Two Los Angeles congressional leaders are thinking creatively about how to get more people into the fire service while giving those about to get out of prison a chance at a career.
Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove and Judy Chu are sponsoring the Fairness, Inclusion, Rehabilitation, and Expungement for Incarcerated Firefighters (FIRE) Act.
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They pointed out that more than 1,000 inmate firefighters were on the line during the January firestorms, often earning just $5 a day while saving homes and running the same risks as city and county firefighters.
Their legislation at a minimum would provide fair labor standards and protections for prisoners working along side fierfighters.
"They deserve our trust in them by making sure that they are able to earn a minimum wage at least, by making sure that they have OSHA protections, by making sure that they have equipment that will keep them safe and prevent them from harm's way," Kamlager-Dove said during a press conference Tuesday.
The act also proposes a pathway for expunging an inmate's low-level criminal record as they continue a firefighter program.
If passed, the program would provide a pipeline of much-needed recruits who would be trained and ready to join city, county, state, or federal fire teams nationwide.
The measure is headed for a series of committee hearings in the House in the next few weeks.
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