In a First, California Moves Toward Paying Incarcerated Firefighters Minimum Wage
In a First, California Moves Toward Paying Incarcerated Firefighters Minimum Wage
California is moving to pay incarcerated firefighters the federal minimum wage of $7.25 during active fires, a policy change that follows years of advocacy to improve pay and working conditions for incarcerated labor.
Best I can do is minimum wage for grueling, dangerous work.
You're viewing a single thread.
Using prison slave labour for firefighting is literally the dumbest shit I've ever heard even ignoring all the ethical issues. You know who I don't want in charge of saving my life from a fire? Someone who's being forced to do it. Because that person probably won't try very hard.
The prison firefighters all volunteer for that detail. From what I understand, it's one of the harder details to get on.
But don't dehumanize prisoners with such a broad brush. They are all people too, and when they see someone in dire need, they are still people and will more than likely help.
But woodland firefighting is very much clearing brush and creating fire lines with literal hand tools. Hoes, chainsaws, and shovels and their primary tools. This isn't a position where firefighters are going into burning buildings looking for injured or trapped people.
Uh... they're still people. They like doing good rewarding things and they like learning real skills.
In this case they aren't ever in neighborhoods spraying down homes. These are the guys in hills cutting fire breaks to stop the fires from ever reaching homes.
None of these fire fighters are forced. Its a job that they earn privileges for doing. They're probably not as gung-ho about it as someone who's made a career of it but they aren't slaves like you're imagining.