“CAL fire” is California’s fire department. CAL fire has an inmate program for incarcerated prisoners. This program gives prisoners rehabilitation. They do service and give back to the community while they serve their sentences with CDCR. Prisoners get trained to fight fires in their community to help their people, and themselves. Making this choice of going to the CAL fire inmate inmate program can be a really hard choice for someone but will be life changing for them in ways they did not think could happen.
Training
When you get to CAL fire you get a week of inside the classroom training, and then next week you get field training. You only get two weeks of training before you have to go start fighting fires. In this camp there is a girls side and a boys side, so they would not have the same exact training. This training is taught by CAL fire staff. The male crew members train in the Sierra Conservation Center. The female crew members train in the “California Institution for Women in Corona and youthful offenders are trained at the Pine Grove Conservation Camp in Amador County.”
The History
In the 1900’s They opened a conversation camp to provide incarcerated people the opportunity to work on thoughtful and meaningful things for their community. In 1915 they established these CDCR road camps. During World War ll There were 41 “intern camps”. The first male conversation camp was opened in 1946. Later in 1983 they converted that camp to a female conversation camp. “The Los Angeles County Fire Department (LAC), in contract with the CDCR, opened five camps in Los Angeles County in the 1980’s.”
The possibilities
When you get out of the inmate CAL fire program, Gavin Newsom made it possible that you can become a firefighter with your “records expunged” for that career. You can be visited by someone while in CAL fire, the person that is coming to visit you just has to email/call directly to CAL fire to make an appointment. This camp is a very valid and important part in prisoners’ lives. Having the opportunity of going to this camp can really change how someone thinks or does stuff in a really amazing way. Becoming a firefighter can give you the discipline that a prison cell can not give someone. This camp can really amaze you what is possible for you or someone’s life.
Resources:
- https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/facility-locator/conservation-camps/
- https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la-west/public-safety/2022/05/30/-fire-saved-my-life—former-inmates-find-careers-as-firefighters#:~:text=signed%20by%20Gov.-,Gavin%20Newsom%20in%20September%202020%2C%20made%20it%20possible%20for%20inmates,firefighting%20departments%20with%20extra%20manpower.
