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67:. The mission of the Conservation Camp program is to "support state, local and federal government agencies as they respond to emergencies such as fires, floods, and other natural or manmade disasters." Over 3,000 incarcerated people work at the conservation camps each year, including men, women, and juveniles, all of whom have volunteered for the program. All volunteers receive the same entry-level training as CAL FIRE's seasonal firefighters.
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year working on conservation projects on public lands and community service projects. Fire crews clean up campgrounds, beaches and parks on city, county and state land and provide the labor for weed abatement and other projects that help reduce the risk of fires and other disasters." The report also stated that use of incarcerated labor in
Conservation Camps save the state more than $ 80 million annually.
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Conservation Camp died in a 1990 fire, and many crew members were injured. Three incarcerated firefighters died on the job in 2017 and 2018. In response to one media inquiry about conditions and pay, a CDCR spokesperson stated that firefighters earn $ 2.90 - $ 5.12 per day, with an additional $ 1 per hour when assigned to an active emergency.
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Per a CDCR news report, as of 2007 "Approximately 200 crews log an average of more than three million person hours a year fighting wildfires and responding to floods, earthquakes, and search and rescue missions. When not responding to emergencies, crews put in an additional seven million hours every
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in conjunction with either CAL FIRE or the Los
Angeles County Fire Department. Camps are structured as open dormitories, with dining and maintenance activities staffed by incarcerated people and supervised by correctional staff. The two active camps for women are Malibu Conservation Camp and Puerta
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Conservation camps received increased public scrutiny in the late 2000s after a series of damaging fires in the state, with concerns about the safety of incarcerated firefighters, their compensation, and their inability to become firefighters upon release. Two incarcerated firefighters at
Bautista
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from 1967 to 1975, before a resurgence in the 1980s emphasizing cost savings rather than rehabilitation. The first conservation camp for women was opened in 1983 with the conversion of the
Rainbow Conservation Camp from a men's camp to a women's camp. Per a 1990 pamphlet published by the CDCR, "As
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The program grew to 16 camps throughout
California in the 40s and 50s, including the first youth camps. In 1959, California Senate Bill 516 authorized expansion of the program, motivated by the comparatively cheap cost of housing and paying incarcerated laborer for firefighting and environmental
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signed
Assembly Bill 2147, which allows inmate firefighters to petition courts to dismiss their convictions after completing their sentences. This would provide a path for former prisoners to obtain EMT certification on release, a frequent requirement for hiring or advancement as a firefighter.
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Conservation camps are an evolution of "road camps" staffed by incarcerated people, first formally authorized by the
California state legislature in 1915 to build roads and railroads, respond to environmental issues, and participate in some types of agriculture. In response to firefighter labor
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tweeted "In
California, incarcerated people are risking their lives battling wildfires for $ 1/hour. Yet these same people are barred from firefighting after release. It's wrong. If you can save lives serving a sentence, you can save lives when you're released." The bill did not pass.
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programs, the belief that the program was effective at rehabilitation, and a desire to reduce overcrowding inside prisons. Between 1959 and 1966, the program grew to 42 camps staffed by 2,880 incarcerated people, or 8.7% of the prison population at that time.
665:"In California, incarcerated people are risking their lives battling wildfires for $ 1/hour. Yet these same people are barred from firefighting after release. It's wrong. If you can save lives serving a sentence, you can save lives when you're released"
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Mobile Fire
Kitchen Units, deployed to feed responders and displaced community members in emergencies like fires and earthquakes, are primarily staffed by incarcerated workers from conservation camps.
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CAL FIRE reported 3,500 incarcerated firefighters in its 2018-2019 staffing numbers, making incarcerated firefighters approximately 27% of the total firefighting capacity of the state.
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they repay their debt to society, camp inmates also provide a real economic benefit to local communities. In 1989 alone, camp inmates worked 5.5 million hours—a $ 43 million value".
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article about a bill to remove restrictions on formerly incarcerated firefighters becoming career firefighters upon release, 2020 presidential candidate
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shortages during World War II, the
Rainbow Conservation Camp was established as the first permanent fire camp, in 1946. It was modeled after
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Aerial view of Sierra Conservation Center, a California prison and one of the major training facilities for incarcerated firefighters
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439:"Prisons in the Wildlands: A Critical Look Into the Historical Development and Implications of California Conservation Camps"
406:"Prisons in the Wildlands: A Critical Look Into the Historical Development and Implications of California Conservation Camps"
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la Cruz. Most youth camps have been converted to camps for adult men, with one remaining youth camp at Pine Grove.
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586:"Inmates Saved Homes in the Kincade Fire. They'll Face an Uphill Battle Getting Firefighting Jobs After Release"
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Incarcerated firefighters clear a fire line near Santa Barbara, California in December 2017
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television series in which a young convict volunteers for the Conservation Camp Program.
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Today, approximately 3,100 incarcerated people live and work out of 44 camps run by the
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638:"Bill would help California's inmate firefighters pursue career after release"
719:"'Fire Country,' a new show about Cal Fire, is a hit. Just not with Cal Fire"
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534:. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Archived from
474:. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Archived from
299:. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Archived from
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44:
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559:"Rare Honors This Weekend for Inmate Firefighters Killed on the Job"
700:"California Bill Clears Path for Ex-Inmates to Become Firefighters"
472:"CDCR's Inmate Firefighter Crews Gear Up for the 2007 Fire Season"
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California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
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Camp funding and therefore staffing declined under the
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California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
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California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
437:Kaelyn Frances Polick-Kirkpatrick (December 2019).
404:Kaelyn Frances Polick-Kirkpatrick (December 2019).
444:. University of Oregon. p. 36. Archived from
411:. University of Oregon. p. 29. Archived from
55:(CDCR) runs 44 conservation camps (also called
530:Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
470:Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
295:Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
162:Production and maintenance of firefighter gear
8:
27:California inmate disaster response program
357:"A History of Convict Labor in California"
640:. San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from
181:Programs vary by camp but often include:
134:Work varies by camp but often includes:
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499:"CAL FIRE Mobile Kitchen Units (MKUs)"
7:
698:Romo, Vanessa (September 11, 2020).
43:Incarcerated firefighters fight the
663:Julian Castro (October 28, 2019).
159:Museum construction and maintenance
612:"Bill Text - AB-1211 Firefighters"
197:and college correspondence courses
156:Manufacturing of signs and plaques
65:Los Angeles County Fire Department
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717:Rogers, Nate (November 4, 2022).
177:Lumber processing and woodworking
760:Penal labor in the United States
636:Megan Cassidy (March 10, 2019).
532:"Bautista Conservation Camp #36"
276:Penal labor in the United States
138:Fire prevention (fuel reduction)
584:Kevin Stark and Ted Goldberg.
214:Conservation camps in the news
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364:Southern California Quarterly
95:Governorship of Ronald Reagan
34:California Conservation Corps
234:In September 2020, Governor
322:CAL FIRE (September 2018).
297:"Conservation (Fire) Camps"
271:Incarceration in California
84:Civilian Conservation Corps
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755:Penal system in California
750:Firefighting in California
616:leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
504:. CAL FIRE. Archived from
329:. CAL FIRE. Archived from
165:School grounds maintenance
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497:CAL FIRE (January 2008).
32:Not to be confused with
355:Ward M. McAfee (1990).
224:San Francisco Chronicle
588:. KQED. Archived from
561:. KQED. Archived from
324:"CAL FIRE at a Glance"
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266:Prisons in California
147:Conservation projects
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47:in California in 2013
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200:Faith-based services
186:Alcoholics Anonymous
144:Cemetery maintenance
190:Narcotics Anonymous
63:(CAL FIRE) and the
59:) jointly with the
243:In popular culture
174:Vegetation removal
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18:Inmate firefighter
723:Los Angeles Times
675:on March 29, 2020
671:). Archived from
644:on March 29, 2020
592:on March 29, 2020
565:on March 29, 2020
538:on March 29, 2020
511:on March 29, 2020
478:on March 29, 2020
451:on March 29, 2020
418:on March 29, 2020
336:on March 29, 2020
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171:Trail maintenance
168:Search and rescue
16:(Redirected from
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726:. Retrieved
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370:(1): 19–40.
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331:the original
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305:. Retrieved
301:the original
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249:Fire Country
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236:Gavin Newsom
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203:Hobby crafts
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728:November 9,
744:Categories
282:References
206:Visitation
57:fire camps
679:March 29,
648:March 29,
596:March 29,
569:March 29,
542:March 29,
515:March 29,
482:March 29,
455:March 29,
422:March 29,
389:March 29,
340:March 29,
307:March 29,
222:Citing a
621:July 31,
384:41171510
260:See also
106:Staffing
81:New Deal
45:Rim Fire
685:Twitter
86:camps.
74:History
382:
669:Tweet
509:(PDF)
502:(PDF)
449:(PDF)
442:(PDF)
416:(PDF)
409:(PDF)
380:JSTOR
360:(PDF)
334:(PDF)
327:(PDF)
254:drama
730:2022
681:2020
650:2020
623:2020
598:2020
571:2020
544:2020
517:2020
484:2020
457:2020
424:2020
391:2020
342:2020
309:2020
188:and
51:The
704:NPR
372:doi
195:GED
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
