Kim Kardashian Advocates for Higher Pay for Inmate Firefighters; California Legislator Supports the Cause
Prisoners fighting the wildfires in the Los Angeles area receive wages as low as $30 for an entire 24-hour shift.
TroibNews 
SACRAMENTO, California — With wildfires raging through the Los Angeles area, a California state lawmaker is spearheading a campaign to increase pay for incarcerated firefighters, some of whom are currently battling these blazes for as little as $30 per day.
A bill is set to be introduced as early as Wednesday, aiming to raise the pay for prisoner firefighters who are “actively fighting a fire” to an hourly rate equal to the lowest professional state firefighter wage, which would add a substantial burden to the state budget.
This initiative has attracted celebrity support, notably from reality star Kim Kardashian, who is advocating for better compensation.
Incarcerated fire crew members receive between $5.80 and $10.24 daily, with an additional $1 per hour for those engaged in active emergencies, as per the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
“Incarcerated firefighters are on the front lines saving lives,” said Isaac Bryan, a Democrat from Los Angeles and the bill’s author, in an exclusive statement to PMG. “They are heroes just like everybody else on the front lines, and they deserve to be paid like it.”
Kardashian, a proponent of criminal justice reform, urged Gov. Gavin Newsom last weekend to raise their wages to a figure that “honors a human being risking their life to save our lives and homes,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
The Marshall Project reported that over 900 incarcerated firefighters were responding to the Southern California wildfires as of Friday. The fires, which ignited last week, have rapidly expanded, resulting in at least 25 fatalities and the destruction of thousands of structures.
Incarcerated individuals who volunteer for these firefighting roles receive a reduction of two days from their sentences for each day they serve on a fire crew.
Ian Smith for TROIB News
A bill is set to be introduced as early as Wednesday, aiming to raise the pay for prisoner firefighters who are “actively fighting a fire” to an hourly rate equal to the lowest professional state firefighter wage, which would add a substantial burden to the state budget.
This initiative has attracted celebrity support, notably from reality star Kim Kardashian, who is advocating for better compensation.
Incarcerated fire crew members receive between $5.80 and $10.24 daily, with an additional $1 per hour for those engaged in active emergencies, as per the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
“Incarcerated firefighters are on the front lines saving lives,” said Isaac Bryan, a Democrat from Los Angeles and the bill’s author, in an exclusive statement to PMG. “They are heroes just like everybody else on the front lines, and they deserve to be paid like it.”
Kardashian, a proponent of criminal justice reform, urged Gov. Gavin Newsom last weekend to raise their wages to a figure that “honors a human being risking their life to save our lives and homes,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
The Marshall Project reported that over 900 incarcerated firefighters were responding to the Southern California wildfires as of Friday. The fires, which ignited last week, have rapidly expanded, resulting in at least 25 fatalities and the destruction of thousands of structures.
Incarcerated individuals who volunteer for these firefighting roles receive a reduction of two days from their sentences for each day they serve on a fire crew.
Ian Smith for TROIB News
