Photo essay: How US state is turning inmates into wildland firefighters

Pioneering programme in Washington helps prisoners to develop skills and prepare for life after they are released

Kenyatta Bridges, 34, an inmate and member of Arcadia 20, sets fire to a burn pile during prescribed fire operations near Northport, Washington. The Arcadia programme trains inmates for life after jail. All photos: Reuters

Inmates prepare for forest-thinning activities that aim to reduce the risk of wildfires

A member of the Cedar Creek Corrections Centre crew cuts branches in the Capitol State Forest

Arcadia 20 crew members wait with petrol cans near Northport. The fuel is used to set controlled fires

Washington state is prone to wildfires during the summer

Kenyatta Bridges in a burnt area, near Deer Park. 'The fellas that I've worked shoulder to shoulder with, they're amazing. We all made bad decisions in our life. Some of us got caught, some of us didn't. But we learn from our mistakes.'

Arcadia 20 members hike through the Capitol State Forest. They are recruited into a re-entry centre where they develop firefighting skills

Travis Roberts and Kenyatta Bridges at work with their Arcadia 20 crewmates, digging through ash after a blaze

An Arcadia 20 member feeds a deer outside Cedar Creek Corrections Centre

Kenyatta Bridges shops for groceries for his Arcadia 20 teammates

Prescribed burning operations near Northport, Washington. The Pacific Northwest is struggling with the effects of climate change, with a higher risk of wildfires and a longer season this year

Crew members fill petrol cans during prescribed fire operations near Northport

Crew members during a fire clean-up mission, near Deer Park

Kenyatta Bridges was serving 10 years for manslaughter in a 2014 gang-affiliated shooting in Pasco, Washington, and joined the Arcadia 20 programme. He started a job in a civilian fire crew on June 3, after his release

Kenyatta Bridges plays pool on his day off at the recreation area of Brownstone Re-entry Centre in Spokane, Washington

Inmates return after breakfast to their confinement unit at Cedar Creek Corrections Centre, near Olympia

Inmates of the Washington state prison system tramp through the forest, their yellow uniforms and helmets standing out against the branches and leaves. They are members of Arcadia 20, or Arc 20, a group of firefighters in Spokane recruited from pioneering prison camps.

The project aims is to teach the inmates the skills needed to help prevent wildfires – and in the process open the door to a potential career after they are released.

The programme, run by the Department of Natural Resources and Department of Corrections, teaches dozens of inmates how to conduct prescribed burns, how to handle dangerous equipment, and how to ensure fires remain contained. When necessary, the crews are on the front lines of a blaze, battling to prevent it from spreading in a state prone to summer wildfires.

While other western US states have inmate firefighting crews, Washington's Arc 20 programme has set itself apart by moving prisoners from full confinement to a re-entry centre where they develop firefighting skills. Those recruited to the initiative also earn more.

Washington state's regular prison firefighting camps comprise about 230 inmates, each paid up to $1.50 an hour. When sent to an active fire, they are paid the state's minimum wage of $16.28 an hour, plus overtime.

Elite crew members who joined the Arc 20 team are paid a base salary of up to $3,796 a month, with the potential to earn more through overtime.

The Pacific Northwest is struggling against the effects of climate change, with the risk of wildfires increasing amid a longer season this year, the Department of Natural Resources says. The Arc 20 team is trained to join "hand crews" – teams of 18 to 25 firefighters who work and camp near the front lines of active wildfires.

The inmate firefighters often hike long distances and carry their own gear to reach remote areas. They also conduct prescribed burns and use chainsaws to cut down trees and branches using chainsaws as part of the state's fire mitigation and forest management efforts.

When the team is not travelling across the state to tackle fires, they are housed at Brownstone Re-entry Centre, a minimum security prison in Spokane. Team members spend their time there working or taking part in training programmes, while they are allowed to use mobile phones.

The programme could be a "stepping stone" for state agencies across the US to develop similar initiatives, transition crew liaison Roy Hardin says. "If a person is employed, has a really good job when they get out of prison, they're not homeless, they're probably not going to come back," he says.

Four crew members from Arc 20 have gone on to work for the state firefighting agency. One is an engine leader and others are engine crew members.