CAMARILLO : All-Woman Fire Crew a 1st for CYA

Among the hundreds of firefighters who heroically battled the disastrous fires in Santa Barbara and Ojai recently, this crew of 16 hardly stood out.

Yet, they were making history as the first all-female crew from the California Youth Authority to be dispatched to fight fires.

When the fires were contained, the women, 18 to 22 years old, returned to the prison at Camarillo’s Ventura School, where they are incarcerated.

The women spent nearly two rigorous months training to become firefighters at the nearby Ventura Public Service and Fire Center Program.

Selected by a prison screening board, the female firefighters must have between four and 24 months remaining to serve, said Cynthia Brown, program superintendent. That’s so they can put their training to use for at least one fire season. Those convicted of arson or sex offenses are not allowed in the program.

The first training phase consists of physical conditioning, including weightlifting, running, hill-climbing and other cardiovascular and strength exercises. The program’s second phase is a one-week classroom course covering types of fires, firefighting techniques and safety, potential risks and how to avoid them.

The women receive $5.50 a week for the first 30 days of the program. Pay can range up to $8.50 a week for seasoned members. In addition, they receive $1 an hour for each hour spent fighting a fire. Some earned as much as $200 fighting fires in Ojai and Santa Barbara.

Even though the women are still battling physical and emotional exhaustion from seven straight days of battling the two blazes, they spend at least four hours each weekday clearing brush from the dry hills surrounding Ojai.

Some don’t like it.

“I hate this,” said Kianya Fleming, 18, after a brush-clearing session in 90-degree temperatures last week. It’s not the hard work she minds, but the fact that prison officials gave her no choice but to join the crew, she said.

“They don’t treat us right,” Fleming said. “They expect us to do as much work as the boys, but the boys always come first.” Fleming and others complained that members of CYA’s four other fire crews, all male, seem to receive preferential treatment such as trips to movies or restaurants, a television in their ward, and more free time.

Prison officials said the program, which started in March, is still new and they are still working to get some details in place.

Other crew members, however, said the challenge of firefighting beats sitting in prison with little to do.

Laura Stark, 20, hopes to become a professional firefighter when her prison term ends in a year and a half.

Shannon Byrket, 22, said she likes the hard work--and the hot temperatures. “I don’t mind it,” she said. “I grew up in the high desert, so I know about heat.”