The army of firefighters battling the massive Southern California wildfires includes workers who could otherwise remain safely behind bars.
As of Thursday, 783 prison inmates have been deployed by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to help contain the blazes, the department confirmed to CBS News. The crews of incarcerated firefighters are embedded with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) to assist its nearly 4,700 firefighters.
The imprisoned firefighters volunteer to participate in CDCR’s Conservation (Fire) Camps Program and are paid for their work. Participants supports state, local and federal government agencies when they respond to natural disasters…