Incarcerated firefighters take a break during the Sandy Fire in Simi Valley on May 18th, 2026 – credit, Zin Chiang for CalMatters
Rather than being stuck on the chain gang, California prisoners are often on the bucket brigade.
Roughly half of all California firefighters are incarcerated individuals. The pay is better than other prison jobs, and is reported to be a welcome break from the monotony of prison life.
Now, following the stewarded passage of a bill that’s been signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom, formerly incarcerated firefighters will reenter society with a direct career pipeline.
Watched closely by CalMatters, the passage of AB 2483, also called the Formerly Incarcerated Firefighter Certification and Employment Program, will both ensure standardized certification protocols for firefighting and offer priority in hiring for certain entry-level positions at Cal Fire, the state firefighting force, to those who were previously imprisoned.
“The bill tells incarcerated firefighters that their hard-earned experience counts,” Royal Ramey, the chief executive of the nonprofit Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program, told CalMatters.
Ramey was himself a formerly-incarcerated firefighter, but being that the certificate he received stipulated he earned it in prison, he was reluctant to use it on his CV. Instead, he went all the way through a normal firefighting academy.
His goal in convincing California’s state assembly to vote yes on AB 2483 was to ensure that other incarcerated firefighters feel proud and confidant that certificates of training and experience received on the job in prison will be of benefit, not hinderance, to them on the outside.
BETTER ON THE OUTSIDE:
Ramey and his nonprofit worked with Sade Elhawary, a Los Angeles Democrat, to steward the bill through committee. The pair learned from Elhawary’s previous attempt to pass similar legislation, and addressed outstanding concerns held by Cal Fire’s union.
By 2028, the bill will see that returning ex-cons who fought fires in prison have a meaningful, unbarred pathway to a fulfilling job, potential 6-figure income, and a state pension.
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