Twenty inmates at the Arizona State Prison Complex (ASPC) in Douglas are preparing for life after incarceration by training to work as firefighters. Although the training program offered by Cochise College is not new, it fits the bill for an Arizona Department of Corrections initiative to reduce recidivism by engaging inmates in work-based education programs.

Cochise College Fire Science Instructor Juan Borquez gives inmates of the Arizona State Prison Complex - Douglas a lesson about the ASPC fire truck.

The fire science program consists of 10 courses. Inmates start with the Firefighter Safety and Entry-Level Operations course and work their way up to Supervisory Training for Firefighters; they can earn two certificates - lead firefighter and fire leadership. Those who stick with it can finish the program and earn both certificates in about seven months.

"The program benefits both the prison and the students," says Sabine Ludwig, Arizona Department of Corrections occupational safety consultant at the prison. "The inmates get college-level training in fire science and have the potential to be hired to serve on my fire crew, which responds to emergencies in the prison complex community."

The Douglas prison is one of only three complexes in the state to have its own fire crew. The crew includes six inmates whose Monday-through-Friday work assignment is spent at the complex fire station. While they respond to the occasional electrical, kitchen or arson fire on site, during a recent week, the crew also took care of bees and assisted with a gas leak.

During a recent training session, inmates donned the protective gear of professional firefighters to learn about the ASPC fire truck and to practice spraying the water hose. Inmate firefighters also have the potential to transfer to a wildland firefighting program conducted by the State Land Department. Per the governor's initiative to fight fires using existing resources, that program sends prison crews out to fight wildland fires.

The fire science training course, work experience, and the potential for a job on the outside serve as excellent motivators for the inmates, according to Juan Borquez, who retired from the Douglas Fire Department and teaches the fire science classes. When there is an opening on the ASPC fire crew, Ludwig contacts him to find qualified applicants. To qualify for the job, inmates must be enrolled or have completed the Cochise College fire science training program, be free of disciplinary issues, have a medical clearance, and have at least one year left to serve out their sentence.

The prison and the college have joined together to create a self-sustaining program that benefits the prison and the inmates. According to Borquez, it's easier for a convicted felon with training and experience to get a job as a wildland firefighter than as a structural firefighter once they are released.

"The bottom line is we're training inmates so that when they get out, they don't go back to crime," Borquez says. "Achieving success while they're incarcerated makes them better citizens both here and outside."