One Essential Read

Recommended by Matt M. McKnight, Photographer

Washington state pioneers program to turn inmates into wildland firefighters

Choking smoke, grueling physical activity and long hours might not be the most appealing job description. But for some individuals in the Washington state prison system, a sentence becomes an opportunity for a path to life with a well-paid, steady job in wildland firefighting on the Arcadia 20 (ARC 20) crew.

After requesting access eight years ago, I was finally allowed to document their work, traversing the state in 2023 and learning more about the innovative program.

Join me on the inmates' journey to become firefighters

Kenyatta Bridges sets fire to a burn pile during prescribed fire operations on a deployment near Northport, Washington, U.S., October 25, 2023. REUTERS/Matt Mills McKnight

Behind the news

I was granted exclusive access to this one-of-a-kind program, visiting a prison on numerous occasions. We hiked together, I rode in their crew transport vehicle, we camped together, and I visited them at the facility where they're housed after returning from wildland fire deployments.

I found ARC 20 hopeful inmates feeding deer on their breaks, and on another day was hiking up the side of mountain on a prescribed burning operation with the crew that has become a gold standard for all others in the prison system wanting to fight wildfires.

An inmate feeds a deer outside of the Department of Natural Resources shop at Cedar Creek Corrections Center near Olympia, Washington, U.S., September 26, 2023. REUTERS/Matt Mills McKnight

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