Women Prisoners Fight Fires

Ana is one of more than 1,500 California inmates that has been fighting the Southern California fires for the past 72 hours.

Her job is to lead the way for firefighters, a task that also requires loading up to 60 pounds on her shoulders. She receives a dollar a day for her work, and although it isnt much, she will be rewarded with the promise of a reduced sentence.

Her muscles are trembling, she hasnt slept for more than 24 hours and she smells like ashes, but Ana is happy. Thanks to her work, her sentence has been reduced and she now has the opportunity to start a career as a fire investigator, one of her biggest dreams.

"I never thought that by doing something bad I would end up learning something good. My children are proud of me and this has filled my life," she says.

Arredondo is part of a team of female inmates who are fighting fires with Camp Rainbow, one of three centers in the state that has a female crew of firefighters. "They do the same work as men. There are no special considerations for being women," said Lt. Raymond Villa, who is in charge of rescue crews working with 606 inmates.

Together with these women, many of whom are undocumented and will face deportation orders, there are another thousand male prisoners helping to fight fires. "They are trained like any other firefighter, but sadly do not receive the same recognition, even though they are risking their lives even more because their only defense is the knowledge they carry in their heads," explained Norm Taylor, director of the firefighter camp for the women's prison in Corona.

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