Inmates escape life behind bars to fight Washington wildfires

For inmates fighting fires in central Washington, this is a chance to escape life behind bars – at least for a little while.

“It’s a true honor to get outside those gates and be able to come out and help communities,” Nicholas Miles told KIRO Radio’s Brandi Kruse. “I wouldn’t mind doing this later as a career.”

Miles is serving time for a gun violation at the Olympic Correctional Complex in Forks.

“They’re a special group of folks. They apply for this job,” said Alan Hoffmeister, fire information officer, as the crew worked nearby to remove vegetation on the front line in preparation of a potential burnout operation.

“As I understand, it’s a desirable thing for them to do; it gets them out of the facility they’re used to. They get paid a whopping 60 cents an hour to come out here and do this heavy, back-breaking work. These folks have as much training as the contracted fire-fighting crew working down the road.”

Inmate Mike Anderson, 34, told KIRO Radio this is his first time fighting fires.

“It was surreal when I first got here. We saw houses burning. It feels good to make a difference, it really does. I’m at OCC for a felony that I had and this is the way that I’m going to pay back my community,” he said.

Anderson and the crew have been at the scene for 10 days and are set to return to OCC soon. Like other firefighters, there is a limit to how long they can be out here.

“Everybody is drained. Everybody is scratched, bruised, blisters everywhere,” Anderson said.

Despite the long hours, both he and Miles said they’d much rather be here than back behind bars.

KIRO Radio’s Brandi Kruse is reporting from the scene and contributed to this report.