"Inmate firefighters in California will receive higher pay and the state will make permanent firefighting camps that train and educate young offenders under two laws signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. California state agencies and the Los Angeles County fire department run 35 fire camps where inmates train to become certified wildland firefighters. More than 1,100 inmate firefighters worked alongside state firefighters to stop wildfires in Los Angeles earlier this year that leveled neighborhoods and killed at least 30 people."
"The Youth Offender Program, run out of the Pine Grove Conservation Camp and Growlesberg Conservation Camp in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, specifically trains inmates under 25 to battle wildfires. The participants also receive education and mentorship. The program started as a pilot project in 2023, and it will now become permanent. Damien Rubalcava, left, unloads tools after work at the Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp, July 14, 2025, in Red Corral, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) Inmates ride in a vehicle at the Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp, July 14, 2025, in Red Corral, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)"
Two laws signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom raise pay for inmate firefighters and make firefighting camps that train and educate young offenders permanent. California state agencies and the Los Angeles County fire department operate 35 fire camps where inmates train to become certified wildland firefighters. More than 1,100 inmate firefighters worked alongside state firefighters to stop Los Angeles wildfires earlier this year that leveled neighborhoods and killed at least 30 people. The Youth Offender Program at Pine Grove and Growlesberg trains inmates under 25 to battle wildfires and provides education and mentorship. The program began as a 2023 pilot and will now continue permanently.
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