This firefighting crew is suited up and ready to go. On the fire line, inmate crews work tirelessly to bring the blaze under control. Forestry staff train and supervise all inmate firefighters. Ishi Camp is typical of the 40 conservation camps statewide.
Few viewers realize, however, that the firefighters they see dressed in orange are inmates.
Every year inmates spend between one and two million hours on the fire lines. In rugged terrain, under the most grueling conditions, they labor long hours to protect California's wilderness areas. When it's all over, these inmates know that they not only have served their time, they've served their community. The Camp System Protecting California's wildlands from fire is the primary goal of the prison conservation camp system. Most of the approximately 40 camps run by Corrections are located in the wilderness areas they are designed to preserve.