When brush fires are reported in Santa Clarita, some of the unsung heroes fighting the blaze include inmate camp crews from the Los Angeles County jail system.  

When Santa Clarita residents see brush fires burning, they may only think that Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters and helicopter pilots fight the blaze. 

However, inmates from the county jails play a large role in containing fires, said William Strait, a custody assistant with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department at Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic. 

Inmates throughout Los Angeles County who have been sentenced to jail time on “non-serious, nonviolent or nonsexual crimes” are eligible to be part of the fire camps, according to officials.

“Most of our inmates have drug possession, drug sales or identity theft, things of that nature, for their charges,” Strait said. 

Male inmates who want to participate in the fire camps are sent to the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic, where they train under the direct supervision of custodial personnel assigned to the Fire Camp Training Unit. 

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Females who want to be part of the fire camps are sent to the California Institution for Women in Chino for their physical fitness conditioning and wildland firefighter training, according to officials. 

The inmates who qualify for being part of the fire camps than go through two stages of training before they are able to respond to emergency calls.

The first phase consists of arduous physical conditioning, where inmate trainees hike three to six miles a day on fire trails surrounding the 2,600 acres of the Pitchess Detention Center, according to Sheriff’s officials. 

The inmates also participate in a structured “cross-fit” style workout. 

After 30 days of conditioning, trainees are given a physical agility test to assess their upper body strength, leg strength and their ability to carry a weighted backpack on a timed hike.

The second phase of training consists of an intensive two-week, 80-hour fire training class, which encompasses fire behavior, fire line safety and the use of hand tools. 

Once the inmates complete both phases of training, they are stationed at different fire camps spread around the county, waiting for the opportunity to assist in brush fires that spark up.

“(The inmates) play a crucial role in the containment of the fires and preventing it from spreading,” Strait said. 

Each crew contains 15 inmates led by a foreman from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. 

“Their job is to create a physical barrier between where the fire is and where the fire may be going,” Strait said. “Their goal is to remove the fuel so the fire extinguishes itself.” 

After the inmates have served their sentence in the county jail system, they are able to get jobs with CAL FIRE and the U.S. Fire Service, according to officials. 

One of the battalion chiefs for the U.S. Forest Service was once an inmate firefighter who is now in charge of the department, Strait said. 

Not only is the fire camp an opportunity for the inmates to help society and have their sentence shortened, those training the inmates also take pride in what they do.

“If I could help these guys with guidance and training so they don’t have to come do this again, then I’m happy with what I am doing,” Strait said.      

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