In the News

“In Focus SoCal” goes to a training class for the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program.

FFRP provides training and career opportunities in forestry and wildland firefighting for formerly incarcerated people, with or without experience, who want to become firefighters.

The program was co-funded by Royal Ramey, who served six years in prison and worked in the Bautista Adult Conservation Fire Camp while he was incarcerated.

FFRP secured $4 million in State Funds from Proposition 4, a $10 billion Climate and Wildfire Prevention Bond passed by voters in November 2024.

Chief Ramey stopped by the studio in New York City to speak with Angela Yee about his story and how it's shaped his work with the Forestry & Fire Recruitment Program.

Chief Ramey joined Assemblymember Sade Elhawary, legislators, and advocacy groups for an in-person press conference and reception at Stentorians Inc to bring attention to the Firefighting to Freedom Bill Package, a groundbreaking bill package aiming to honor the service of California’s incarcerated firefighters. The package includes seven key bills that will increase compensation for incarcerated firefighters, expedite their reentry into the workforce, and honor their service during California’s most devastating wildfires.

The event featured remarks from legislators, advocates, and formerly incarcerated firefighters, highlighting their heroic contributions to California’s fire response efforts and underscoring the critical need for reform.

Cohort 6D staff and trainees in the SF Bay Area were featured as part of this video about FFRP and its impact on the community with support from the Bay Area Council California Resilience Challenge.

In this deeply personal and eye-opening interview, Ramey walks host Tara Trask through his journey from incarceration to professional firefighter, sharing powerful stories of growth, hardship, and redemption.

Chief Ramey was invited to the SXSW stage to talk about the LA wildfires, Fire Camp and the challenges faced by incarcerated firefighters in accessing jobs in the sector despite their passion, experience, and a severe labor shortage. Learn more about these issues as well as Chief Ramey's personal story and the pathway he's created through FFRP to help others to follow in his footsteps. Thank you to Dr. Joel Bervell for moderating the discussion!

Chief Ramey shared his inspiring journey from being incarcerated to becoming a firefighter with Jennifer Hudson. He discussed how FFRP provides training, certifications, and career opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals, offering them a second chance at life while strengthening communities, and was joined by two of our graduates, FFRP Captain Jonala Vann and CAL FIRE firefighter Christian Guerrero.

Ramey also founded a nonprofit called the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program, which trains formerly incarcerated firefighters and helps them apply for jobs. “We wanted to give … people opportunities so they can be able to thrive and have a family-winning career,” said Ramey.

Former Incarcerated Firefighter on Prison-to-Public Service Pipeline - FFRP graduates have a recidivism rate of less than 10% compared to the 42% 3-year recidivism rate for those released by the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation.

Discover how Royal Ramey’s Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program transforms lives, trains firefighters, and combats California’s wildfire crisis.

Shannon Sharpe and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson are joined by Chief Royal Ramey, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program (FFRP). Chief Ramey founded FFRP to help individuals who are formerly incarcerated and worked in fire camps overcome the barriers that prevent them from entering the professional field of fire fighting and speaks about the incarcerated fire fighters fighting the Los Angeles, California Wildfires.

The jobs are highly coveted, offering training and reduced sentences, but face criticism over low wages.

Royal Ramey runs a non-profit called the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program. He says it’s especially difficult to get municipal firefighting jobs once inmates are released. “They require you to have an EMT, and obviously they have a background check, all that type of stuff. So it’s really difficult to get into that arena,” Ramey said.

On this episode of Vibe Check, Sam and Zach talk about the devastating fires in Southern California. Then, they speak with former incarcerated firefighter, Royal Ramey, about his experiences in an inmate fire camp. Plus, a few recommendations to keep your vibe right.

Royal Ramey, co-founder and CEO of the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program, says he turned a “negative into a positive,” leading to a career he loves. Ramey previously worked as a firefighter while incarcerated and now wants to help others follow a similar path. “My experience was a roller coaster emotionally and physically,” Ramey said during an appearance on “Banfield.” “Now, I’m trying to help others find that path as well.”

"A big shout out to all the first responders and volunteers that's out there serving the L.A. Community. They are the majority of the folks that's out there fighting the fires right now, they are spread out across California. So you got about 35 camps. And throughout the state, um, in southern and northern California. And the program been around since the 1940s, thousands of people being a part of the program. And it actually changed my life."

Chief Royal Ramey, co-founder of the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program, joins ABC News Live to discuss incarcerated firefighters and the LA wildfires.

According to reports, nearly 1,000 California incarcerated firefighters are currently fighting wildfires in the state. Some have criticized the practice due to the low pay for the firefighters, but Royal Ramey, a former inmate and co-founder of the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program, says the program helps create career opportunities for inmates upon release.

While California officials have recently passed reforms expanding opportunities for former inmates, Ramey noted that barriers to employment persist, a struggle which inspired his nonprofit. He argued that Fire Camp could be part of the solution, and said that many people who went through fire training are equipped to help in emergencies once their sentences are finished. “They can contribute to the labor shortage we have here, and why not give them the opportunity to become wildland firefighters to support the state and to be able to get a family and a career,” he said.