Keeling Curve

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Project Summary / Description:

Every year, 4,000 people are released from Fire Camp to every county in the state. FFRP was founded in 2015 by Brandon Smith and Royal Ramey, former Fire Camp residents who transitioned to become full-time firefighters after exiting the criminal justice system. Leveraging Brandon and Royal‚ expertise as skilled fuels reduction and fire behavior analysts, FFRP has developed a model to provide former Camp residents with ongoing training and support needed for career success post-incarceration. 

With a focus on job training, mentoring, and career planning support, FFRP has built a strong pipeline of skilled individuals who are prepared for successful employment as wildland firefighters. Over the years, FFRP has continually grown and improved, steadily increasing its capacities, success, and growth. The current model engages and educates underrepresented communities, especially women and communities of color, in the climate justice fight.

The purpose of our project is to play a critical role at the intersection of criminal justice reform, workforce development, and environmental justice. FFRP coaches and supports participants through the laborious process of transitioning from Fire Camps to full-time, paid members of California‚ firefighting force. FFRP is designed to help thousands of individuals in Camps obtain gainful employment post-release while addressing a costly and destructive problem across a growing number of states. FFRP‚ mission to train and coach the next generation of firefighters helps reduce the CO2 emissions in the atmosphere caused by the increase in quantity and severity of wildfires in the Western United States.

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As an organization founded and led by Black men, we vehemently declare and standby the truth that Black Lives Matter, and must matter for our democracy to remain true. In this fight for equality, FFRP's role is racial justice in the context of California‚ devastating wildfires. Justice for those imprisoned as laborers, and for the communities disenfranchised by spaces held by communities non proximate to us. These principles are at the core of FFRP‚ mission. 

The majority of California's firefighters are white men, with diversity touted as an expectation with little execution. The opposite is true for the firefighters incarcerated; mainly people of color and women. Not only are we committed to addressing environmental and criminal justice issues, but racial and gender equity as well. Our work directly increases the diversity of California's fire service. In assessing reasons for this phenomenon, FFRP found that many communities are restricted from or not properly exposed to these spaces and careers. As it stands today, access to the forest and its opportunities are limited to those immediately connected to it. There is little effort done to promote this space within urban communities. FFRP is designed to outreach to, and support firefighters from urban communities, people of color, and women.

It is proven that wildfires affect nonwhite and socially vulnerable communities at a disproportionate rate in comparison to predominantly white communities. A study conducted by University of Washington found that Native American communities are 6 times more likely to be harmed by wildfires than other demographic groups. Moreover, communities that are nonwhite are 50% more vulnerable to wildfires. There is a clear racial, ethnic, and socio-economic disparity with regards to what communities and populations are most impacted and vulnerable to wildfires. In addition, when affected by it, the displacement and losses create extreme financial challenges to them. There is a need to provide wildfire preparation services to communities that cannot afford them. FFRP‚ mission explores how to utilize its on the job training component (forest thinning projects) to better prepare these communities threatened by wildfires via cost effective fee for service work. In the event where fire prevention services are needed by land and homeowners but pricing renders the needed work inaccessible, we perform the labor voluntarily. The land FFRP is able to clear and protect will have an overwhelmingly positive impact on the environment. FFRP upholds values of community safety, accessibility, and inclusivity to the highest regard, and is reflected in every feature of our organization and programming.

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