First class graduates from ex-prisoner firefighter training camp outside Camarillo

The first class of cadets took part in a firefighting training program outside Camarillo aimed at helping formerly incarcerated people find jobs. 

The first class of former prisoners to graduate from a firefighter training camp outside Camarillo was recognized in an online video meeting last month. Fourteen participants completed the six-month basic training program for a firefighting certification. Six of those went on to do 12 months of training as a hand crew, said Aaron Francis, a spokesman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection provided the education at the Ventura Training Center at 2800 Wright Road. The site was formerly a Cal Fire conservation camp for in-custody inmates where they do the same work as firefighter for significantly lower wages. 

The training center opened in October 2018 with a number of state organizations involved in its creation. The center was met with backlash from the Camarillo community when it was initially proposed but ultimately received $26.6 million from the state's general fund.

In the April 22 Zoom call, corrections department Secretary Ralph Diaz said he wished the meeting could take place in person but the state's stay-at-home order meant they had to adapt.

There were many doubts about the program, Diaz told the graduates, and this first group should be proud. "You've made history. I hope you understand that," Diaz said. "You've made history not only for yourselves but for your communities, for your families, for your loved ones, (and for) those of you who have children, for your children."

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