AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 23, 2025
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 10, 2025
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 24, 2025
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
96
Introduced by Assembly Member Elhawary
February 21, 2025
An act to add Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 4960) to Part 4 of Division 4 of the Public Resources Code, relating to wildfires.
Vote: majority Appropriation: no Fiscal committee: yes Local program: no
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST
Existing law establishes in the Natural Resources Agency the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and requires the department to be responsible for, among other things, fire protection and prevention, as provided.
Existing law establishes the California Conservation Camp program for the purpose of having incarcerated persons work on projects supervised by the department. Existing law requires the department to utilize incarcerated persons assigned to conservation camps in performing fire prevention, fire control, and other work at the department.
This bill would require the department to, in partnership with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the California Conservation Camp program, implement a standardized process to ensure that all individuals who complete the
department’s firefighting training program (FFT program) while incarcerated receive official written certification before their release, as specified. The bill would require this certification to be adequate for employment at the department in the classification of Fire Fighter 1.
The bill would require the department to, on or before January 1, 2027, award hiring preference under Category Placement 2 to qualified formerly incarcerated individuals who apply for positions with the department.
The bill would also require the department to track the number of incarcerated individuals who have completed the FFT program to ensure a sufficient number of Fire Fighter 1 classification positions are available, program and are set to be released within 90 days, develop and implement policies and procedures to track and report the outcomes of the Formerly Incarcerated Firefighter Certification and Employment Program, and report annually to the Legislature on the implementation and effectiveness of the program, as provided.
The bill would make these provisions operative only upon an appropriation by the Legislature for its purposes, as provided.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 4960) is added to Part 4 of Division 4 of the Public Resources Code, to read:
Chapter 2. Formerly Incarcerated Firefighter Certification and Employment Program
4960.
(a) (1) Within six months from the date this chapter becomes operative, as described in subdivision (g), the department shall, in partnership with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the California Conservation Camp program, implement a standardized process to ensure that all individuals who successfully complete the department’s firefighting training program (FFT program) while incarcerated receive official written certification before their release from prison. That certification shall be considered adequate for employment at the department in the classification of Fire Fighter 1.
(2) The official written certification pursuant to paragraph (1) shall include, but is not limited to, the following certifications:
(B) S130 Wildland Fire Safety Training.
(C) S190 Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior.
(D) Public Safety First Aid.
(E) Fire Protection Orientation.
(F) Confined Space Rescue Awareness.
(G) Fire Fighter 1B: HazMat Certificate.
(A) CAL-FIRE Forestry Training.
(B) S-190 Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior.
(b) On or before January 1, 2027, the department shall ensure a minimum percentage of Fire Fighter Classification 1 positions are reserved for the hiring of qualified formerly incarcerated individuals
as follows: award hiring preference under Category Placement 2 to qualified formerly incarcerated individuals who apply for positions with the department.
(c) Nothing in this section shall preclude the department from placing a formerly incarcerated person in a higher category for hiring based on their level of training, certification, employment history, or other factors.
(2) If in any year the department does not receive enough applications from qualified formerly incarcerated individuals to meet the percentage threshold pursuant to paragraph (1), the department shall nevertheless remain in compliance with this subdivision if the following conditions are meet:
(A) The department took meaningful steps to recruit qualified formerly incarcerated individuals to comply with paragraph (1).
(B) The department hired all qualified formerly incarcerated individuals who submitted an application that year.
(c)
(d) The department shall, in partnership with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, annually track the number of incarcerated individuals who have completed the FFT program and are set to be released from prison within the next 90 days to ensure a sufficient number of vacant Fire Fighter 1 classification positions are a available for hiring purposes.
90 days.
(e) Nothing in this section shall preclude other state agencies with wildland management responsibilities from establishing similar pathways to support wildfire prevention, mitigation, and response efforts with priority hiring reserved for formerly incarcerated individuals who completed the FFT program.
(f) The department shall develop and implement policies and procedures to track and report the outcomes of this chapter, including, but not limited to, the number of participants hired, retention rates, and career advancement opportunities.
(g) (1) For three years from the date this chapter becomes operative, as described in subdivision (g), (h), the department shall submit an annual report to
the Legislature on the implementation and effectiveness of this chapter, including recommendations for improvement.
(2) A report submitted to the Legislature pursuant to this subdivision shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(h) This chapter shall become operative only upon an appropriation by the Legislature for its purposes in the annual Budget Act or any other statute.
(i) For the purposes of this section, “qualified formerly incarcerated individual” means any formerly incarcerated individual who completed the FFT program and has a valid certification pursuant to subdivision (a).