Newsom signs bill paving way for inmate fire crews to become professional firefighters

OROVILLE – At an ash-covered picnic table in the North Complex Fire zone, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday signed a bill that breaks down barriers preventing former inmate fire crew members from pursuing careers as firefighters after they have served their time.

“This legislation rights a historic wrong and recognizes the sacrifice of thousands of incarcerated people who have helped battle wildfires in our state,” Newsom said in a statement.

Authored by state Assemblywoman Eloise Gomez Reyes, AB 2147 allows nonviolent offenders who have fought fires as members of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s fire camps to have their records expunged and parole time waived, opening career paths in emergency response and a number of other fields.

Despite their experience and qualifications, many formerly incarcerated firefighters struggle to obtain licenses and employment due to their criminal records, according to the governor’s office.

“Rehabilitation without strategies to ensure the formerly incarcerated have a career is a pathway to recidivism,” Gomez Reyes said in a statement. “We must get serious about providing pathways for those that show the determination to turn their lives around.”

The bill is being signed into law amid a historic fire season that has strained resources. More than 3.1 million acres have burned in California since the beginning of the year, and as of Friday evening, firefighters were battling 28 major wildfires, including the North Complex Fire. That blaze has burned more than 250,000 acres in parts of Butte, Plumas and Yuba counties. At least nine fatalities have been reported.

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