Kim Kardashian demands higher pay for incarcerated firefighters amid devastating LA wildfires
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Kim Kardashian has called on the government to increase the compensation given to imprisoned firefighters combating the Los Angeles fires, saying that some true heroes deserve more credit and funding.
The 'American Horror Story: Delicate' actress shared a video from the nonprofit Anti-Recidivism Coalition on her Instagram Story, showing some 800 prisoners battling the fire.
The Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire have burned 37,000 acres since they began on January 7, per Deadline.
Kim Kardashian calls for higher wages for incarcerated firefighters
The reality star and businessperson, 44, shared a video on her Instagram Story on Saturday, January 11, tagging Governor Gavin Newsom and highlighting the hundreds of prisoners contributing to the effort by working long hours in hazardous conditions for practically nothing.
Kim claimed that prisoners only receive $1 per hour to combat the fires, which is insufficient for those putting out the hazardous fires, as reported by TMZ.
"I have spent the last week watching my city burning. And have seen and spoken to many firefighters who are up all night long using every ounce of their strength to save our community," Kim began her post.
She continued: "On all 5 fires in Los Angeles, there are hundreds of incarcerated firefighters, risking their lives to save us. They are on the Palisades fire and Eaton fire in Pasadena working 24 hour shifts."
According to the 'American Horror Story' actress, the prisoners "get paid almost nothing, risk their lives, some have died, to prove to the community that they have changed are now first responders."
"I see them as heroes," she added.
Kim continued: "The incarcerated firefighters have been paid $1/hour to risk their lives, and this pay has been the same since 1984. It has never been raised with inflation. It’s never been raised when fires got worse and many died."
"This year there was an agreement to raise the incarcerated firefighters pay to $5/hour, but it got shot down last minute," she added.
The mother of four urged Governor Gavin Newsom to "do what no Governor has done in 4 decades, and raise the incarcerated firefighter pay to a rate that honors a human being risking their life to save our lives and homes."
According to the BBC, more than 1,000 prisoners were assisting in the fight against the Los Angeles fires. They have been working in the field with California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) personnel while donning prison-orange jumpsuits.
Kim Kardashian praises Ventura Training Center which trains formerly imprisoned individuals to be firefighters
The 'Kardashians' star particularly mentioned the Ventura Training Center, an organization that trains imprisoned individuals to become firefighters and helps them get their prior felony convictions reduced in order to potentially land six-figure firefighting positions in the future.
Kim, whose $60 million Hidden Hills house was threatened by the Kenneth Fire, said, "And lastly I want to thank the firefighters from the @calfire Ventura Training Center for saving my community when it started burning this week."
"These are all FORMERLY incarcerated firefighters who have come home, and want to continue serving our community as firefighters," she added.
Kim concluded her post by saying: "Due to bills passed by @antirecidivismcoalition, these guys can now get their sentences reduced, expunging the felonies from their records for their fire service. And when they come home can get six figure jobs working for the fire departments."
Incarcerate firefighters reportedly earn $5.80 per day
According to The Marshall Project, a nonprofit journalistic organization that reports on criminal justice injustices, inmates in California are only allowed to make $26.90 for a 24-hour shift during emergencies, so $1 per hour isn't excessively well off.
According to the corrections department, imprisoned firemen are paid a daily maximum of $10.24, with an extra $1 per hour paid by Cal Fire during crises, as reported by the New York Times and mentioned by Kim.
According to new rules that were passed in April 2024, the lowest-grade jailed firefighter is allowed to earn $5.80 per day.
The convicted firemen volunteer to take part in the Conservation Fire Camps Program run by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, per CBS News.
The prisoners' specific tasks include clearing vegetation to sever fire lines and removing fuel from behind buildings to impede the fire.
They can also perform support tasks at the camps, such as running the water treatment plant, cooking, and doing laundry.
According to the New York Times, the advantage is that the sentences of those prisoners who fight fires are reduced by two days for every day they serve on a fire crew.
Currently, almost 1,000 prisoners are battling the Los Angeles fires, which have destroyed over 40,000 acres and claimed the lives of at least 16 people. As of right now, there have been no reports of prisoners dying while serving as firefighters.
