California’s untapped pool of firefighters

Across the country, more than 20,000 laws prevent people from working because of their criminal histories, sometimes even imposing lifetime bans from everyday jobs. Some of these laws make sense, but others do nothing to protect the public and only prevent former inmates from getting back on their feet.

The status quo is bad for people who have paid their debts to society and still face legal roadblocks to supporting themselves. It’s also bad for society, which could benefit from people who want to work. The Los Angeles fires offer a particularly galling example.

Roughly 1,100 incarcerated firefighters battled the Los Angeles fires in January. During wildfires, inmate firefighters work in life-threatening conditions to protect the public. Equipped primarily with hand tools, they clear vegetation and build fire lines. The work is long and grueling, but many describe the job as rewarding, prestigious and an opportunity to give back. It even inspires many to pursue professional firefighting after they’re released.

Yet the state often bans former inmates from continuing their careers as municipal firefighters. The problem is that most municipal firefighting jobs—including at the Los Angeles Fire Department—require emergency medical technician certification. Many felons are legally prohibited from obtaining an EMT certification, often for life.

Lawmakers passed a reform in 2020 that allows some former inmate firefighters to obtain EMT certification—but only if they leap through hoops including petitioning a judge to have their criminal records wiped clean. But most people with felony convictions remain ineligible for municipal firefighting, even if they have been rehabilitated. The other option, which some former inmates pursue, is to find less stable seasonal work with agencies like CalFire.

There’s no good reason for this ban. The government already has separate authority to deny EMT certifications to anyone it deems unfit.

If California allowed more people to become professional firefighters, everyone would benefit. Municipal fire departments could get the manpower they desperately need. State residents would be better served. And former inmate firefighters could have a stable and fulfilling career that allows them to put their training and experience to good use.

Local and state officials must learn from these wildfires. A trained, talented pool of people is waiting to help protect vulnerable communities. California needs to stop judging people for their past actions and instead look at who they are today and what they can accomplish.

Mr. Prensky is a writer and Mr. Ward is an attorney for the Institute for Justice, a public-interest law firm that represented plaintiffs in an unsuccessful challenge to California’s EMT restrictions.