Kim Kardashian is using her significant platform to spotlight an often-overlooked group of individuals risking their lives to combat the devastating wildfires ravaging Los Angeles.
“I have spent the last week watching my city burning. And have seen and spoken to many firefighter who are up all night long using every ounce of their strength to save our community,” Kardashian, 44, shared in a series of posts on her Instagram Stories on Saturday, January 11.
“Thank you to @calfire la County Fire and Los Angeles City Fire for everything you are doing to save lives, homes property,” she added.
The reality star and activist also turned her attention to a lesser-known group contributing significantly to firefighting efforts: incarcerated individuals who are on the front lines battling the flames.
Approximately 900 prisoners are currently engaged in firefighting efforts across the greater Los Angeles area.
“On all 5 fires in Los Angeles, there are hundreds of incarcerated firefighters, risking their lives to save us,” Kardashian wrote.
“They are on the Palisades fire and Eaton fire and Pasadena fire 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. I see them as heroes.”
Incarcerated Firefighters: Heroes with Little Compensation
As outlined by California’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, incarcerated firefighters are tasked with creating fire lines and removing fuel sources to slow the spread of fires, an essential role that provides critical manpower to the overstretched fire crews.
However, as Kardashian pointed out, their compensation remains shockingly low. “The incarcerated firefighters have been paid $1/hour to risk their lives, and this pay has been the same since 1984,” she explained.
Kim Kardashian
“It’s never been raised with inflation. It’s never been raised when fires got worse and many [firefighters] died. This year there was an agreement to raise the incarcerated firefighter pay to $5/hour, but it got shot down last minute.”
A Call to Action
Kardashian, who is widely recognized for her prison reform advocacy, directly called on California Governor Gavin Newsom to address the longstanding pay disparity for incarcerated firefighters.
“I am urging @cagovernor to do what no Governor has done in 4 decades, and raise the incarcerated firefighters pay to a rate that honors a human being risking their life to save our lives and homes,” she wrote.
Wildfire Impact and Hollywood Losses
The wildfires, which have claimed at least 16 lives according to local officials, have burned through over 37,000 acres and destroyed more than 12,000 structures, according to NBC News.
Numerous Hollywood figures, including Milo Ventimiglia, Anthony Hopkins, Eugene Levy, and Paris Hilton, have lost their homes in the devastation.
Formerly Incarcerated Firefighters: A Path Forward
Kardashian also highlighted the efforts of formerly incarcerated firefighters, expressing gratitude to the firefighters from the @calfire Ventura Training Center.
“These are all FORMERLY incarcerated firefighters who have come home, and want to continue serving our communities as firefighters,” she wrote.
“Due to bills passed by @antirecidivismcoalition, these guys can now get their sentences reduced, expunging the felonies from their records for their fire service. And when they come home can get six figure jobs working for the fire departments.”
Kardashian’s public acknowledgment of both current and formerly incarcerated firefighters sheds light on an often-neglected group of individuals making extraordinary sacrifices to protect communities, prompting a broader conversation about fair compensation and second chances.
