![\"Rico](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/LDN-L-PRISONFIREFIGHTERS-10XX-01-H.jpg\")
Rico Marquez learned how to fight fires while he was incarcerated, and now, after his release, he\u2019s hoping to pursue a career in firefighting. (Photo courtesy of Rico Marquez)<\/p>\nRico Marquez, 24, remembers the first time he felt like a hero.<\/p>\n
It was during his time at Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp, a fire camp for incarcerated youth in Amador County, where he spent more than 1,600 hours fighting fires as an 18- and 19-year-old.<\/p>\n
As the campers spent their days fighting wildfires, locals living in the Pine Grove community rallied around them, he recalls. They saw him as a firefighter protecting their homes and families, not as an inmate serving time for attempted murder and manslaughter.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter a fire, we would get maybe 10 to 15 people coming to the gates to bring us stuff they baked,\u201d said Marquez, who is originally from Los Angeles. \u201cWe might be leaving a fire, and they might line up outside and be cheering for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rico Marquez learned how to fight fires while he was incarcerated, and now, after his release, he\u2019s hoping to pursue a career in firefighting. (Photo courtesy of Rico Marquez)<\/p>\n
At the camp, they covered a wall with the \u201cflood\u201d of letters and kids\u2019 drawings they\u2019d receive: \u201cThank you for saving my family,\u201d \u201cthank you for saving my dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n
On nights off for the incarcerated youth, locals would shut down the downtown for the firefighters. They\u2019d put on plays and hand out free food from local eateries.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo them, you\u2019re a hero,\u201d Marquez said.<\/p>\n
Thousands on fire lines<\/p>\n
Every year, thousands of incarcerated firefighters live in 30 fire camps<\/a> \u2014 including Pine Grove\u2019s youth facility \u2014 and battle wildfires around the state, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. But after release, few go on to become career firefighters, experts say.<\/p>\n The work is difficult \u2014 physically demanding and dangerous \u2014 and it requires firefighters to be away from their families. And after months or years in prison, some don\u2019t want to be separated from their loved ones for even longer, said Jon Cesario, a statewide firefighter recruitment specialist for the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, a nonprofit that works to find opportunities for those released from incarceration.<\/p>\n \u201cMy role is now to go into every single fire camp,\u201d including juvenile facilities, \u201cand start planting the seed, start doing workshops, and see who has a desire to possibly pursue a fire career,\u201d Cesario said.<\/p>\n Of about 40 people per fire camp, Cesario estimated that about only four to five really want to continue their work. Those who do see the work as a long-term investment in their futures, Cesario said, and many find the work rewarding.<\/p>\n Grueling work<\/p>\n At first, Marquez said he hated the backbreaking work of firefighting. When a fire broke out, Marquez and the rest of his crew would be called out to clear gaps in vegetation with hand tools to slow the wildfire\u2019s spread. The schedule was grueling \u2014 18-hour shifts were interspersed with breaks that lasted, at most, five hours, Marquez said.<\/p>\n They worked feet away from blistering flames, vision blurred by watery eyes, with smoke so thick Marquez said he sometimes couldn\u2019t see his own hand in front of his face.<\/p>\n But, eventually, he started feeling good about himself, and he developed a sense of camaraderie with his crew.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter a while, you start to grow pride in yourself and your work,\u201d Marquez said. \u201cAfter that, you know, I\u2019m like, man, I\u2019m badass.\u201d<\/p>\n For those who do want to pursue a career in firefighting, the path is challenging.<\/p>\n Becoming a firefighter requires extensive training, and programs last about 18 months. When prisoners are released, parole can prevent them from leaving a specific region, which restricts their ability to attend training. They might lack support as well, Cesario said, and some are couch surfing until they can find a more stable place to live.<\/p>\n \u201cHow could a guy focus on going into an academy when he\u2019s coming home and he can\u2019t find a job?\u201d he asked. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely not a warm hand-off.\u201d<\/p>\n While they\u2019re training, aspiring firefighters aren\u2019t getting paid for their work. That\u2019s 18 months of training \u201ccoming out of their own pocket,\u201d which is unattainable for most parolees, Cesario said. Many have to apply for financial aid and attend night classes, working around day jobs.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can be costly, and it can be time-consuming,\u201d said Michelle Sotelo, chief operating officer for the Future Fire Academy<\/a>, which trains formerly incarcerated people for forestry and fire service jobs. \u201cAnd you might be traveling all over when maybe transportation is already a barrier for you. So, it\u2019s pretty difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n Carlos Cervantes and Kelly Tao volunteer their time to prepare and serve breakfast burritos for formerly incarcerated men and women pursuing careers in firefighting in Los Angeles, CA on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (Photo by Rob Curtis, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n Rossiano Rabon (right) and Kelly Tao (left) perform push-ups during a training session at the Anti-Recidivism Coalition in Los Angeles, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (Photo by Rob Curtis, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n Formerly incarcerated men and women pursuing careers in firefighting attempt to complete a three-mile run in 28 minutes as part of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition program in Echo Park, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (Photo by Rob Curtis, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n Regina Huizar, a transitional-age youth intern, discusses interview techniques with Jon Cesario at the Anti-Recidivism Coalition in Los Angeles, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (Photo by Rob Curtis, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n Formerly incarcerated men and women pursuing careers in firefighting perform push-ups as part of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition program in Echo Park, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (Photo by Rob Curtis, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n Show Caption<\/p>\n 1 of 5<\/p>\n Carlos Cervantes and Kelly Tao volunteer their time to prepare and serve breakfast burritos for formerly incarcerated men and women pursuing careers in firefighting in Los Angeles, CA on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (Photo by Rob Curtis, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n Expand<\/a><\/p>\n At Pine Grove, the training was minimal before the camp members started work \u2014 one week of physical training, and one week of first aid, Marquez said. \u201cThen, after a week, I was on a fire that was over 65,000 acres,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n But what formerly incarcerated firefighters initially lack in education, they make up for in experience, Cesario said. \u201cOur guys already have three, four years of hard work,\u201d he said. \u201cThey know what the fire line looks like firsthand, they\u2019ve done 24-hour shifts.\u201d And, he points out, they did it for $1 an hour, until a 2025 law<\/a> raised their wages to $7.25, the federal minimum wage.<\/p>\n Without recognition of the experience they gained in prison, these would-be firefighters are starting at square one when they\u2019re released from prison, despite potential years of experience.<\/p>\n \u201cIn fire service, you have to have the right certifications,\u201d Sotelo said. \u201cThey have difficulty putting their experience onto a resume, because it automatically screams, \u2018I\u2019ve been in prison.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n Getting a lift from legislation<\/p>\n In recent years, a handful of bills in the Legislature aimed to address some of these barriers. This year, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two relevant bills \u2014 one that allows incarcerated firefighters to earn training certification<\/a> and one that provides pathways to apprenticeship<\/a> for construction craft laborer jobs after release. In 2020, Newsom signed a bill<\/a> that expedited record expungement for former fire crew members convicted of nonviolent crimes.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s so important when people are released from prison that they become productive members of society,\u201d said Paulette Thornton, communications director for Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, who authored or co-authored both bills approved this year. \u201cBut because there are so many barriers to employment once they\u2019re released, they have very few opportunities to become employed.\u201d<\/p>\n Jonathan Angeles, 32, was released from prison three years ago. For now, he works for a windshield replacement company, but he knew he wanted more out of life.<\/p>\n \u201cI came out here to serve a purpose,\u201d said Angeles, who lives in Murrieta. So he reached out to Scott Budnick, founder of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition. \u201cI just told him, \u2018Hey, how can I be a firefighter?\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n In October, Angeles attended a firefighting recruiting event hosted by ARC. There, he did a 3-mile run and a group workout, and he spoke to CAL FIRE employees. In January, he plans to attend the Future Fire Academy in El Dorado County, which will prepare him for a career in firefighting.<\/p>\n Angeles believes in the power of positive thinking. So he insists he doesn\u2019t just hope to attend: \u201cI will be attending the academy,\u201d he said, smiling. \u201cAnd I will be passing the academy.\u201d<\/p>\n At 15, Angeles was convicted of killing someone and sentenced as an adult to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He eventually was resentenced and released after serving 14 years behind bars.<\/p>\n \u201cI shouldn\u2019t be out here,\u201d he said. \u201cThis life was given to me as a second chance.\u201d<\/p>\n Happiest as a firefighter<\/p>\n Marquez also was searching for meaning in his life. After he was released in 2024, Marquez began working as a cook in downtown Los Angeles. The job paid him well \u2014 he paid his bills, bought a car, saved money. But he said he started feeling like he was \u201closing myself, losing who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWorking that job every day, I was just kind of like, what do I want to do?\u201d he asked himself. \u201cWhere did I feel the happiest? Where did I feel the most sense of pride at? And it was firefighting.\u201d<\/p>\n Eventually, ARC\u2019s Budnick called Marquez and asked: \u201cDo you still want to be a firefighter?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI said, \u2018Yeah, you know, I\u2019d love to, I just don\u2019t know how to,\u2019 \u201d Marquez told him.<\/p>\n That\u2019s when Budnick told him about the Ventura Training Center, an 18-month residential program for the formerly incarcerated that provides rehabilitation, life skills and job readiness training in addition to firefighter training and certifications. CAL FIRE, the California Conservation Corps and CDCR teamed up with the Anti-Recidivism Coalition to develop the program.<\/p>\n \u201cI ended up quitting my job and pretty much just changing my whole life to do this,\u201d Marquez said.<\/p>\n Of the incarcerated people who fight wildfires every year, a \u201cvery small percentage\u201d continue firefighting after their release, Cesario said.<\/p>\n About 80 a year do so through the Ventura Training Center, which has also partnered with the Future Fire Academy, based in El Dorado County. The program has been \u201cbeyond successful,\u201d Cesario said.<\/p>\n For some, fighting fires as prison inmates is the first time they\u2019ve ever felt truly valued, Cesario said. \u201cThere are guys that this was the first real hard work that they\u2019ve ever done, some coming from gang culture, some coming from the streets,\u201d Cesario said. \u201cOur guys are like, wow, I know what it means to put in an honest, hard day of work.\u201d<\/p>\n Since its inception in 2018, more than 500 people have passed through the Ventura Training Center, according to Mary Martin-Mabry, deputy director of communications for the California Conservation Corps. About 75% of graduates \u201cgained successful employment,\u201d going on to work for CAL FIRE, other fire services or for private companies.<\/p>\n The California Conservation Center tracks the number of formerly incarcerated people accepted into the Ventura Training Center, but there are other pathways to firefighting careers. The agency has \u201cno sense of how many people go on to work at other fire agencies,\u201d Martin-Mabry said.<\/p>\n Making a difference<\/p>\n The Ventura Training Center program includes basic EMS training, six weeks of wildland-urban interface boot camp, then work on an emergency strike team for about three weeks. The program attendees also attend a 12-week fire accreditation academy that makes them eligible for firefighting employment out of state as well.<\/p>\n \u201cOur guys are beyond well-prepared,\u201d Cesario said. Many VTC graduates go on to become leaders in CAL FIRE.<\/p>\n Jason Olvera, 34, will graduate from the Ventura Training Center in December. The program has helped him get a high school diploma, wildland fire certifications and expunge his criminal record. \u201cThis is the kind of structure that I needed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Olvera, who is originally from Victorville, was released from prison in November 2024 after a conviction for soliciting crime. \u201cThis last incarceration was my third term \u2014 my last term,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m just here (at VTC) to better my life and get to my kids.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s Olvera\u2019s primary goal \u2014 to be more present in the lives of his two sons, 12-year-old Jason Jr. and 10-year-old Jayden. Olvera said he tries to view his life through his sons\u2019 eyes. \u201cI just think, well, what are my boys going to think of me?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI had to learn how to be a father. VTC is teaching me how,\u201d Olvera said. \u201cTheir mother raised them from babies to boys. I want to raise them from boys to men.\u201d<\/p>\n Marquez is close to being a firefighter now \u2014 he\u2019s just a few classes away, thanks to training provided through the Future Fire Academy and the Ventura Training Center. He applied in late August to work as a firefighter on federal land with the U.S. Forest Service. He expects to hear back in November.<\/p>\n If he gets the job, he\u2019ll be making less money as a firefighter than he did as a cook. But to him, it\u2019s worth it.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re making a difference,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re helping people.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rico Marquez, 24, remembers the first time he felt like a hero. It was during his time at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":520739,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[7,48,52,51,47,137,50,49,100,24836,136,1226,535],"class_list":["post-520738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-california","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-county","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-news","tag-socal-watchdog","tag-top-stories","tag-ventura-county","tag-wildfires"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=520738"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520738\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/520739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=520738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=520738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=520738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/LDN-L-PRISONFIREFIGHTERS-10XX-02.jpg\")
An incarcerated hand crew fights the 2025 Palisades fire. (Courtesy of Photo courtesy of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition)
\nBarriers to entry<\/p>\n![\"Carlos](\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/LDN-L-PRISONFIREFIGHTERS-10XX-RC-15.jpg?w=620\")
<\/p>\n![\"Rossiano](\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/LDN-L-PRISONFIREFIGHTERS-10XX-RC-05.jpg?w=620\")
<\/p>\n![\"Formerly](\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/LDN-L-PRISONFIREFIGHTERS-10XX-RC-04.jpg?w=620\")
<\/p>\n![\"Regina](\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/LDN-L-PRISONFIREFIGHTERS-10XX-RC-16.jpg?w=620\")
<\/p>\n![\"Formerly](\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/LDN-L-PRISONFIREFIGHTERS-10XX-RC-14.jpg?w=620\")
<\/p>\n![\"Jonathan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/LDN-L-PRISONFIREFIGHTERS-10XX-RC-07.jpg\")
Jonathan Angeles, who is pursuing a career in firefighting, performs push-ups at the Anti-Recidivism Coalition in Los Angeles, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (Photo by Rob Curtis, Contributing Photographer)
\n\u2018A second chance\u2019<\/p>\n![\"Hopeful](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/LDN-L-PRISONFIREFIGHTERS-10XX-02_8cef48.jpg\")
Hopeful firefighters train at the Ventura Training Center in 2019. (Photo courtesy of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition)
\nLearning hard work<\/p>\n![\"Jason](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/LDN-L-PRISONFIREFIGHTERS-10XX-RC-18.jpg\")
Jason Olvera poses for a portrait at the Anti-Recidivism Coalition in Los Angeles, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (Photo by Rob Curtis, Contributing Photographer)<\/p>\n