CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS : LACoFD Fire Camp Graduation:

Friday, November 30, 2012

LACoFD Fire Camp Graduation:

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles County Fire Department Will Train 700 Inmates Per Year through Inmate Fire Camp Training Facility

Inaugural Inmate Fire Training Camp Class Graduates

On Monday, November 19, 2012, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles County Fire Department held a graduation ceremony for the first two classes of inmates assigned to the newly-formed Inmate Fire Camp Training Facility.

The Inmate Fire Camp Training Facility is a joint venture between the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles County Fire Department. These inmates are part of the State Realignment Plan (AB109), which places lower security level inmates who are non-violent, non-serious crime and non-sexual offenders in the custody of local law enforcement agencies. Many of the inmates, who would normally fill the ranks of state inmate wildland fire crews, are now in the custody of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

To help fill the vacancies in the five Los Angeles County inmate fire camps, the Sheriff’s Department was tasked with selecting, screening, and physically training the first 110 inmates chosen for the program in two phases.

Phase one consisted of several months of arduous physical training. During this time, the inmates were under constant supervision by nine Sheriff’s Deputies and two Sergeants. On average, the inmates hiked three to six miles a day throughout the hills and fire trails surrounding the 2,600 acre Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic. During their down time, many of the inmates participated in education-based incarceration classes and also had the opportunity to earn their General Education Diploma (GED). Additionally, 60 inmates have participated in a state-approved culinary and safe food handler’s class, receiving a certificate which should aid them in obtaining a job in the food industry upon their release.

Phase two consisted of an intensive two-week, 80-hour, training program which encompassed fire behavior, fire line safety, the use of hand tools and daily written tests. The Fire Department has a long history of educating and providing experience to fire camp inmates. The training program emphasized teamwork and dedication to serving the community. Once trained, 14-man crews are available to respond to fire lines and other natural disasters. “We instilled in them the same sense of preparedness and orderliness that we have in the fire service,” said Fire Chief Daryl Osby.

“Just like our paid fire camp crews, we helped them build the camaraderie and pride that comes from being part of a team. We hope that these new skills and outlook will go with these inmates as they are released from the program and rebuild their lives.”

Fire camp inmates receive a two for one sentence reduction, as well as $1 per day. When inmates are assigned to a brush fire they receive an additional $1 per hour.

The Sheriff’s and Fire Department expect to train 500 to 700 inmates per year in this program. Sheriff Baca strongly believes that “by combining education-based incarceration with fire camp training and experience it will aid in reducing the recidivism rate. Providing inmates with the tools to learn skills and work towards a goal will ultimately benefit them when they enter back into society,” said Sheriff Baca.

Source: LASD

CFN - California Fire News 2012

No comments:

How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).