Inmate Firefighters, Public Health, and The Environment: How They All Connect

2020 can accurately be characterized as the year on fire.  While this description can suffice for many aspects of 2020, the notion of this year burning up will be heavily associated with the environment.  The historically bad Australian bushfires rang in the New Year throughout January, while the Amazon has continued to burn due to government mismanagement by Brazil. Now, as 2020 enters its final quarter, California has taken the mantle of highest profile wildfires.

The California wildfires of 2020 are the worst in history for the state.  In the second half of August alone, over 1.42 million acres of California land was burned by fires, which is larger than the entire state of Delaware.  The incredibly large fire season has also placed an additional strain on California’s fire department and has placed the spotlight on a previously unheralded portion of the state’s wildfire response team: California’s inmate firefighters.  

So, who are California’s inmate firefighters and why are they important?  Simply stated, they are a group of highly trained and specialized inmates who work with official California firefighter groups to put out dangerous wildfires.  However, as California battles its largest wildfires ever, the state is missing roughly 30% of its inmate firefighters.  Due to the coronavirus pandemic, thousands of inmates have either been isolated in quarantine or released early as a way to limit the spread of the virus.  This has forced California to fight incredibly deadly wildfires with around 500 less inmate firefighters available to help compared to previous years.  This lack of inmate fire support has clearly exacerbated the state’s ability to successfully put out the fires and mitigate the tremendous devastation and environmental degradation associated with wildfires.  

Analysis: California’ inmate firefighters highlight how climate change problems cannot be addressed without taking into account public health problems as well.

The shorthanded California inmate firefighter crews are a microcosm of how public and environmental health are deeply intertwined.  As the coronavirus spread, the California wildfires also spread, since both regular and inmate fire crews had to fight wildfires short-staffed due to coronavirus quarantines.  The California wildfire season would have still occurred without the coronavirus, but the state’s ability to effectively manage the fires was limited by the consequences of the pandemic.  As the fires ravaged the environment in California, both precious natural resources and the homes of countless species of animals were destroyed. Simultaneously, the smoke from the fire drastically worsened air quality, which endangered the health and well-being of millions of Californians.  The environmental and public health repercussions of the California wildfires were severe, and the damage was only amplified by the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic.

Whether or not we realize it, most environmental issues are also public health issues and vice versa.  For example, when a coal fired power plant is operating, it releases dangerous carbon dioxide, lead, mercury, sulfur dioxide, and other toxic air pollutants.  As carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels contribute to global warming and damage the environment, the other byproducts of coal combustion (lead, mercury, sulfur dioxide, etc.) are harming human health by causing asthma, cancer, neurological problems, and brain damage in people.  While this coal power plant example is very different then current California wildfire problems, both scenarios demonstrate that radically different environmental issues both have dangerous public health repercussions that also need to be addressed.   

The environment and public health have a symbiotic relationship, as one improves, so does the other, which is why any effective policy must confront both issues.  According to the World Health Organization, 23% of all deaths in a given year can be prevented by improving environmental conditions.  Additionally, framing environmental policy issues through a public health lens can help make climate skeptics more supportive of environmental issues.  In the case of California, by addressing climate change issues and the coronavirus pandemic on a Federal level, future wildfires will be less severe (due to less severe heat waves caused by global warming) and firefighting crews can safely operate at full strength without the threat of a virus.

Conclusion

As California continues to burn, and inmate firefighter crews are ravaged by the coronavirus, it is evident that even in the most obscure facets of life, such as prison firefighter crews, public health and the environment are strongly connected.  While the world continues to face climate change and a global pandemic, it is now more crucial than ever to implement policy that addresses both environmental and public health concerns.  

How YOU Can Help

There are many verified non-profits and nongovernmental organizations dedicated to providing funds to help those fighting the California wildfires and support to those families who have lost their homes or have been displaced by the damages.  The New York Times and Philanthropy California have a comprehensive list of places to donate to help those in need.

For those who live in California, the West Coast, or anywhere that is susceptible to fires, there are important measures to take to ensure your home and property is prepared for wildfires.  Actions such as proper landscape management, installing metal roofs, and investing in mechanical ventilation all help make living spaces more resilient to fires. Additional details regarding actions to adapting homes to wildfires can be found here.

Bibliography

“Coal Power Impacts.” Union of Concerned Scientists, www.ucsusa.org/resources/coal-power-impacts. 

Fuller, Thomas. “Coronavirus Limits California's Efforts to Fight Fires With Prison Labor.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 22 Aug. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/08/22/us/california-wildfires-prisoners.html. 

Gardiner, Dustin. “California's Prison Firefighters Face Grueling Toil like Never before in Historic Fire Season.” SFChronicle.com, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Sept. 2020, www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/California-s-prison-firefighters-face-grueling-15567113.php. 

“Healthy Environments for Healthier Populations: Why Do They Matter, and What Can We Do?” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, 20 Dec. 2019, www.who.int/phe/publications/healthy-environments/en/. 

“Over a Million Acres Burned in California in Second Half of August 2020: NOAA Climate.gov.” Over a Million Acres Burned in California in Second Half of August 2020 | NOAA Climate.gov, 26 Aug. 2020, www.climate.gov/news-features/event-tracker/over-million-acres-burned-california-second-half-august-2020.