Inmates help Fight Wildfires in Oregon, Dec. 10

Each year the Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) and the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) team up to select and train inmates to dispatch to wildfires. Inmates are selected to serve on supervised 10-person crews and have to complete the same nationally certified firefighter training course as their civilian counterparts. They learn the fundamentals of wildfire behavior, firefighting techniques, communication, and safety. Deployment of DOC fire crews this year began in January and continued through October. During this time, DOC deployed an astonishing 242 staff members and 2,701 inmates to battle 66 fires. These crews were on the fire line from one to 17 days at a time, depending on the severity of the fire. Nine of DOC’s 14 institutions have active fire crews. – Shutter Creek Correctional Institution in North Bend (responded to eight fires). Each of these institutions plays an important role in assisting ODF with fire season. In addition to fighting fires, inmate camp crews staff mobile kitchens at large fires, serving meals day and night to two shifts of firefighters. As this year’s fire season comes to a close, DOC would like to recognize the staff members and firefighting crews who participated throughout the year. Not only does the fire program save the state millions of dollars, it provides DOC’s low-risk offenders with the tools they need for future work opportunities, which helps prepare them for re-entry into the community.