Kim Kardashian Advocates for Higher Wages for Incarcerated Firefighters Battling California Wildfires: 'They Get Paid Almost Nothing'
Kim Kardashian recently stressed the importance of providing fair compensation to incarcerated firefighters who are bravely battling the relentless wildfires in Los Angeles.
The former "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" reality star highlighted the urgent need to support those risking their lives to combat the ongoing crisis.
"On all 5 fires in Los Angeles, there are hundreds of incarcerated firefighters, risking their lives to save us," she wrote on her Instagram Stories, per the New York Post.
"They are on the Palisades fire and Eaton fire in Pasadena working 24 hour shifts. They get paid almost nothing, risk their lives, some have died, to prove to the community that they have changed and are now first responders," she said. "I see them as heroes."
Kardashian declared, "The incarcerated firefighters have been paid $1/hour to risk their lives, and this pay has been the same since 1984. It has never been raised with inflation. It's never been raised when fires got worse and many died."
In the wake of the devastating fires, the lives of 16 individuals were taken and the tragedy obliterated over 12,000 buildings, prompting the evacuation of over 150,000 residents in Los Angeles County.
The SKIMS mogul then asked the California governor to raise these incarcerated firefighter's pay.
"I am urging @cagovernor to do what no Governor has done in 4 decades, and raise the incarcerated firefighter pay to a rate the honors a human being risking their life to save our lives and homes."
The mom-of-four also expressed her gratitude towards the firefighters who are risking their lives to save thousands more.
"And lastly I want to thank the firefighters from the @calfire Ventura Training Center for saving my community when it started burning this week," she said. "These are all FORMERLY incarcerated firefighters who have come home and want to continue serving our community as firefighters."
"Due to bills passed by @antirecidivismcoalition, these guys can now get their sentences reduced, expunging the felonies from their records for their fire service," Kardashian added. "And when they come home can get six figure jobs working for the fire departments."
Firefighters who are currently serving time in prison receive a daily wage of $10.24, along with an extra $1 per hour provided by Cal Fire in times of emergencies.
Per the New York Times, as of April 2024, recent regulations were implemented that allow the least experienced inmate firefighter to earn just $5.80 per day.
In the past, regulations dating back several decades set the daily wage for workers between $2.90 and $5.13.
Despite the absence of any firefighter fatalities during the recent wildfires in Los Angeles, a report released in 2022 by the American Civil Liberties Union stated the tragic deaths of four incarcerated firefighters and the injuries sustained by more than 1,000 others over a span of four years.