- California tonight is home to a record shattering
heat wave and about two dozen wildfires
currently burning across the state.
(sirens blaring)
- There's been little relief
from a record breaking fire season
that has burned more than 5 million acres.
- It's so surreal, almost like how everything is just gone.
- [Baratunde] Climate change has brought Los Angeles
rising temperatures and historic droughts.
Transforming the landscape and locking LA
in a near constant battle with wildfires.
In 2020, California saw five
of the six largest wildfires in its history.
With the fight against fire sow as urgent as ever,
more and more are being trained for the front lines.
- Alright, we gonna do some jumping jacks on my count.
Ready begin.
One, two, three-
- [Baratunde] Royal Ramey is doing just that.
As one of the co-founders of the Fire
and Forestry Recruitment Program.
- [Recruits] Nine, ten.
- Push up position.
- So your name is Royal.
First of all, just like that's a cool name.
- Thank you.
(laughs) - Congratulations.
So what's the training program like
to be able to fight wild fires?
- You gotta be physically fit.
You on fires constantly for a 14 day assignment.
You doing 16 hour days.
- Wow.
- So physically fit, being able to run a certain amount
of miles, long distance, push ups, sit ups, jumping jacks.
- [Baratunde] Fighting fires requires
serious physical fitness.
- One.
- Down.
- Two.
- Down.
- [Recruits] Three.
- To be fair, Royal's trainees knew
what they were signing up for.
- [Royal] Down.
- Seven.
- [Baratunde] That's because nearly all of them
have already been fighting wildfires for years
as inmate firefighters in the California penal system.
- Down.
- 19.
- Down.
- 20.
- [Royal] Up.
- [Baratunde] Around 30% of the states' wildfire force
is made up of incarcerated men and women
earning just a few dollars a day to risk their lives.
Until his release in 2014, Royal was one of them.
And for him, the program opened doors.
I'm relatively new to California.
So I didn't realize it was on fire all the time.
- (chuckles) Alright.
- Like there's a fire season.
And then I learned that this state is heavily dependent
on incarcerated individuals to fight those fires.
How did that sit with you
when you were one of those firefighters?
You know, on the other side, on the inside?
- Honestly, obviously you got a good opportunity.
- Yeah.
- When you go there, right.
'Cause you're not actually locked up.
I think that's one of the benefits,
like the little carrot that's hanging there.
- So you went to prison and got to be outside.
- Right.
Exactly.
- That's not most people's understanding
of how prison works.
It doesn't work that way for most people.
- Right.
Right.
- Why did you stay in fire?
You're no longer incarcerated.
What's the connection?
What's the lure?
- I loved fighting fire when I was there.
But I noticed that it wasn't like a true pathway.
We know that it's a lot of people that have a passion,
a true passion, but they just don't know how
to apply it when they come home
because of people say you can't be a firefighter
because you got a felony.
So I took it upon myself with my partner.
We try to figure it out.
We got a lot of doors slammed in our face,
but we just was persistent.
- [Baratunde] It can be an uphill battle,
convincing state and local fire departments
to hire applicants with a criminal record.
So Royal co-founded the recruitment program
to provide further firefighting training
and job placement to former inmates.
Why do you come back to the fire?
- I came back to change the perspective of what people say,
oh, he's a gang member.
He ain't gonna do nothing in life.
I'm a first responder now.
I'm a firefighter.
The look of my kids eyes, it means everything to me.
That my dad ain't a bum no more.
He's a firefighter.
- Oscar, why did you come back to the fire?
- I came back to the fire because I feel
like it was my duty
to come back and get back to society,
and be able to protect the land,
and be able to protect people's property,
and defend their homes.
- Alright.
Let's line up.
- Moving.
- [Oscar] And also for the teamwork
that we show amongst our group.
- Last man got it.
- It's phenomenal.
It's like a family here.
(uplifting music)
- [Baratunde] Delaney Montoya entered
the California penal system in 2017.
Two years later, she was offered the opportunity
to become an inmate firefighter.
When you were a little girl,
what did you want to be when you grew up?
- I wanted to be a princess.
(both laughing)
I never thought I would be a firefighter ever.
Never.
- [Baratunde] What is your favorite part of fighting fire?
- It's exciting.
Like there's nothing that could possibly
explain the feeling it is to be out there
when the whole mountain's on fire,
and you have to stop the fire from going further.
Helping people and saving lives.
And then the gratitude.
Having people come up to you and tell you,
thank you for your service.
And I'm an inmate.
I used to have prisoner down my leg.
I have prisoner across my back.
And they're saying, thank you.
We appreciate you.
There's just the most amazing feeling
to feel like you're doing good.
Like you're wanted.
- Yeah.
- Going from being a mess up and just a low life,
to being accomplished and doing things
that are like unfathomable.
It's incredible.
It's an incredible feeling honestly.
- [Baratunde] In the summer of 2020,
Delaney learned she was being released
from prison early due to COVID.
But she didn't celebrate because she didn't wanna leave.
- I found out in July that I was getting out in three weeks.
- Oh wow, yeah.
- And I was devastated.
I was all write me up.
I don't wanna get out.
I loved fighting fires so much that I wanted to do that.
- Wow.
- And I just didn't think it was possible to do it out here.
- [Baratunde] Yeah.
(chainsaw revving)
This training program now makes
becoming a professional firefighter
a possibility for Delaney.
She still has some certifications to earn,
but knowing how hard she's worked here-
- [Delaney] Free falling.
- [Baratunde] I have no doubt her dreams are within reach.
- Whether it's on an engine or a crew,
if I have to do grunt work,
I don't care what I have to do to be successful.
I am going to be a firefighter.
I know it's not gonna happen overnight.
I've never quit on anything ever.
You wait and see.
I'm gonna do great things.
- I believe it.
If there's a fire coming for my house, I want you there.
- Thank you.
(uplifting music)
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