suffering and build a system that reflects the values of fairness and empathy.