VIDEO: At the Springer Correctional Center in northern New Mexico, women inmates are getting hands-on training in wildland firefighting.
The New Mexico Corrections Departmentโs recently launched program has graduated its first cohort, comprising 10 women. โHaving this firefighter training, I just think itโs valuable for the community throughout the state. So Iโm just so proud that they were able to start this program at Springer with a low-level custody population that is fired up and eager to participate,โ said Byron Brown, director of the NMCD Reentry Division, who launched the program with the support of the Wildfire Resiliency Office at Luna Community College.
The inaugural program, which spanned four days, taught the women how to dig fire lines, deploy fire shelters, and required them to undergo a โpack test,โ where they had to carry a 45-pound pack for three miles in 45 minutes. They also received classroom instruction in firefighter training and introductory wildland fire behavior courses.
Those who completed the program earned their โRed Cardโ certification, which will allow them, when released from prison, to seek employment with wildfire prevention and response organizations. โHaving programming reduces recidivism rates. It provides meaningful employment opportunities, well-paying jobs. It gives them a sense of purpose, I think. And this is something that Iโve always supported,โ Springer Correctional Center Warden Marianna Vigil explained.
Inmates Rebecca Carrillo and Tesain Watson participated in the program and said they enjoyed the opportunity to learn something new, get outside, and increase their opportunities for employment after release. โItโs been a long time since Iโve actually started something and completed it,โ said Carillo. โAnd I think itโs huge for my self-esteem and for when I get out to have that hope and know that thereโs opportunities out there.โ
โI donโt know exactly how to get things done out there. I havenโt in the past,โ Watson, who has been incarcerated multiple times, said. โAnd so by this program being available and them bringing it to us, it kind of opened a lot of doors that I didnโt necessarily know how to get open.โ
The New Mexico Corrections Department plans to continue the program with help from Luna Community College and is considering increasing the class size. Brown said he would also like to offer the program at other correctional facilities in the state. The program was also supported by the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions and the New Mexico Northern Area Local Workforce Development Board.
