A state bill that would raise the hourly pay for firefighting inmates in California has passed the Assembly Public Safety Committee.

Assembly Bill 247, introduced by Assemblyman Isaac Bryan, passed with bipartisan support through the committee on Tuesday.

Under the bill, eligible firefighting inmates—also called hand crews—would make $19 per hour during emergencies. Currently, incarcerated firefighters can earn between $5.80 and $10.24 per 8-hour shift during emergencies, depending on their skill level. They serve 24-hour shifts before a 24-hour rest period, for which they are also paid.

“Los Angeles might still be burning if it wasn’t for the hundreds of incarcerated hand crews that went to work,” Bryan, who represents District 55, said at a press conference Tuesday, where firefighters, who were formerly incarcerated, spoke about their experience.

As currently written, the bill requires incarcerated individual hand crew members from county jails to be paid a $19 hourly wage and to have the wage rate updated on an annual basis.

Bryan called on the Assembly, the State Senate, and Gov. Gavin Newsom to include funding for the increased wages in this year’s budget.

Eduardo Herrera previously served as an incarcerated firefighter, during which he discovered a sense of meaning and purpose. After completing an 18-year sentence, Herrera is now a firefighter for the state of California.

“We only made $1.80 an hour for what we worked, and now the public sees what we’re capable of doing and [we’re] being called heroes,” he said at the news conference.

Herrera was one of 800 incarcerated firefighters deployed by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to fight the wildfires that torched Los Angeles County in January.

AB 247 is supported by the Progressive Caucus, as well as the Legislative Black Caucus, according to Bryan, who expects the cost of AB 247 to reach tens of millions annually in wages based on projections.

Bryan said incarcerated firefighters are a necessary part of California’s firefighting force.

“They do an invaluable service,” he said. “We can’t replace them, even with aid from other states and from around the world. When we have tremendous devastation occurring, we need them. We’re grateful for them. They’ve existed for a century. We should pay them like we need them.”

The CDCR works together with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) and the Los Angeles County Fire Department on 35 conservation camps or fire camps, where the incarcerated firefighters serve their sentences. The camps are located in 25 counties across California, and two of the camps are dedicated to women. CDCR employees manage the fire camps, which are minimum-security facilities.

Camp prisoners support state, local, and federal agencies’ response to fires, floods, and other natural or manmade disasters. Crews also maintain parks and deploy sandbags during floods, as well as augment reforestation efforts.

“The program paves the way for several job opportunities and benefits after release, including advanced training and criminal record expungement,” the CDCR website states. “These pathways allow formerly-incarcerated people to seek professional emergency response certifications that were not previously available to them.”

The crews use hand tools to aid in fire suppression efforts during wildland fires. They do not use water or hoses. They also work with camp staff as cooks, laundry workers, landscapers, and water treatment plant operators.

The hand crews were especially important during World War II to fill vacancies left at Cal Fire’s predecessor, the Division of Forestry.

Inmates may volunteer to become incarcerated firefighters if they meet good behavior and health qualifications. Volunteers must be cleared by CDCR health care staff as being mentally and physically fit. They must also have less than eight years remaining on their sentence and have the lowest security classification, which is based on consistent good behavior, ability to follow rules, and participation in rehabilitative programming, according to the CDCR website.

Inmates convicted of rape or other sex offenses, arson, or those with escape history are automatically disqualified from participating as a firefighter. Inmates with high-profile cases, active warrants, or medical issues are also ineligible.

Incarcerated firefighters also earn time credits under California’s Proposition 57.

“Most incarcerated fire crew members receive 2-for-1 credits, meaning they receive two additional days off their sentence for every one day they serve on a fire crew,” according to the CDCR website. “Camp volunteers who work as support staff, but not on a fire crew, receive day-for-day credits, meaning they receive one day off their sentence for every one day they serve as a firefighter.”

The California State Sheriffs’ Association opposes the bill, arguing that, if passed, AB 247 would prove a detriment to counties’ fiscal outlook.

“AB 247 could also create significant fiscal pressure on counties already facing challenging budget times. Counties, if they are to be responsible for paying this new wage, would be forced to consider a substantial new cost when determining if and how to deploy inmate firefighters,” the association said in a statement.

The association also criticized the early release credits under current law, arguing some inmates could only serve a third of their sentence.