PURPOSE OF ORDER:
Provide a standardized process for qualifying inmates to participate in the Fire Camp program, and transfer to Los Angeles County Inmate Fire Suppression Camps.
SCOPE OF ORDER:
This order shall apply to all personnel assigned to and/or working in any capacity at the Fire Camp Training Facility (Fire Camp).
ORDER:
This order includes Medical Services Bureau Unit Order M206.10, standardized physical fitness testing, and State Fire Marshal approved curriculum and standards developed by staff from Los Angeles County Fire Department.
CRIMINAL HISTORY REVIEW
Fire Camp staff will review the criminal history of eligible ‘N3” AB109 inmates (non-serious, non-sexual, non-violent) per 667.5 P.C., and 1192.7(c) P.C. CISU/OSJ staff will screen the inmates for prison gang membership.
MEDICAL SERVICES SCREENING
Inmates who meet the minimum eligibility criteria will be screened by Medical Services personnel. Medical screening and assessments are covered in Medical Services Order #206.10 (Attachment “A”).
STANDARDIZED PHYSICAL FITNESS TEST
Eligible inmates will be trained and conditioned for a minimum of four weeks (twenty eight days) by Fire Camp staff at the Inmate Fire Training Facility. Inmates will be evaluated based on a standardized set of tests, developed from United States Forest Service “Smoke Jumper” fitness assessment tests, and revised by Fire Camp and Fire Department staff after sampling the performance of 110 inmates. See Attachment “B”.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT TRAINING
Inmates who pass the fitness test will proceed on to the eighty hour, Los Angeles County Fire Department Wildland Fire Suppression Course. Inmates must pass all academic courses with a minimum score of 80%, demonstrate proficiency in all tools and safety gear, and pass each day’s daily timed hike, including the final graduation hike. Inmates failing any portion of the course, including tests, remediations, skill demonstrations, or timed hikes, will be removed from the class. Inmates will be given a second opportunity to take the Fire Training Course at a later date. Inmates will have a minimum of four weeks to prepare for their second chance. Inmates failing to pass the Fire Training Course a second time will be removed from the Fire Camp program. The course curriculum and standards are maintained by the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Wildland Fire Suppression Training staff at Los Angeles County Fire Department Camp 2.