Ca prisoners firefighters deserve a good pay, a chance in a career

By Andoni Corleto, special for Calmatters

This comment was originally published by CalmattersS Register about their ballots.

The first fire I remember happened in the dense mountains of the National Forest Shasta-Trinity. The ponderosa giant pines crashed around us with a little warning, weakened by fire and firing from foam like fireflies in smoke.

It was one of the few times in my life when I thought I could die at any moment – which said something because I had already served 13 years in prison.

I was imprisoned by a firefighter working in the shadows for 1 dollar an hour and like thousands of others, without many of the defenses that other firefighters receive to put our lives on the line.

While the flames in Los Angeles this year illuminates this mismatch for the first time for many people, it has existed for too long.

California has relied on deprived firefighters since 1915, when the camp protection program began. Today, there are 35 protection camps, also known as fire camps throughout the country. Over the years, people operating in these camps represent as much as one -third of California’s forces, fighting fires, which are becoming more and more large each year.

At one point, while I was imprisoned, I worked 24-hour shifts for 42 straight days, struggling with fire before I could rest in a base camp.

In 2018, during record fires in the cities of Santa Barbara and Ventura, my fellow firefighters and I not only protected people’s homes, but had the painful job of looking for their bodies after muddy.

The work was mentally and physically exhausting, but we had a sense of purpose and the chance to do good.

As a prisoner, firefighters told us very early that we would probably be forbidden to serve a city, district or state fire team at release because of our records, although we have some of The The The most ranks of recidivism in the country.

When I was inside, I felt all the pride and satisfaction of working hard to help my community. But when I was out of the fire, the fog cleared and felt numb and operated on how little we had to show to put our lives on the line.

Like thousands of others, I got out of prison with a specific set of skills that I could not use to restore my life or support my family. I had to rely so much on them because all the work I did was paid so little.

Fortunately, since the legislation of California examines bills to prepare and prevent future fires, they also worship the important and heroic work of prisoners. A particularly important list of seven bills this year, Freedom package would guarantee that prisoners of firefighters Earn a more just salary., Death benefitsand real Trails to re -insertionS

When the next fire broke out, these deprived firefighters will be placed at the foot of the flames, just as I was years ago.

They will walk in burning landscapes where bulldozers cannot travel, create detention lines to stop the spread of fires that break the record after recording, and try to survive as they save unsolved life.

Between active fires, they will clear the brush to prevent future flames, work to prevent deadly muddy traces and help Californians flood their homes. And with a critical prevention of fire obstructed by the deployment of the national guard For Los Angeles this year, their work will be more necessary – and more dangerous – than ever. They are heroes.

Investing in their future by passing the Freedom Freedom Package is not just a matter of justice – it is an investment in the health and safety of all Californians.

I want incidents of firefighters from today and tomorrow to receive the support they need to go home and continue to help our communities. Their work becomes more dangerous every year, as the fires in California become more fierce and more frequent.

This article was Originally Published on CalMatters and was reissued under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Noderivatives License.