Report says not enough firefighting inmates

With prison populations down, training grounds like Camp Gabilan in South County aren’t running at capacity.

A report from the Monterey County Civil Grand Jury found the decrease in the number of inmates in California’s state prison system has reduced Camp Gabilan’s ability to provide support at local fire incidents and its ability to take part in local ecological conservation projects.

While the civil grand jury did not visit the inmate fire camp located in Soledad for its report, it gathered information from government sources as well as the media and the internet.

“While a decline in a prison population is generally desirable, the declining inmate count at Camp Gabilan has worrisome aspects as well, since a reduction in the population equates to a reduction in the number of firefighting crews that will be available,” the report stated.

Camp Gabilan is one of 43 inmate fire camps across the state jointly operated by Cal Fire, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The camp opened in January 1986 and has a primary mission of providing inmate fire crews for fire suppression missions in the area of Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties.

Like other fire agencies, the camp’s crews can be sent to other parts of the state to assist with fires and other work. During the winter, the camp responds to floods and landslides. Besides its fire suppression work, the camp has a mobile kitchen unit that can be activated and deployed during emergencies.

During non-emergency periods when the fire threat is lower, the crews work on conservation and community service projects such as fire fuel reduction and habitat restoration. The crews also clear hiking trails and take down footbridges in state parks in the region.

Inmates at Camp Gabilan can take part in activities at the camp including vehicle maintenance and repairs, fire hose repair and Alcoholics Anonymous classes.

The Camp Gabilan staff includes 11 law enforcement personnel from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Cal Fire staffs 14 firefighters and a fire captain at the camp, while the camp holds a capacity of 132 inmates. Of those inmates, 102 serve on six emergency fire crews. The remaining 30 inmates constitute staff positions in the camp.

According to the report, the number of inmates assigned to Camp Gabilan dropped from 93 in April 2019 to 69 at the start of 2020. Statewide, the report stated 3,700 inmates were working at fire camps in November, with 2,600 of them fire-line qualified. By February, that number dropped to 3,100 inmates with 2,200 of them fire-line qualified.

“At least part of this decline in inmates can be attributed to the long-term trend that developed from the California law that sought to reduce prison overcrowding, California AB 109,” the report stated.

While the report did not list any recommendations, its findings included stating that a sufficient replacement to the work done by Camp Gabilan inmates has not been found.

The California State Conservation Camp Program fire camps provide a significant service to California communities, to the local environment, and to the inmates who participate in that program,” the report stated.