SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif- AB 109 and has many far reaching impacts on our communities. The well-known plan to alleviate state prison overcrowding could soon wreak havoc on crews battling wildfires throughout the state. Now Cal Fire could lose nearly half of its fire inmate crews.
Cal Fire says at some large wildfires you may see more inmates on the front lines than actual crews. "The majority of the fire fighters on those fires can often times be actual inmate fire fighters lead by Cal Fire Captains," says Cal Fire Chief Robert Lewin. These crews are trained year round and when there isn't a fire they are out making fire breaks, clearing brush and vegetation.
"These are the shock troops of our fire fighting effort, these are the folks that are lead by our fire captains that go out into the steepest of slopes and back woods to fight the hardest fires," says Chief Lewin.
Due to the realignment plan, low level offenders who would be on inmate crews, are going to county jails making them ineligible for the fire program. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said by next June fire crews could lose 1,500 inmates. Cal Fire says that just isn't an option.
"We need to make sure we have the fire fighters we need, to staff all 39 camps, 196 fire crews 4-thousand to 4-thousand-300 inmate fire fighters, we need those numbers to do the job," says Chief Lewin. Cal Fire is working with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to work out a way inmates in local county jails can also be on Cal Fire inmate crews.
