HELENA - Fifteen members of the Montana Department of Corrections’ (DOC) Fire Crew and three correctional officers deployed to Northwest Montana on Friday to help fight a wildfire in that area.
“The DOC Fire Crew is another opportunity for inmates to gain valuable work skills, life skills, and income that will help them transition when they return to Montana communities,” DOC Director Brian Gootkin said. “This is a great partnership between the DOC and Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation that allows the crew members to give back to the state and local communities while under supervision.”
The DOC Fire Crew assists the DNRC fighting wildfires and performs other non-wildfire duties such as prescribed burns, pre-commercial thinning, fuels management, fencing range management, and other projects throughout the year, according to a news release.
“The skilled and dedicated contributions of the inmate wildland firefighter crew not only strengthen our firefighting capabilities, but foster a sense of purpose while safeguarding our forests and communities,” said DNRC Fire Protection Bureau Chief Matt Hall.
The crew is made up of DOC staff, inmates, and DNRC staff. All staff and offenders go through annual safety and fire suppression training provided by the DNRC. A maximum of 15 crew members can be deployed at a time and correctional officers accompany the crew on assignments.
The crew stays in Montana. The DOC has operated a fire crew since 2002.
