They fight California’s fires, now let them rebuild their lives with AB 247 | Opinion
Every year, hundreds of incarcerated men and women in California prisons risk their lives, bodies and mental health to put out our state’s deadliest wildfires. For these sacrifices, they receive $5 to $10 per day, and their criminal record makes it difficult to gain the required certification as firefighters after their release.
A bill now in front of Gov. Gavin Newsom for his signature seeks to right that injustice: Assembly Bill 247 by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, D-Ladera Heights, would establish a pay raise for incarcerated firefighters up to $7.25 per hour for those actively working on the fire line. He has until Sunday’s deadline for all bills to sign it.
Despite performing the same dangerous work as their CalFire counterparts on the dangerous front lines of wildfires and other state emergencies, incarcerated men and women have been denied basic protections, including fair pay and access to disability insurance when injured.
California must, in turn, make sure these men and women are equipped with the training they deserve to rebuild their lives and livelihoods after their time has been served. In particular, expunging criminal records would make it easier to earn the required Emergency Medical Technician certification. Proponents argue the bill would create a pathway to gainful employment for former inmate firefighters and reduce recidivism.
Sergio Maldonado, a formerly incarcerated firefighter, said the work involved running toward towering flames while others were evacuated, smoke inhalation that burned his lungs and pushing through physical exhaustion that tested his human limits.
“Despite these challenges, the experience proved transformative: When flames surrounded us and escape seemed impossible, nobody questioned my conviction. At that moment, I was just a firefighter,” Maldonado wrote in a blog post for the Center for Employment Opportunities, a non-profit group that provides immediate transitional employment to people returning from incarceration, and supports the bill.
“AB 247 recognizes what I learned on the fire line — that our humanity and contributions matter more than our mistakes.”
Other supporters of the bill include the California Coalition for Women Prisoners, the California Innocence Coalition and the League of Women Voters of California. The California State Sheriffs Association is in opposition.
“We believe that no one should be denied dignity, safety or fair pay, especially those who serve on the frontlines of crisis,” Simone Price, Director of Organizing for the Center for Employment Opportunities, said in a statement. “In the wake of devastating wildfires in Los Angeles and across California, this legislation sends a powerful message: Those who put their lives on the line to protect our communities deserve to be treated with dignity and compensated accordingly.”
How much more must these firefighters prove before they are given due rights? Gov. Newsom must sign AB 247 and make right the broken system that protects Californians at the risk of incarcerated firefighters. If he doesn’t, it will be a total abandonment of people who put their lives on the line to save our state from wildfires, year after year.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the California State Sheriffs Association were in support. They are in opposition.
This story was originally published October 10, 2025 at 3:55 PM.
