Participants receive state firefighter wages, benefits and union membership
Former inmates are helping control fires in the Spokane, Washington, area as wildfires destroy homes and force thousands of people to evacuate, according to BBC News.
The participants join an elite group of wildland firefighters working on the front lines. Their role places them directly in efforts to control the flames as fires move through the area.
The arrangement also provides paid employment. Participants receive state wildland firefighter wages and benefits while they work on the fires.
They also become members of the union, according to the BBC report. The source did not identify the union or provide details about the program’s size.
The BBC included the crews in a video report focused on the Spokane-area fires and the role of former inmates in the wildfire response.