- In Washington state, the Arcadia 20 program equips inmates with firefighting skills and offers a pathway to employment upon release.
- The program is a collaboration between the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Corrections.
- Members receive higher wages compared to regular prison firefighting crews, earning up to $60,000 annually.
The inmates of Washington state’s prison system tramp through the forest, their yellow uniforms and helmets bright against the brown branches and green leaves.
They are Arcadia 20, or ARC 20, an elite group of firefighters based in Spokane who have been recruited from existing firefighting prison camps.
The aim? Teach the inmates the skills needed to help prevent forest fires – and in the process, give them an opportunity to start on a path to a new career.
OHIO INMATES CHALLENGE LAW THAT ALLOWS PRISON OFFICIALS TO EXTEND CERTAIN INMATES’ SENTENCES
Recruited by the state’s Department of Natural Resources and Department of Corrections, the program seeks to provide the dozen or so inmates with enough training to prepare them for jobs as civilian firefighters once they have completed their sentences.
Joshua Tucker-Jonas, 29, an inmate and member of Arcadia 20, a group of partially-incarcerated firefighters based in Spokane, Washington comprised of men recruited by Washington state’s Department of Natural Resources and Department of Corrections, marches along a forest road with other members at the Oregon fire near Deer Park, Washington, on Aug. 30, 2023. (REUTERS/Matt Mills McKnight)
“I do believe one thing for sure, that people deserve a second chance,” said Kenyatta Bridges, 34, who joined the ARC 20 team for training in the middle of last year while serving a 10-year sentence for manslaughter in a 2014 gang-affiliated shooting in Pasco, Washington.
Bridges started a job in a civilian fire crew on June 3, following his release.
Reuters was granted exclusive access to ARC 20 over three months, including a visit last August to…