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[gusty wind blows]
[fire crackles]
[wild fire burns]
- [Man On Talkie 1] We have the 485.
Wait down here.
Wait till you guys pass and we'll shoot up.
[Man On Talkie 2] We'll make that happen right now.
That's fine and we'll have your equipment
deployed up in the area.
- [Firefighter 1] You see smoke, smoke, smoke.
You see big trees is all black.
They on fire.
[fire crackles]
- [Firefighter 2] It burns. Burns your nose.
- [Firefighter 1] Ooh, the smell.
[fire rages]
- [Firefighter 3] Heat, is like overwhelming.
And like it's so intense.
Like my face is burning.
I couldn't breathe.
I want to go home.
Like what did I get myself into?
I never thought I was going to be
a firefighter at all.
- [Firefighter 5] How many people can say, you know
my house was saved by somebody that's incarcerated.
- [Firefighter 6] Brave? I mean I'm just human.
Nothing to be brave about.
As long as you just do it.
It makes you feel good.
Make you feel like,
it makes me feel like
my life has a purpose.
You know what I mean?
Even if it is just helping a few people.
- [Firefighter 7] It's the freedom part.
Oh yeah. It feels good.
You're not locked up but
it also makes you feel good
that you're not just sitting there rotting away.
[fire burns]
- [Alex] Well, my first couple of weeks
in the cell were like, oh
am I going to get out?
If I can get out.
After that I started realizing, oh like
I'm here for what I did.
I'm not going to get out any time soon.
So might as well just get used to it.
Being in, being inside, locked up in that room.
Not able to go see my mom whenever I wanted to.
Just freedom.
[Key inserts and unlocks door]
[door shuts]
[key inserts and unlocks door]
- [Alex] After adapting for so many months
like, I'm used to it
but it's not something I want to be used to.
[door shuts]
I don't want to be in this environment all my life.
- [Ms. Pam] All right. Good morning guys.
- [Incarcerated Youth] Morning. Good morning.
- I'm YCC.
I'm a counselor at Pine Grove, Ms. Paminsan.
They call me Ms. Pam for short.
Ms. P.
You guys are in the intake process obviously.
You guys have submitted a camp application.
What we're doing here is kind of just prepping you for camp
because the transition from this type of environment
into camp is very different.
In this pre-camp program
my job is to get you guys physically fit
and prepared for a wild land firefighting, okay.
Real quick.
I like to get a little introduction
of each and every one of you.
- Um, my name's Keon Sims.
I'm 19.
My committed offense is attempted murder.
And I want to go to fire camp because
you feel me, I feel like it could help me
stay out of the gang environment.
That's polluted throughout the YA facilities.
You feel me?
So I can get home faster.
- Yeah. Sure.
Good job.
- My name's Joshua Dixon.
I'm 18.
I'm here for a shooting.
They gave me nine years
but I have an early parole two.
I want to go to fire camp because I feel
like being a fireman is an honorable job
and it's a good experience to help other people out.
- My name's Alexander Bailon.
I'm 18 years old.
I'm here for multiple counts
of carjacking and attempted murder.
So going to fire camp is a major step for me
and I really hope I get it.
So I'm gonna try my best to do it.
- Okay. Very good.
It's nice to meet all of you guys.
One of the last counties I was on a strike team
was Mendocino County.
Mendocino, that was the largest in California history.
And then the Paradise one was the most deadliest
in California history.
[foot taps]
Any questions before I make you guys sweat?
Go!
[incarcerated youths sprint]
- How you doing that?
- No pain, no gain.
Let's go.
A hundred percent.
- Woo.
- Anybody tired yet?
- Yep. - Hell yes.
- Already? We're just getting started.
- Oh no.
[incarcerated youths panting]
[man chuckles]
- [Ms. Pam] Who hasn't ran in awhile.
Oh, okay.
Okay.
Something we need to work on right.
Gotta get that breathing.
You guys will be carrying equipment.
Lots of equipment.
Going up 90 degree hills.
You guys going to be hurting tomorrow.
It's good though.
- [Alex] Being locked up helped me.
- [Ms. Pam] Mhmm.
- If I didn't get caught up back there
I would have been caught up right now.
And look where I would have been.
In the main jail.
- Mhmm.
What are your short term goals
while being here at DJJ?
- I would say like better improving myself
educationally and mentally.
- Mhmm.
- And especially going to fire camp
is my priority because- - Okay.
I heard it ever since I've been locked up.
They're like, oh yeah.
Fire camp this. Fire camp that.
I was like, they're all like, oh, but it's hard.
I was like, I'm up for the challenge.
I like proving people wrong.
It's what I like doing.
I like proving people wrong.
- Shit come on greens. Get down.
Down.
Up.
30.
All right get up and shake it out.
Shake it out.
Do what you gotta do. Drink your water. Stretch.
- Oh. Oh. [youth vomits]
- You all right man? - Oh damn.
- That throw up situation.
Ooh. You okay?
Good job guys.
- Is it going to be way worse with that? - Okay.
- At fire camp.
- Some of them, yes.
Yeah.
- You okay brother?
- Yeah.
- Hiking is going to be worse than this though.
- Very good job today.
I'm very proud of each
and every one of you guys for not quitting.
- Ms. Pam you said a little work out.
- Yeah. This was a little work out.
- Nah. No way. [youths laugh]
- You didn't think it was a little work out?
- It was cool. - Is this the easy stuff?
- It's cool.
- You memorize that just by looking at the first letter.
- Yeah.
- Wow. I'm impressed.
That is crazy-
But you know, I'm betting on going there.
I don't only want to do good for me.
I also, like my mom's my encouragement.
And I'm like if I could get time knocked off
and while doing something that I like.
[door unlocks]
That'd be like pretty cool.
- I'll see you next time okay.
Keep it up.
[door shuts]
[buzzer beeps]
[metal chains clang]
[buzzer beeps and door opens]
- And buckle your seat belt.
- All right. - All right.
All right.
[van door closes]
[mid-tempo upbeat music]
[checkers pieces shuffle]
- Technique.
[shaver whirs]
[basketball bounces]
[basketball goes through hoop]
- Watch your step.
[chains rustle]
[handcuff and chain unlocks]
Okay.
Your going to go ahead and walk in the office.
[door opens]
- Rules and regulations.
You know, I won't go into every rule.
You know, some of the more common rule infractions
on the dorm are like, you know
being out of bounds, is kind of a big one.
Horseplay is another big one.
More serious like we already mentioned.
Dirty drug test.
So substance use or possessing contraband
like cell phones or cell phone chargers.
Those things.
So being here at fire camp, you guys are both employees.
So you'll be getting a monthly paycheck.
You both owe restitution.
So half of that will go towards restitution
and then you'll keep the other half
until your restitution is paid off.
And then you keep all your money.
So when you get called to an incident and fight a fire
you'd be eligible to earn a couple extra time cuts
They can add up to an initial eight days per month.
Which can, you know overtime can add up to
a pretty significant amount.
Yup. All right.
Paperwork's done.
How are you feeling?
- I'm good. - I'm good.
- Any of that confuse you?
- No. - Little bit?
No. Okay, good.
- First thing you probably noticed.
We don't have the fences.
We don't have the barbed wire.
We don't have the security vans out here.
We don't have a whole lot of staff here.
So this is a program for guys that have shown
that they can maintain it.
They don't need that kind of supervision
because if you did, you couldn't be here.
Okay. So it's definitely, it's a privileged program.
I'll show you the kitchen.
Want to see the kitchen?
You heard about the food?
- Yeah, I heard about the food.
- Yeah. What'd you hear about the food?
- It's way better.
- Yeah?
- Yes, yes, yes.
Good timing.
- I'm Captain Respree.
What's your name?
- Alexander Bailon.
Where are you from?
- San Jose, California.
- All right.
Okay. Captain Respree.
- Eric Major.
- Fresno, California.
- That's right.
- Nice to meet you gentlemen.
- Nice to meet you too, sir.
- On behalf of Cal Fire, thank you very much
for volunteering. Coming out here.
- Thank you for very much.
- This is very hard work.
Very hard work.
But we can't meet the mission of protecting Californians
from wildfire without volunteers like you.
So thanks a lot.
- What clothes do we use?
- For parole, wear like a shirt
and button it all the way up.
Hey, how does that feel?
- Good.
- You sure?
You'd be able to work in it and stuff like that. Move around.
- Yeah. - Okay.
[acoustic instrumental music]
[saw whirs]
[leaves and grass rake]
- When I first got here.
I liked it because
I was more comfortable being outdoors
and not having to be in a cell all day.
I was sentenced as an adult when I was 16 years old.
But because my earliest possible release date was
before my 21st birthday.
I had a chance to stay in DJJ
but I had to work at the fire camp.
So that's where I landed.
And thank God.
Lucky I was lucky enough to go to DJJ fire camp.
[saw whirs]
At Pine Grove all the staff like me.
All the captains like me.
That makes me feel like I'm at home.
I got to transition back to who my real family is
and where my real home is.
[fire camp trainees laugh]
[fire crew laughs]
- Yep.
When we get out.
- What's our plans?
- Like college or whatnot?
Probably even end up doing this when we get out.
- Yeah.
- Three? Four?
- Yeah, I think training crew.
- Some of the work is too much for people
when they roll up out of here
like basically leave the camp.
- Yeah.
[utensils clink]
- Let them know man.
- It's the top chef right here.
- You know what I'm saying.
Act like you like it. Act like you like it.
- [Chuy] I have to say I've grown a lot.
Not only because I love to firefight and work hard.
But it's helped me become a better worker.
It's helped me become a better person.
It's taught me a lot of discipline.
It's been a long journey.
what's weird is a couple months ago.
I talked to my grandpa and he's a very strict person.
So when I first got arrested
he was kind of mad at me.
But after a while, and he found out
how good I was doing at camp.
You know, started talking to him more and more.
And you know, my grandpa's getting older
and I really miss him.
There's a lot of people that are waiting
for me to come home.
[locker shuts]
[tap water runs]
- I've done a lot of stupid things during my life.
My first committing offense was 15.
Possession of a stolen vehicle.
[razor taps]
When I started doing these things
I just started chasing the money
and I started getting that like
feeling like I'm my own man.
When I was still a child still trying to grow up.
My mom was shocked
when the cops came in the house.
She just started breaking down, crying.
And what'd you do?
What'd you do?
That hurt me a lot.
I just told her I'm gonna be okay.
I'm going to do good.
I'm going to run my program.
See what I can do to get out.
Don't worry about it.
I'll be out soon.
[Alex sighs]
- Oh so frustrated bro.
- Oh, frustrated right now bro.
- You're frustrated?
- Mentally, spiritually and emotionally bro.
Frustrated.
Like.
It's bad bro.
- Huh.
- Bro, no. I don't want to pass with you bro.
[Alex laughs]
- Why?
- I already passed bro.
This is like, I don't get it.
Cause she was on vacation.
But she told the other captain it was all right.
So now she did some backward stuff.
Now I'm back still in training crew
and I'm supposed to be on the actual fire crew right now.
- I don't know.
My name is Dominiq Porter.
I'm 20 years old.
My offense, a 245.
Shooting at a occupied vehicle.
Criminal history.
I have two priors.
One for selling narcotics on the school ground.
And one for residential burglary.
I have three other siblings.
So it's four siblings in total.
Three of us are in jail.
Oldest brother got 18 years.
And the one that's right under me, got 12.
I got seven.
My dad been in and out of prison since
before I was born.
Three positive traits.
I'm hard working.
I'm a leader.
And I'm dedicated.
I came to Pine Grove cause I feel like
this is an opportunity to learn something.
I can take everything I learned here
and apply it to my life when I get out.
- Okay, go and have a seat.
So I'm Captain Hutchinson.
I'm almost 53 years old.
My offense.
I don't have one.
Criminal history.
None.
Do I have any kids?
Just you guys.
I know you're not kids
but just you guys.
No I don't have any kids.
So positive traits, I'm fair firm and consistent.
Okay. I'm going to be a hard on you guys.
But I'm gonna be hard on you guys, for why?
Can you answer Mr. Porter?
[Dominiq laughs]
Why do you think I'm going to be hard on you guys?
- Cause she's not lowering to our expectations.
She going to bring us up to hers.
- Okay. The goal is to bring you up and better you, right?
Cause I'm going to. I believe in you guys.
And I want you to believe in yourself
so that you guys can be successful in this program.
Okay?
You guys actually came in in a really good time.
When you guys leave this training program
we're going to be pretty much starting to go to fires
and you guys are gonna go right out in the mix of it.
Okay? Any questions about that?
- No Cap. - No Cap.
Small steps.
Come on.
Take smaller steps.
Keep going!
[Alex breathes heavily]
- Tool left-hand, downhill side.
- We did this, Bailon. - I feel like I'm going to pass out.
- [Capt. Hutchinson] Let's go guys!
- That's the easy part.
- [Capt. Hutchinson] You heard it yesterday.
As soon as I say, hook it up. Get hooked up.
Come on. Keep pushing.
So small steps to get that airway open.
Upper body straight.
[trainees breathing heavily]
Push it out.
Solid finish.
[Alex breathes out]
You should get your gloves on.
I want you to pick up our tools
and we'll get these. We'll get loaded back on the bus.
[Bag drops]
[Alex breathes heavily]
[Fire camp groups conversing]
[bed squeaks]
[alarm rings]
[door opens]
- Okay. So obviously by now
you guys know something's going on.
[fire camp crew murmur]
Looks like our number finally got called.
- We're going out?
[fire camp crews clap and cheer]
All right.
You guys know I don't talk over you.
Okay. Going direct attack to the fire.
Fires 400 acres in a drainage.
There's very few resources
on it right now because everything is
you guys probably know, are tied up already down south.
Okay. They're desperate for hand crews and we're it.
Okay.
Copy?
- [Fire Camp Crew] Copy that.
- All right.
[fire camp crew clap and cheer]
- It's in a drainage so it's ugly.
Like fires in a drainage.
You got two mountains like that and a fire most likely
has a chance of running up hill.
It's going to be crazy.
Hopefully, I'm hoping for it to be crazy.
- Let's go!
[fire camp crew hollering]
- [Chuy] You feel more appreciated
being out with Cal Fire.
Nobody's like, Hey, look at those people that are in jail.
They're like, Hey look, those firefighters, you know.
Seeing people, thank you for your hard work.
Thank you for saving our houses and our businesses.
When I get out, I do want to be a firefighter.
I talked to my captain all the time about it
and they're trying to help me a lot with the, getting
into the fire service, whether it's the U.S. forest service
or Cal Fire.
I'm a felon so, I mean, I don't know
if I'll be able to get that cleared or.
That's another thing I'm going to work on
when I get out.
It's trying to expunge my record
or at least get my felony dropped somehow.
[fire bus reverses]
[emergency vehicle sirens wail]
[walkie talkie chatter]
- [Chuy] When I got to crew, you know
I thought I was just going to become like the second saw
or a puller or something.
Next thing I know my Captain
put me on as first man.
Well I think first man represented a lot of leadership.
He knows everything about fires.
Helps supervise everybody while
you know, they're working.
[saw whirs]
My grandpa always taught me.
You can delegate your jobs
but you can't delegate your responsibilities.
And to me, everything about the crew is my responsibility.
[walkie talkie chatter]
[chainsaw whirs and branch falls]
- All right we're doing a four foot scrape from here to that tree.
Movin'
- Movin'
So cutting line is basically a fuel break.
So the fire burns to your line, hits the dirt and goes out.
[fire camp crew shovel]
[fire blazes]
You think of your family, trying to get back to them.
It motivates you to push harder and to keep safe.
So we can all go back to where we came from.
[fire crackles]
You got to make that wider back there.
Clean up that duff.
- And then your last McCloud gotta clean up the berm.
[fire camp crew ax and shovel]
- It really only takes 10 seconds
and you can give your life away.
- I was ditching school a lot.
And I was hanging around with the wrong people.
I didn't like going to school.
That was my number one pet peeve.
I didn't like going there.
- I have strict parents.
- Single mother.
- I have a very supportive family.
It was just the decisions I was making.
- I was hiding a lot from my mom.
And so like that would like make her cry and stuff.
- Being part of the gang it'd be like another family.
- I was lost.
I kind of felt like everything was-
All the pressure was on me to do things.
You know what I mean?
- I was like, yeah, I'm gonna start going to school.
I'm gonna do better.
I'm gonna quit smoking, quit doing drugs.
And then a week later. On the same path.
- I wanted to be the cool guy I guess.
- I always tell my mom that I'll never get arrested.
- Dude it hurts.
Being away in jail, can't explain it's like...
I feel like I'm not a big brother
because a big brother's supposed to be a role model.
[fire crackles]
- 16.
- I was 17 when I committed my offense.
- I was incarcerated when I was 13 years old.
- 16.
[fire rages]
- I don't come from a poor family.
- We barely made ends meet.
I hung out with a lot of kids that come
from wealthy families and they had everything they ever had.
Nike socks, dude.
They had chucks.
They had all the clothes. All, everything I wanted.
So I started hanging around with those kids
and come to find out that their parents
were buying everything.
[fire burns]
So I kind of fell into
learning how to rob people.
Go out on the weekend, Friday night, you know
when people get paid
and see people coming out of liquor stores
'cause liquor stores cash checks
and they turned the corner in the dark alley.
You get hit upside the head and money took.
And next thing you know
I got five cop cars coming from this street
and I have nowhere to run.
With the gun in my hand.
Now that I look at it, dude.
[rake hoe shovels]
What a disgusting human being I was.
- I'll tell you that, you know
as knowing how hard people work for their money.
How hard I worked for my money now.
[fire camp crew shovels]
- People make mistakes.
I guess it's my fate.
- Bumping by, bumping by.
- Bumping by.
[airplane engine roars]
- Air tanker drop!
- [Fire Camp Trainees] Air tanker drop.
- Twos to the left. Twos to the left.
[rake hoe thuds on ground]
Okay. Clear.
Moving.
- Okay.
[fire shelter swishes]
Step one foot in it
and then bring it around you.
Like a coat. Feet to the heat, right?
Feet to the heat and head to the red.
Why don't you come here for a second.
Ah.
What's going on?
- Okay. Well they're going to hurt.
Remember you signed up for being a firefighter.
We'll be on our feet a lot.
Okay. But I'm kind of sensing a little sense of urgency.
Like lack of sense of urgency.
Like you're just not really caring right now. Okay.
That thing right there is going to save your life in a burn over.
Okay. Which means you need to be moving.
[clicks fingers] And moving now.
Okay.
That fire turns on us.
It's coming at us.
Ready?
Okay.
Go.
[rake hoe and emergency coat drops]
[backpack drops]
[velcro rips]
Two points of contact.
[fire shelter rustles open]
Okay, come on up.
[fire shelter rustles]
[Dominiq laughs]
[chip packet rustles]
I'm in LA county.
He's from the bay.
- Different cultures.
- Different culture, different teaching.
Everything.
- Different language.
- Yup.
- You know I haven't had a peach since
I've been locked up until I got here.
- A who?
- Peach.
- I don't like peaches.
[bites into peach]
- I like them. - I like plums though.
- Plums.
- Uh. - I like peeled grapes.
[Alex laughs]
- What?
- Peeled grapes.
You never peeled a grape and ate it?
- No. [Alex laughs]
I'd just eat the grape.
- You haven't lived life then.
- No, you're just fat. [Dominiq laughs]
- I'm fast.
- We're going to do some hand line construction
and pretty much this is our bread and butter.
This is what we do.
This is what we're paid for.
Okay. Remember we go places that what can't-
- Nobody. - No go.
Nobody else can go, right.
Especially like the dozers.
So we're going to go four foot scrape.
Okay. You're going to set the?
- Line. - The line.
Okay. So you're going to come into the edge, right.
[rake hoe scrapes]
And what you're going to do
is you're going to take
the first foot.
And it needs to be down to?
Bare mineral dirt.
[McCLeod scrapes]
- So third person coming in
overlap the second guy.
The second foot.
[McCLeod scrapes]
Hm. What?
- Nothing.
- What do you think?
- I'm ready to do it.
- Pretty intelligent, huh?
Everybody gets their piece of line.
Does their part.
[McCLeod scrapes]
How you're doing this.
You're doing this and you're actually
kind of making your work a little bit harder.
Get in there with the tool.
Put some pressure on it. [tool scrapes]
And it's great.
[tool scrapes]
Okay.
You're letting it get right here right now.
Yeah. It's getting in your head right now.
I can see it.
I can hear it.
Don't let it get in your head.
Okay.
You signed up for this, right? You volunteered for it.
[Alex fidgets foot]
Right?
Okay. So did I.
That's why I'm here.
Let's just say we volunteered for this together.
Right?
Okay. Don't let it get in your head.
We're going to be out there on that fire line.
And we're going to do thousands of feet of this.
Thousands and thousands of feet.
Okay. This is our job.
This is what we do.
[tool scrapes]
Hey, don't pet it.
It's not a puppy
Get that tool in and use it.
[tools scrape]
When you look back at the work that gets done.
It's impressive.
The work that they can do.
One of the cool things
about these guys versus the adults.
Is as long as there's work to do
they typically will keep going.
I mean, that's what I have found.
And they get that recognition when we're out there.
We want the Pine Grove crews out there
because these guys will work until
they can't anymore.
The big key of it is them working together.
[tool scrapes]
- Okay. Division, Romeo, Whiskey things are looking real good.
There's still some showing up.
Heat showing up on the IR.
[tense music]
- All right.
[fire bus whooshes]
[helicopter blades whir]
[wildfire burns]
- There you go.
[fire crackles]
That's a lot of fire.
- Get it locked and scattered way out there.
- [Man On Talkie] Firing 75 Golf, Go ahead.
[chainsaws start]
- [Chuy] To go make a berm. - Yea?
- We got to throw everything back that way.
But not. Don't make piles. Make a long wood row.
So when we light this off. It takes.
- Going up.
- All this.
Going this way, yeah.
[chainsaw cuts through shrubbery]
- It's not about being physically prepared.
To do it. It's a lot of mental.
[chainsaw whirs]
- This patch.
- All right.
- [Chuy] With Cal Fire they-
Things changed within seconds.
You just gotta be prepared to adapt, to change.
[chainsaw whirs]
[fire crackles]
[wildfire burns]
- Yep. Like right now.
Hey!
Pull back!
Pull back now!
- [Fire Camp Crew] Pull back!
- The fire that's down below us though.
Looks very innocent
a mere 20 minutes ago
is now blown up.
And this area is going to become untenable.
So.
We need to leave right now.
[fire bus engines start]
We'll be in good shape. They're kicking everybody out.
[wind and fire roars]
[fire crackles and burns]
[walkie talkie chatter]
- I'm about to go home and it feels like
it feels like I'm a young kid
at home and who's getting kicked out by his parents.
I just can't stop.
There's something that's telling me.
I can't stop.
I got to go home.
I got to get into an EMT class.
I got to go through academy and I got to work for Cal Fire.
I can't stop.
There's nothing that's going to stop me
when I get out.
[acoustic instrumental music]
[fire bus idles]
[fire camp crew conversing]
[fire camp crew footsteps]
- Come through.
- That's it.
Thank you sir.
Gentleman. At this time, you need to be behind the red line.
- Please?
- Thank you sir.
Thank you sir.
- No problem. - Have a good day.
- You too.
- How you doing today?
- All right Cap have a good day.
- See you guys later.
- Bye Cap.
- Here. We just went to a bullshit fire roll today.
- If you could do it over here, bro
Where I'm at, you can do it easily.
I don't even put 'em out now I be just chilling.
- Right here.
- I don't want to be-
- So how much do y'all get paid a week?
- Every two weeks, you get $3000.
- $3000!
Hell yes. That's living.
- It's not like you get paid different for it.
You get paid the same.
Whether you want to saw.
- Everybody gets paid the same?
- Everybody get paid the same.
They ain't no like,
Oh well I'm gonna saw, I get fuckin' 3 more dollars. No.
- And I got experience too.
- Correct.
- I'm a registered gang member.
- Yeah?
- Yeah. - I'm good then.
- It don't matter.
They don't, they don't stop you
from fighting fire for no gang.
- Yeah. My name is Antoinio Wellington.
I work for the U.S. Forest Service.
I'm going on my second season with the U.S. Forest Service.
I was incarcerated in Pine Grove for two years
from 2015 to 2017.
I was the first man on crew two.
When I got outta here, I was just chilling
working a couple of jobs.
And then I met a guy who helped me apply
for a job with the U.S. Forest Service.
And I waited for about a year and they told me
that I needed to report in 17 days
to the U.S. Forest Service.
So if any of you guys are looking to get a career
or like establish yourselves
when you get out of here.
The work that you guys are doing inside of here
could really factor to when you get out.
And it's so simple to get a job working
on an actual hand crew
and they don't care about none of us being on parole.
They don't care about the past life that we lived.
They don't care about none of that.
All they want is for you guys to come out
and show that you guys got some work ethic.
Come out there and do what you already know what to do.
Is any of you guys in here interested in getting into fire?
Okay.
We've got some ones.
Okay. That's good.
Listen to everything your captain is telling you
even though you might not feel it's right.
I done been through everything that y'all going
through in here with the captains and feeling
like you're slaves and feeling like y'all being overworked
because y'all ain't making enough money.
I done been there but I'm here to tell you
that it don't matter how hard they work you right now.
When you get out and you go to get a job.
You're already going to be prepared.
Cause you can already work under the worst conditions.
Sleeping outside. Bugs crawling on you.
It wasn't easy.
But you know what I mean?
I made it. I'm here right now.
I'm here talking to y'all.
I care about every one of y'all.
I did sat in these hard backs.
I done watched this TV and I'm played on that yard.
I'm just letting you know,
I'm living proof that you could be successful
and do something with yourselves.
[fire camp crew applaud]
Love comes from me being in the same position
that they were, that they're in right now.
I understand it. I can feel some
of their emotions still to this day
of what they're going through.
The stress, the anxiety, the fear.
The not knowing what to do with their lives.
So the website is
usajobs.gov.
Get a print out.
- Thank you. - You can call me.
I'll teach you how to do all that.
- All right. Thank you.
- Sanders.
Four Ben and Jerry's.
- Yeah.
- There's only one of them left.
- All right. Yeah.
- Two blue, blue Doritos.
And, the rest of them. Hot Cheetos.
Toilet paper, price $1.75.
Socks. $1.75.
The T-shirt, $5.40.
That other T-shirt is $7.
The sweats $20 and the boxers $5 each.
And the shorts is $16.
Yeah.
- Dude, that was crazy though.
- Yeah, basically you just
you just putting noodles together
with chips, rice, anything that is
hot food wise
and you just mix it up.
But right now, today we're going to make a burrito.
- Hell yeah. I'm ready for this bite.
- Taste them. I made it with love.
Aight!
Like a chipotle burrito.
- Ohh. Yeah.
[birds chirping]
[metal detector beeps]
- When I think of home, I think of security.
Love.
A life that I want to go back to.
- Hey.
- Com es stas?
- I'm good.
[Mom speaks in Spanish]
[kisses cheek]
[hands clasp]
[Monopoly piece clangs]
- Am buenos. Mole.
Eat up.
Ke caliento?
[speaks in Spanish]
- People change.
- I'll probably see you next Sunday.
- Some people take longer than others.
- Probably.
[speaks in Spanish]
- I mean do I want to change.
It's for the better.
Yeah.
Watch out this part right there.
[compressions on dummy]
- What are you doing man?
- [Capt. Hutchinson] Slow down a little bit.
- He's dead.
[compressions on dummy continue]
- Okay.
Let's redo this.
- Oh yeah. - Why?
- You killed him.
- Because I'm gonna ask you to redo it.
- Ain't nothing wrong with it.
I did it right the first time.
- No you didn't.
- All right.
Anyway. Are you all right?
You all right?
[begins compressions on dummy]
- Okay.
[dummy slides]
- Did it right the first time, bro.
- Are you okay? - It's not hard.
- Got to lock your fingers.
- I got everything.
- I mean, he got an attitude.
He's like, I know how to do it.
And when I moved on to the next person
and he was just like
I know how to do this. I was a lifeguard.
You know, and he's kind of got this total chip
on his shoulder.
And he's still mad about it.
He's being disruptive.
- What do you want to do?
Well I'm gonna have to run it through the boss.
But-
- Because if that's the case, he needs to just be rolled out
and he needs to go back to the institution.
- Yeah. I mean, that was uncalled for.
Because I'm not going to reward somebody
even if they pass everything.
If they're going to get on there and have a bad attitude.
And that's a concern for me.
Putting them on, out on a bus.
- [Man On Talkie] Status.
8 Units. 14 engines. 8 crews.
- [Capt. Hutchinson] Maybe, I'll get out in front.
- Right now?
Aqua.
- Water the night before you hike, bro. Hella that shit, bro.
- This ain't nothing, bro.
- You drink hella water.
You're going to be good.
- Drank five liters yesterday.
- I don't even feel the humidity.
I just feel regular.
- I think this is actually the one.
[Alex chuckles]
[Man On Talkie] Hey 4489.
- Swinging.
[ax hits trunk]
Swinging.
[ax hits trunk]
- [Capt. Hutchinson] There you go. Make sure that that hand comes all the way
down to the other one.
- Swinging.
[ax hits trunk]
- Swinging.
[ax hits trunk]
Try to build a little bit of, little bit of bend in that right elbow.
- Swinging. [ax hits trunk]
- There you go.
- Swinging.
- Leftmeyer.
- You don't want it to be like gapped.
- Probation.
want to talk to me.
- That's odd.
- Yeah it is, but.
You'll see.
- You guys doing cutting now?
- Swinging.
Did you copy that training crew is returning?
- [Woman On Talkie] Copy.
Moving.
- Moving.
- Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.
No stress.
- I'm about to eat one tonight.
[fire bus drive by]
- Here it is.
No more bus.
- Hey! - Hey!
- Chuy!
- Hey!
- Ready to check this shit in?
Or stuff.
And that's, that's everything.
- Somewhere where you're wanted
and comforted by people.
Somewhere where you could go and
and somebody, no matter what, somebody will
always welcome you.
That's home to me.
And it's weird
because I've been at Pine Grove for so long
that sometimes I feel like that's my home
because I don't
I don't remember where home is on the outs.
- Yeah. - We're good.
We're good.
- Good memories.
Never thought this day would come.
Then here it is.
Kind of feels like
like for the last four years
I've tried to prepare myself for it.
But, when it's here. Like now that it's finally here
it feels like I'm so unprepared.
It's not even funny.
- How are you unprepared though?
You got everything you could imagine.
You got a little bit of money, starts you off.
You got a house over your head
and you got a better start
than probably a lot of more people that's out there.
And you just got to realize what's in front of you.
- It's only, what's different though is.
Like, when you get out there.
It's like, I don't know
if there's anything to look forward to.
Like here. Being here after so long,
it's like, you have one thing to look forward to.
And that's going home.
When you get out there.
So what's there to look forward to?
A job. And then after what?
That is what? Vacation?
And then retirement?
I don't know.
It's a lot better though.
It's whatever.
- Money.
- Way more money.
- Money.
[fire camp crew conversing]
- It's hard out there.
We got to realize, you know
no matter how good we got it in here, no matter how
how "safe" it is in here.
We still got to go back out there one day.
You got to remember about your decision-making, you know?
And you gotta, you gotta, you know,
make good decisions.
Don't get in the car.
If somebody has a gun.
You just gotta, you gotta
you gotta separate yourself from the bad people
and surround yourself around positive people.
- Nah, I just.
I got a problem with that.
Like I can't leave everybody behind.
Like people you came up with is is.
- Oh yeah, it ain't-
- And there's certain times, like he said
don't get in the car with somebody got a gun.
At the same time, sometimes.
Sometimes that's necessary.
And I don't, it's just hard to say no, just say no.
Waking up on that day.
Just like, damn.
I made it to see 19.
And it's crazy.
Like, you know.
I can't believe like I'm at where I'm at.
But glad I'm at where I'm at.
I'm still seeing myself, three years ago.
Out there doing what I was doing.
And then now adapting to.
All right now I'm getting out every morning for a job.
Now I'm doing this. Now I'm working.
Now I got to get in this.
Understanding now.
Life, was all going however fast you want to go.
- It started with one school
and working outside of Stockton.
And then once I have enough money.
Just get out of there.
That's what, that's what I'm going to do.
And being able to-
- That's the scary part. Cause you don't know, what's waiting for you.
Who waiting for you?
What people remember you? Who don't?
[light switch clicks]
- [Voice on Loudspeaker] All right, breakfast in 20 minutes.
20 minutes 'til breakfast.
- Just go home, bro.
[water sprinklers spray]
- Just take my boots.
All right bros, I'm gone
Oh I'm no good at saying bye to people.
[hands clasp]
- Get out of here. - Don't stay up.
All right. And I'll see yous out there.
I'm free!
[Chuy laughs]
I'm ready to kick it to the curb.
It's been too long.
You know I think it's time for me
to start a new chapter in my life.
- Yeah.
- You got his stuff?
- You got that letter. You got my information, bro.
Hit me, ASAP.
- It'll be cool, bro.
You good, bro.
Stop trippin'.
Just do your time.
Keep working with Drummond.
And you'll be good, bro.
It'll be good.
My business card.
Yep. That's her.
That's my mum right there.
[Chuy laughs]
- What's up strangers?
- Hi there.
- Hello. - Hi baby.
Oh my goodness.
- There you go.
- Oh man.
- All right buddy.
You take it easy. - Yep.
- Call me. Let me know if you need anything.
- Be good. [hugs and taps back]
- Ready? - Yeah.
- All right.
- Thank you guys.
- Chuy! My boy!
- All right, bro.
[birds chirping]
[fire bus idles]
- Bailon.
- 95412.
- Sherman. - 95172.
- Jones. - 95337.
- 94738.
- Moving.
Straight line.
- Movin'
- Okay. You guys, do your time test hike.
And your time will stop when you hit
when you touch the bus.
When you come in.
Right. And I'm confident that every one
of you guys can do this.
Okay.
Make sure you guys are using proper breathing technique.
Any questions?
- No, Cap.
- Are we ready?
- Yes, Cap.
- It's just a hike.
Okay. It's just a hike.
- Ready Cap? - Yep.
- All right. Moving.
- Moving.
- Tool left-hand, downhill side. - Tool left-hand, downhill side.
- Keep that spacing again.
Don't stop.
Smaller steps.
- Don't stop.
[Alex breathes heavily]
- Come on. Don't stop. Pushing, you can do it.
- Well, at first I think about the pain.
I'll be like oh damn, like this hurts.
Then again like, oh I get that voice
in the back of my head.
Pains temporary.
You keep going, just keep going.
My mom always asked me.
Don't you know how like, how bad you impacted them?
She just tries to get in my head.
Well, I brought a lot of pain to different people.
They lost their money.
They lost their car.
They couldn't get to their job, to get their money.
I was like, what if that like happened to me
and one of my family members.
Would I like that?
No, I wouldn't like that.
That's when I started realizing, oh
this is not what I want to do in my life.
- Hey! Steady pace.
Steady pace.
In your nose, out your mouth. Stay upright.
Just keep stepping.
- Bumping by.
- Remember to keep that upper body straight.
- I can't go right now.
- Don't give up.
[trainees breathe heavily]
- We're almost finished!
Don't give up!
- [Hutchinson] Push it out. Attaboy.
Push it out.
Solid finish.
Hurry up!
Burn it out guys!
[hand slams on bus]
[Alex breathes heavily]
- Have a seat for a few minutes.
Get cooled off.
[water splashes]
- 1:13:17. [high fives]
- Good job boys.
- 1:13:38. [high fives]
- 1:14:29. [high fives]
- And 1:14:37. [high fives]
- Hey!
- Winner, winner, chicken dinner.
- I'm putting it on.
- It's all right.
You're going to be all right, all right.
It's okay that you're going here.
It's going to be all right.
- Mr. Bailon.
Congratulations on passing training crew.
You're going to be on crew three.
Your green shirts and your hat.
And then I also need you guys orange shirts back.
Okay?
So everyone turn your orange shirts into me. Put a green shirt on.
You guys are officially on crew.
- Whoo!
[mattress drops on bed frame]
[sticky tape adheres to bed frame]
- What's up man!
What's up.
- He's coming in here.
Oh, here.
- Hey. - What's up, Grandpa?
You big ol' sucker.
- How you doing?
- Good, good. How are you doing?
- I'm good. - How do you feel?
- It's unbelievable.
- I know.
[Chuy sighs]
- It feels good.
- That's good.
- How are you doing?
I'm good. I'm good.
You're going to make it.
- Hi, my button! How are you doing?
- I'm doing good.
- That's good.
- This house is so small.
[Chuy's family laughs]
- You're so big.
- Oh my God.
- Man, you got big.
- He's taller than you grandpa.
- Yeah, he is.
Huh?
- Yeah. He's born bigger than grandpa.
That's all.
Look at you.
He's grown up.
- So how you feel?
[Chuy cries]
- Just happy to be home.
[Chuy exhales]
- Here.
You'll be all right.
- I got plans.
I got plans.
I plan on being fire captain.
That's my goal right there.
I want to go back and go back to the camp
as a fire captain
and really help out as much as possible.
- That's good.
[Chuy inhales and exhales]
- All right, go get the lawnmower.
Let's go.
Well maybe we'll do some yard work.
[fire bus sirens ring]
- Let's line it up. Let's go.
Line 'em up.
Let's go.
- All right now.
Ok. 3 and 4. Fire roll!
- Line up.
Come on now.
Get your gear. Ready to go.
- Let's go, baby!
- Fire roll.
- Another day.
- [singing] Baby I just don't get it.
Do you enjoy, being hurt.
I know you smell the perfume.
The makeup on his shirt.
But you don't believe in stories.
And know that they're all lies.
As bad as you are, to stick around.
And that's why I don't know why
If I was your man, baby you
I'll be by your side, what he'd do
I'll be running home back to you.
Every night, doing you right.
[fire crew three cheer and applaud]
[acoustic guitar music]
[fire camp crew breathes heavily]
[tiller whirs]
[lawn mower cuts grass]
[helicopter blades whir]
[chainsaw cuts tree branch]
[acoustic guitar music]
[hand tool scrapes]
- [Alex] I can ensure my possibility of
getting out next year
if I just keep doing what I gotta do to get out.
Run my program and work every day.
Fight fires.
[pulling large debris]
It made me feel good.
I mean, it made me feel like
not necessarily that I saved somebody.
But that I helped a person out.
[helicopter blades whir]
[metal welds popping]
- You can ask everybody I know.
What do I love?
Chainsaws and fire.
That's it.
Like dude, I will never grow out of that.
I think I will never grow out of it.
I'm a firefighter at heart.
[chainsaw whirs]
The way I see it, the fire helps
all the bad go away.
So the new can regrow.
It's a bad thing, but it's beautiful.
[up-tempo acoustic guitar music]
- Movin'! - Movin'!
- Got it.