Anthony Pedro spent nine years in prison, and three of those years as a firefighter. When he got out, he got dropped off at the local fire department.

“Because I didn’t have transportation,” he said. “And just knocked on the door.”

By a stroke of sheer luck, a fire chief who believed in second chances was working that day, and gave him an internship.

Pedro worked his way up as a seasonal firefighter. In the off-season, he slept in his car, and volunteered for the local fire department where he got his start.

“That volunteer department was my way to shower and wash clothes and things like that. That was my home,” he said.

But in order to land a full-time job as a firefighter, Pedro had to pay for training and certification tests. In prison, he learned how to run hose lines and actually extinguish flames. But there’s a lot more to the job. 

“You gotta be able to drive the engine. But when you get to the scene, you gotta know how to pump the water,” he said. “And then also the EMT. That’s a huge part.”

Pedro said whole process cost him thousands of dollars and took two years before he finally landed the full-time job he wanted. Pedro said he realizes he’s one of the lucky ones who actually made it through the whole process. He started a nonprofit called the Future Fire Academy to help aspiring firefighters figure out what they need to do, and fund their training courses.

When there’s a major wildfire in California, the state comes face to face with a perennial problem: It doesn’t have enough firefighters.

It does hold nearly 1,900 people in its prisons who fight fires. That number has dropped significantly from the 2,800 there were in 2019, before California released some prisoners during the pandemic to curb COVID spread. Once they’re released, they’re looking for work. That sounds like a simple supply-and-demand solution, but even people like Pedro who can afford the time and money to get the experience needed to do that face roadblocks.

Sarah Lageson teaches in Northeastern University’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. She said once someone has a criminal record, it shows up everywhere, including in places it doesn’t belong.

“Your charges might be very serious, but then they’re reduced when you make a plea bargain. Or, you enter into a diversion program, and that record is later dismissed. But because these companies are grabbing data from different places at different points in time, they’re not always refreshing their data,” said Lageson.

And there are more barriers that come with occupational licensing.

“There are hundreds and hundreds of laws on the books that limit the ability to access a license for all sorts of jobs, ranging from working in a funeral home or cutting hair,” said Lageson, “and also for things like health care emergency services.”

You know who provides emergency health care? Firefighters. Formerly incarcerated firefighter Royal Ramey said the EMT test is perhaps one of the biggest problems.

“Once you complete the course, then you have to go and take a national registry test. And in order for you to take the test, you can’t have two or more felonies. It’ll automatically disqualify you,” said Ramey.

That happened to Ramey himself. And since most firefighter calls are medical — not runaway wildfires — lots of firefighter jobs require an EMT certification. 

Since Ramey was released, the state of California has tried to make the job hiring process easier for formerly incarcerated people.

“Gavin Newsom passed that bill called AB 2147 that expunges the records of incarcerated firefighters once they come home,” he said.

Ramey also founded a nonprofit called the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program, which trains formerly incarcerated firefighters and helps them apply for jobs.

“We wanted to give … people opportunities so they can be able to thrive and have a family-winning career,” said Ramey.