California lawmakers announce new legislation supporting inmate firefighters

Under Fire Act, inmate firefighters could have a new pipeline to employment

Introduced by Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove and Rep. Judy Chu, the Fire Act is a new piece of federal legislation that could offer more labor protections for incarcerated firefighters nationwide.

California lawmakers announce new legislation supporting inmate firefighters

This comes as over 1,000 incarcerated firefighters recently helped combat the January wildfires in Southern California, often for minimal pay and facing barriers to future employment in the field due to their criminal records.