[LASD] – Sheriff Lee Baca and Fire Chief Daryl Osby will preside over the first inmate graduation Monday at the new Sheriff’s Fire Camp Training Facility.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s and Fire departments are collaborating to physically condition, train and educate inmates in brush firefighting techniques, preparing them for work in local fire camps. Qualifying inmates are required to complete an 80-hour fire training curriculum before graduation.

The program provides an alternative housing option for non-violent, non-serious, non-sexual offenders under AB109, while offering vocational skills, education-based incarceration classes and physical training.

The graduation ceremony will be held at the Pitchess Detention Center-South Facility and is not open to the public.

About Inmate Fire Camps

[LACo Fire Dept.] – The County of Los Angeles Fire Department operates 10 fire camps, strategically located throughout the County, to assist in the suppression of wildland fires, complete fuels management projects and assist with minor building construction projects. The ten camps are able to supply 31 crews on a daily basis; 27 Type I crews and 4 Type II crews. Four camps operate with paid Fire Suppression Aids (Camps 2, 8, 9, and 12), four operate with California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDC) male adult prisoners (Camps 11, 14, 16, 19), one operates with California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDC) female adult prisoners (Camp 13), and one camp operates with County of Los Angeles Probation Department juvenile wards (Camp 15). The Heavy Equipment Unit and Prescribed Fire & Fuels Manager are also components of the Camps Section.

The normal crew strength (Monday through Friday, 0800 to 1600 hours) is 31 crews, but we can staff an additional 6 crews during extreme fire conditions, bringing the crew totals to 37.

Night time and weekend crew strength is 11 crews. During extreme fire weather we can staff additional crews, if necessary and in the past, we have been able to staff all 31 crews within 2 hours.

CREW COLOR CODES

Paid crews wear yellow shirts, yellow pants and yellow helmets.

California Department of Correction and Rehabilitation incarcerated crews wear orange shirts, orange pants, and white helmets.

Juvenile incarcerated crews wear orange shirts, yellow pants and bule helmets.

Helmet striping denotes the various camps.

L.A. COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT CAMP NUMBERING SYSTEM

To differentiate camp crews and crew numbers, the following numbering systems is utilized:

Camp number followed by crew number (i.e. 15-4).

PAID CAMPS

Camp 2 – 1 fire crew -Pasadena. Camp 2 is a helicopter standby location during fire season with a 10-man crew of fire fighters.

Camp 8 – 1 fire crew – Malibu. A primary paramedic helicopter standby location year around during daylight hours only. The helicopter has water dropping capabilities and can respond with a paid crew of 7 to 8 crew fire fighters.

Camp 9 – 1 fire crew – Los Pinetos-Tujunga District. Located atop the mountains splitting the Pacoima and Saugus areas. The primary location for our fly crew program. The helicopter has water dropping capabilities and can respond with a paid crew of 7 to 8 crew fire fighters.

Camp 12 – 1 fire crew – Wayside. Located on the Sheriff’s Wayside Detention Facility this camp provides an important resource to the high frequency fire corridor along the I-5 Freeway.

JUVENILE CAMPS

Camp 15 – 4 Crews -Big Tujunga Canyon. As a joint operation with the County of Los Angeles Probation Department, the fire department crew supervisors provide guidance and construction trade training when the crews are not fighting fire.

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION AND REHABILITATION

Camp 11 – 4 Crews – Acton

Camp 13 – 5 Crews – Malibu

Camp 14 – 4 Crews – San Francisquito Canyon, Saugus

Camp 16 – 4 Crews – Mt. Gleason, Forest Hwy Tujunga Dist.

Camp 19 – 6 Crews – East Fork San Gabriel Canyon – Baldy

These camps operated in partnership with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, provide a large labor pool to complete a variety of community oriented work projects when they are not fighting fires.

We will not split incarcerated crews to assist engine company personnel, although we may split paid crews.

You cannot give anything, including cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, to an incarcerated crew member.