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Change To Penal Code Allows Hiring Firefighters with Criminal Records

Inmates who participated in one of the 44 California Conservation Camps received the same training from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection or CAL-FIRE as it gives to seasonal firefighters, but inmates are paid $2 to $5 a day in camp and an additional $1 to $2 an hour when they’re on a fire line. But once they were out of custody, former inmates couldn’t get hired on with fire crews despite their training and experience because of their criminal backgrounds.

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Brandon Smith and Royal Ramey pose together at Victor Valley College Wildland Firefighting Academy. (Courtesy of Brandon Smith)
Brandon Smith and Royal Ramey pose together at Victor Valley College Wildland Firefighting Academy. (Courtesy of Brandon Smith)

By Manny Otiko, California Black Media

After Brandon N. Smith was imprisoned for the ninth time, he found himself at a crossroads. That’s when he learned about the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) conservation campfire crews, which allows inmates to train as firefighters.

Smith initially joined the program to get out of his cell, but something changed after working alongside firefighters and saving lives and homes. Smith said he found direction and realized he gained satisfaction fighting forest fires.

Smith is no longer incarcerated and now serves as executive director of the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program, a nonprofit organization that supports formerly incarcerated firefighters, and those currently incarcerated in California’s Conservation Camps.

He said, “This work changed my life.”

Inmates who participated in one of the 44 California Conservation Camps received the same training from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection or CAL-FIRE as it gives to seasonal firefighters, but inmates are paid $2 to $5 a day in camp and an additional $1 to $2 an hour when they’re on a fire line. But once they were out of custody, former inmates couldn’t get hired on with fire crews despite their training and experience because of their criminal backgrounds.

That changed in 2020 when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 2147. The law changes the penal code so that formerly incarcerated firefighters can file a petition to request their records to be expunged of convictions and gain early termination of probation or parole. This opened the door for their employment in firefighting.

“This legislation rights a historic wrong and recognizes the sacrifice of thousands of incarcerated people who have helped battle wildfires in our state, and I would like to thank the Legislature for passing this bill,” said Newsom in a press release.

Smith says AB 2147 opens opportunities in the fire protection field to formerly incarcerated people.

“Signing AB 2147 into law is about giving second chances. To correct is to right a wrong; to rehabilitate is to restore,” said Assemblymember Eloise Gomez Reyes, the bill’s author.

According to Smith, finding employment continues to be a challenge for people with criminal backgrounds. But it’s not just finding work; it’s finding well-paying jobs. He was looking at minimum-wage jobs when he got out of prison, but thanks to the bill’s passing and his firefighter training, he could find a good job.

It’s not just about financial compensation for Smith. He genuinely loves his job and finds the work meaningful.

“The first fire I did, we saved 10,000 lives,” said Smith.

Smith credits retired Chief Betty Ashe for giving him a chance when he got out of prison. He had tried to get a job in the fire protection field but ran into obstacles because of his record.

Professional firefighters initially hesitated to work alongside former inmates, but eventually, they were glad for the help.

“They want to find a way to get more people into the program,” said Smith.

Forest fires continue to be a major problem in California. The situation has been exacerbated for several reasons, such as climate change, hotter temperatures, drought and mismanagement of forests.

Current climate conditions have created a perfect storm for forest fires, and there is a great need for people with the skills to work in fire protection and prevention.

“There are not enough people to do the work,” said Smith. He admits that fighting fires is dangerous and scary. He said of the first time he fought a fire, “I have never been that scared in my life.”

However, for Smith, being a firefighter allows him to “be a good citizen for the State of California.”

Being a firefighter has allowed Smith’s family to improve their situation. Now his daughter wants to be a wildland firefighter. And members of his church are interested in getting their family members into the program.

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Oakland Post: Week of June 4 – 10, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 4-10, 2025

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Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

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Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)
Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.

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Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 3, 2025

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