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| Calif. Corrections responds to wildfire fight |
| By Jim Montalto, News Editor |
| Published: 10/24/2007 |
In response to California Governor Schwarzenegger’s call for a coordinated state effort to fight the wildfires spreading across Southern California, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation directed more than 2,300 inmates and more than 170 custody staff to work with state agencies and county and local fire departments. Strike teams of CDCR fire captains, staff and fire engines, along with inmate fire crews, have been deployed from the Susanville and Tehachapi California Correctional Institutions, the Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, and the Chuckawalla Valley State Prison in Blythe.“These crews provide critical support to the state’s firefighting response, going where bulldozers and heavy equipment cannot go,” Schwarzenegger said in a statement. “Inmate firefighters and CDCR staff at our institutions are an integral piece of the state’s disaster response team. Fire camp crews are being activated and deployed as rapidly as possible. Firefighters are continuing to work around the clock to contain the Southern California fires and I want to extend my thanks for their bravery and dedication.” Schwarzenegger has directed the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, and the California National Guard to activate additional personnel to battle the fires affecting Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. The fire crews are part of the CDCR’s 42 adult and two Division of Juvenile Justice conservation camps in the state. The CDCR jointly manages 39 adult and juvenile camps with CAL FIRE, and five adult camps with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. More than 4,400 offenders participate in the program, which has approximately 200 fire crews that respond to emergencies like wildfires, floods, search and rescue operations, and earthquakes. They also work on conservation and community service projects. Only minimum-custody inmates participate in the conservation program. |
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