![]() So it limits me and it would limit me for promotions." "Without the training I can't get certain jobs," he said. But without an EMT certification he says his career will soon stall. Gebre, who is still on parole, is now a firefighter with Cal Fire. He was a model crew member and after his early release in 2019 he was recommended by Cal Fire officials for a position in the fire academy. "That was the craziest fire I'd ever been on," he recalled. Among the massive fires he helped contain are the Thomas Fire, the Mendocino Complex Fire, the Ferguson Fire, and the Carr Fire. Over the years he wore the bright orange firefighting suit that distinguishes inmate crews from all others, battling many of the state's largest blazes while $1.90 a day. It wasn't until his fourth year in prison that he learned of the firefighting program "and that changed everything," he said.Īfter an exhaustive vetting process, several mental health checks, and weeks of rigorous training at 23 he joined the program. Gebre was convicted of a robbery at 19 years old in 2011 and sentenced to 10 years. Michael Gebre expects the new law will change his life. National Wildfires Rage In California As Fire Crews And Evacuees Grapple With COVID-19 Risks However, one that former inmates are prohibited by state law to pursue. That will make them eligible to receive EMT certification, a hiring requirement of municipal firefighting departments. ![]() The bill, sponsored by Democratic Assemblywoman Eloise Reyes, lets prisoners who received "valuable training and themselves in danger assisting firefighters to defend the life and property of Californians" to petition the courts to dismiss their convictions after completing their sentences. Gavin Newsom on Friday signed a bill allowing inmate firefighters to have their records expunged, clearing the path for them to be eligible for firefighting jobs upon release. People convicted of certain violent or sex crimes would not be eligible.Ĭalifornia Gov. ![]() The bill allows inmates who have worked as firefighters to ask the court to dismiss their charges to make it easier for them to find a job once they are released. Gavin Newsom signs Assembly Bill 2147 after he toured the North Complex Fire zone on Friday. ![]()
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