Kim Kardashian is calling attention to the many incarcerated firefighters who are battling the flames that have overtaken Los Angeles, praising those on the front lines and urging Gov.
She continued, turning her attention to incarcerated firefighters: “On all 5 fires in Los Angeles, there are hundreds of incarcerated firefighters, risking their lives to save us.
As noted by Kardashian and reporting by the New York Times, incarcerated firefighters are capped at $10.24 per day, plus an additional $1 an hour paid by Cal Fire during emergencies, according to the corrections department.
Historically, incarcerated firefighters have made up as much as 30% of the California wildfire force.
These are all FORMERLY incarcerated firefighters who have come home, and want to continue serving our community as firefighters.
Kim Kardashian is thanking those on the front lines, drawing attention to the numerous firefighters who are behind bars fighting the fire that has engulfed Los Angeles, and urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to give them more money.
Since they started in January, the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire have burned 37,000 acres combined over the weekend. 7, the American Horror Story: The actress shared a video from the nonprofit Anti-Recidivism Coalition that showed some of the 800 prisoners who are presently resisting the fire.
As she started a multi-post statement on her Instagram Story, the media personality and businesswoman continued by praising first responders. “Over the past week, I have watched my city burn. And have witnessed and conversed with numerous firefighters who stay up all night putting forth their utmost effort to save our community,” she wrote, expressing gratitude to Cal Fire.
“There are hundreds of incarcerated firefighters on all 5 fires in Los Angeles, risking their lives to save us,” she said, focusing on the imprisoned firefighters. Working around the clock, they are on the Eaton and Palisades fires in Pasadena. To demonstrate to the community that they have evolved and are now first responders, they risk their lives and receive essentially no compensation. Some of them have even lost their lives. To me, they are heroes. As of right now, the identities of all 16 people killed by the combined fires have not been made public, and more research and official damage surveys are anticipated to increase the death toll. ().
According to the corrections department, incarcerated firefighters are limited to $10.24 per day, plus an extra $1 per hour paid by Cal Fire during emergencies, as reported by the New York Times and mentioned by Kardashian. Last April, new rules were passed that allow the lowest-grade incarcerated firefighter to earn as little as $5 to $80 per day. According to KQED, the salary range for previous decades’ regulations was $2.90 to $5.13 per day. Up to 30% of the California wildfire force has historically consisted of incarcerated firefighters.
Although inmates have expressed that the experience is both rewarding and morally complex, given that involuntary servitude is legal as a form of punishment for a crime in the United States, the Marshall Project ranks firefighting as one of the most desirable jobs for those who are incarcerated. A. and Constitutions of California. California voters had the chance to repeal the law requiring forced labor in prisons during the 2024 presidential election, but they rejected Prop 6 with a 53.3% vote in favor of maintaining the status quo. Even though laws have been passed to facilitate the expungement of records and the hiring of former firefighters, the process remains challenging and time-consuming.
The governor should increase the pay of incarcerated firefighters to a level that [sic] honors a human being risking their life to save our homes and lives, as no governor has done in forty years, Kardashian said.
Finally, the founder of SKIMS said, “I would like to express my gratitude to the firefighters from the @calfire Ventura Training Center for saving my community when it began to burn this week. These firefighters, all of whom were formerly incarcerated, have returned home and wish to carry on serving our community. These men are now eligible for reduced sentences and the expungement of their felonies from their fire service records, thanks to legislation passed by the @antirecidivismcoalition. Additionally, they can find six-figure jobs working for fire departments once they return home. “”.
Kardashian was bringing up the Kenneth Fire, which gave rise to Jan. Since then, 80 percent of it has been largely contained.
