california history. agh. lucky for us the fires hadn t made it to where my family lives in oakland, but the air had gotten so bad that it wasn t safe to breathe. so my wife and i took me, the asthmatic, my elderly parent, and our kids straight to vegas. not because we wanted to gamble, but because it was close and there were cheap flights. now back then, it seemed like a oneself-in-a-lifetime thing. fire rescue, what is your emergency? but ever since, the fires in california have a gotten worse. dixie fire. woolsey fire. are more towns burned to the ground, more forests devastated and more refugees. this episode is about californians and fire, because we got to learn how to get along. now if you re thinking that you re safe because you live outside of california, nope. wildfires happen across america, from alaska to florida. and they happen all over the world. wildfires sweeping across australia. cape town. estonia and turkey. nigeria. all the wa
california history. ahh! lucky for us, the fires hadn t made it to where my family lives in oakland, but the air had gotten so bad that it wasn t safe to breathe. so my wife and i took me, the asthmatic, our elderly parents and kids straight to vegas. not because we wanted to gamble, but because it was close and there were cheap flights. back then, it seemed like a once in a lifetime thing, but every year since, the fires in california have gotten worse. the dixie fire. the hill fire. there are more towns being burned to the ground, more people whose lives are devastated, and more wildfire refugees. this episode is about californians and fire, because we ve got to learn how to get along. now, if you re thinking that you re safe because you live outside of california, nope. wildfires happen across america, from alaska to florida, and they happen all over the world. wildfires sweeping across australia cape town sonia and turkey. all the way to the north pole
After Brandon N. Smith was imprisoned for the ninth time, he found himself at a crossroads. That’s when he learned about the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) conservation campfire crews, which allows inmates to train as firefighters.
but, because prison reform, and the early release of some incarcerated folks, since 2020, there are not enough people to throw out the fires. how s your brain? and to make matters worse, once these people are released from prison, they often can t find jobs as firefighters, even though they are already trained, because, well, people don t like hiring ex-inmates. ahh! my brain. how did you two meet? we was locked up together. okay. straight up. luckily, brandon smith and royal ramey are here to fix that. they are professional firefighters who started their careers in california s fire camps while they were incarcerated. what was that decision like? we were out living in an area like this, instead of concrete walls and barbed wires. you re one of the highest paying prisoners. how much does that pay? at that time that we was in, it was about $1.45 a day, but when you work on fires, though, you get $1 an hour. i mean, that s still crazy,