Budget : Inmates may get the Axe

Inmate Firefighter Force May Shrink

SACRAMENTO, CA - On the front lines of wildfires they are, above all else, firefighters. But some wear yellow, and others wear orange. They are the inmate firefighters.

There are 4,400 inmate firefighters stationed across California, accounting for more than half of the state's total widlfire fighting force. "The program is essential to our firefighting abilities," said Daniel Berlant of Cal Fire.

Berlant says that during wildfires, inmates are often the ones cutting fire lines and clearing brush.

"They're doing hard work, work that the everyday person would never want to do," said Berlant.

For inmates, it's a much sought-after position. They have to be low-level, non-violent offenders, and pass several physical and psychological tests before being accepted into the firefighting program. Once they're in, they get two days off their sentence for every day they serve as a firefighter.

"These people are really the workforce for the state's fire fighting response," said Seth Unger of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Inmates work for $1 an hour. Unger says that saves $80 million a year in firefighting costs.
"We certainly want to maintain our ability to have our firefighters be on the fire lines," said Unger.

However, he said it might not be possible to maintain the status quo with the department facing cuts amounting to as much as $1.5 billion -- 15 percent of their budget.

"The goal is to have savings that come in this next budget year, which starts July 1. We're hoping to see some savings from a combination of the various proposals in this coming budget year," Unger said.

Almost all of the proposals involve reduction in the prison population, which would involve cutting the number of non-violent offenders incarcerated. However, they're the ones who serve as firefighters.

Fewer inmates would mean fewer eligible firefighters. "It could be a significant impact," said Unger.

Berlant added, "If we had to replace (the lost inmate firefighters) with an actual trained, professional firefighter, the cost would be significantly higher." It's possible the departed inmates might simply go un-replaced on the front lines.

The corrections department will find out how much they'll have to cut once the state budget revisions have been finalized. Those changes could be announced before the end of June.

Source: News10.com - Link