Lawmakers Advocate for Increased Pay and Better Protections for Incarcerated Firefighters

LA County fire training program offers career opportunity to those seeking second chance at life

Hundreds of incarcerated firefighters helped battle the January wildfires, and some wondered if those firefighters could find permanent work when they were released. ABC7 Solutions explores an L.A. County that's helping with that possibility.

Lawmakers advocate for increased pay and better protections for incarcerated firefighters

There’s already a bill working its way through the California Legislature to increase pay for incarcerated firefighters in the Golden State. Now, some members of Congress from the Los Angeles area are hoping to address pay inequities and safety standards for these firefighters at the federal level as well. Reps. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Los Angeles, and Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, announce new federal legislation to support incarcerated firefighters on…

Under Fire Act, inmate firefighters could have a new pipeline to employment

Introduced by Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove and Rep. Judy Chu, the Fire Act is a new piece of federal legislation that could offer more labor protections for incarcerated firefighters nationwide.

The Senate’s bipartisan wildfire-fighting duo

The NewsA few months ago, Alex Padilla was trying to keep Tim Sheehy out of the US Senate. Now the two senators are emerging as a forceful bipartisan duo.The California Democrat and Montana Republican are collaborating on a series of bills intended to more aggressively fight the wildfire epidemic now gripping the country from coast to coast. They’ve bonded over raising kids as senators, shared drinks, and — yes — Padilla thinks Sheehy is an OK g…

Bill allowing incarcerated firefighters to join civilian ranks heads to governor's desk

A new bill aimed at bolstering the state's firefighting resources is on its way to the governor's desk for approval.Bill 321, if signed into law, would enable

California lawmakers announce new legislation supporting inmate firefighters

This comes as over 1,000 incarcerated firefighters recently helped combat the January wildfires in Southern California, often for minimal pay and facing barriers to future employment in the field due to their criminal records.