LOS ANGELES – They were the out-of-sight firefighters-an elite but often invisible crew on the front lines of the Pacific Palisades fire. Now, California is moving to pay incarcerated firefighters the federal minimum wage for their work battling wildfires.
Among the strike teams deployed during the January 2025 Palisades Fire, one stood out not for its uniforms, but for its origin: correctional fire camps. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) sent 141 trained staff from prisons across the state to assist nearly 5,200 firefighters in saving homes and stabilizing hard-hit neighborhoods.
Led by CDCR Fire Chief Jesse Corrales, the team arrived with engines from Folsom State Prison, the California Institution for Men in Chino, Chuckawalla Valley State Prison, Mule Creek State Prison and High Desert State Prison…