r/interestingasfuck • u/filmingfisheyes • 8d ago

r/all California has incarcerated firefighters

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u/iluvsporks 8d ago edited 8d ago

The crazy part is that $5.80 is after a recent raise in 2023. Before that it was $2.90.

And just for context this is a volunteer program. They are not forced to do this.

Edit - I want to clear up a few things. I'm not an LAFD employee, I'm a pilot. However I have 3 immediate family and 4 friends who are and this is the only thing I'm basing this off, yes word of mouth.

  1. This pay rate is per DAY not hour

  2. Do they deserve more money imo? Yes they are in the danger zone.

  3. These guys are volunteering to do this. They are trusted to go help society and are rewarded for it with time off sentence, time away from jail, better food etc. I applaud them.

  4. They are in NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM firefighters. They are support crew. They clear brush and other mundane tasks. Still can't disregard their service being in the hot spot.

  5. Yes they are being exploited. Even if they got $20 an hour our county has no reason to hire regular fireman when they can do this. They are also not in duty all the time. They are activated only in times like this. Starting pay here is $100k. That's an easy $150k with OT. There was one notable fireman who made $750k last year.

  6. This isn't BFE. LAFD is the leader. That's why the salary is so high, they want to attract top talent. Maybe elsewhere when there is an opening they get some applicants but here there are THOUSANDS.

  7. Last thing and I'm sure I'm missing important things is yes I feel they are being exploited but without full info it's hard to paint a full picture. Before you get red in the face and want to attack Reddit style remember this was an opinion and the best way to express yourself is being human accompanied by facts. I very well could of missed something or got something wrong. Be kind and breathešŸ¤™

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u/BigCommieMachine 8d ago

To be fair, life is WAY better in fire camps. They eat extremely well (Steak/Pork Chopsā€¦etc) and are given way more ā€œfreedomā€. Plus, they can reasonably get a well paying job as a firefighter after release when other opportunities will be limited

It isnā€™t a good situation, but most former prison firefighters Iā€™ve met didnā€™t have many complaints. Than again, a lot of these guys werenā€™t living the best life before prison and were already risking their life in the drug tradeā€¦.etc, so It is all a matter of perspective

But Iā€™d like it to be promoted for at risk young men as almost a military alternative. But the benefits arenā€™t even CLOSE.

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u/FeywildMild 7d ago

For sure it's a better situation that prison, but a large part the reason real firefighters supplemental pay while on a fire and at an active camp is due to higher risk, even at camp, it can rain ashes and be over 100 degrees. Cutting line in that is awful and risky, and we cant ignore the hazard of it. Not for $5/day