Royal Ramey Email & Phone Number

Being incarcerated changes everyone, but little did I know that for me it would lead to a career filled with passion, purpose, and potential. In 2012, I was a member of the Fire Camps, a program of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation that uses incarcerated people to prevent and fight forest fires. Despite the circumstances. I quickly knew this was my calling and became determined to become a firefighter upon release. And that's exactly what I did. Alongside my friend Brandon Smith, we navigated the complicated process of securing jobs in the fire industry. Despite our training, firsthand experience, and significant labor shortages, our prior convictions presented obstacles at every turn. In 2018, Brandon and I took the lessons we had learned and founded the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program (FFRP), to help other formerly incarcerated people pursue careers as wildland firefighters. FFRP provides on-the-job training, re-entry support, and connections to firefighting careers. We embrace complexity and proudly work at the intersection of criminal justice, workforce development, and climate action. Most importantly, we have already supported over 3,000 people - and we’re just getting started!