They are every person’s hope in times of burning calamities – brave firefighters. In the case of the recent Yosemite Rim Fire, every Californian owes their lives and homes to these individuals who bravely don the burn-resistant suits and caps and go in the middle of the heat to battle the raging wildfire. However, unknown to them, 671 of these courageous volunteers are convicts.

A Government Initiative

These men and women who are daring enough to face the raging fires of Yosemite are part of California’s Conservation Camp initiative, a collective project of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The program, which is voluntary in nature, allows inmates to handle firefighting roles for a dollar every on-the-job-hour.

“They are in the thick of it. They work 24-hour shifts. They sleep in tents at base camp. They work side-by-side with other firefighters,” CDCR Captain Jorge Santana told one news channel in an interview. Currently, there are 52 female and 600 male prisoners taking part of the program and fighting side by side with professional firefighters to keep the blazing inferno raging in Yosemite at hand.

Threatening Wildfire

The wildfire in and around Yosemite National Park started on August 24th and had been spitting heat and smoke ever since. It has reportedly charred more than 125,000 acres of land, had threatened to cut off San Francisco’s power supply briefly and its fires have continued to upset firefighters’ efforts to contain them.

It is even reported as the sixth largest wildfire to happen in the county’s history. From the start, more than 2,600 firefighters have worked the grounds to fight off the Yosemite Rim Fire assisted by trench-building and digging equipment as well as aircraft dropping water from elevated positions.

From Zero to Hero

Firefighting inmates may see their roles, especially in big cases like these, as their saving grace – from being viewed as pests and headaches in the society to doing something heroic. Others may just want to escape the mundane prison life and being a firefighter is the closest they could get to have an adventure. However, project superiors who have seen the inmates worked rained accolades on their dedication.

As what California Fire Captain Mike Mohler revealed in an interview with a well-known nature magazine, “A lot of people think you pull that fire engine up and just pull a hose out and fight fire. We’re talking inmates who hike miles and miles just to get where they’re going to start, and then cut line all through the day.”

One former inmate who had the privilege of working in the project during his incarceration had said that not only did he learn something out of his experience as a firefighter, he was actually doing something enjoyable. California is not the only state that has this program but Orange County has the largest with over 4,000 prisoners as volunteers from 42 camps.