The first two seasons of Fire Country show Bode Leone, a convicted felon, working at the Three Rock Conservation Camp.
This is a place where inmates train to be firefighters in the made-up town of Edgewater, California. In the Season 2 finale, Bode earns his freedom because of his hard work as a prisoner firefighter.
He is excited to start a new career as a firefighter. However, California has laws that make it very hard for him to achieve this goal. Even with changes in the law, Bode would have a tough time trying to become a firefighter. He would likely spend a long time in court, trying to make his case.
California uses inmates as volunteer firefighters, which is a real part of Fire Country’s story. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) offers firefighting as a job training program for inmates. Low-level inmates can work with professional firefighters for one dollar an hour.
The CDCR works with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to respond to emergencies like fires and floods. These inmate crews also help in rescue missions and flood control.
Currently, 35 conservation camps operate in 25 counties in California. Bode’s role as a firefighter in prison is based on this real program.
Bode faces a big problem if he wants to be a firefighter. California has strict laws about licensing. To become a firefighter, Bode needs an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) license.
California law states that certain actions can lead to rejection. One of these actions is “Conviction of any crime that is substantially related to the qualifications, functions, and duties of prehospital personnel.”
This means that because Bode was convicted of armed robbery, the EMS Authority probably would not give him a license. Bode also has a long criminal history that goes back to his teenage years.
Even though he wants to change his life through firefighting, it is unlikely that he would get the EMT license needed to work as a firefighter in California.
Recently, California tried to make it easier for inmate firefighters to get their records cleared. In September 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2147 into law.
This law helps non-violent inmates who trained as firefighters in prison. They can have their records cleared, allowing them to apply for EMT licenses. This law started on January 1, 2021. However, it also created some problems.
Even though Governor Newsom signed the bill, older regulations remained in place. A three-judge panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld these regulations in June 2022.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that two former inmates who should have qualified for AB 2147 could not get their convictions cleared.
The judges stated, “Felonies, especially recent ones, reasonably call into question a person’s moral character.” This ruling means that AB 2147 is not very useful.
Bode’s criminal record makes it hard for him to get an EMT license. Even though the law allows him to ask to have his record erased, a federal court may deny his request. Bode’s dream may take a long time to achieve.
Bode’s situation is not impossible, though. Under AB 2147, he can ask the court to clear his record. If he has a good lawyer and a federal court takes his case, Bode could possibly get his record erased and apply for a license.
However, this would be a long and difficult process that a show like Fire Country, which focuses on drama, cannot fully show. In real life, Bode would likely take years to solve this problem.
The good news for Bode is that the world of television has made this issue easier for him. He will try to become a firefighter next season.
Promotion art for Season 3 shows Bode in real CAL FIRE gear, suggesting his uncle, Luke Leone, helped him. Luckily, Fire Country does not have to follow real laws. The writers can create fictional ways to solve Bode’s issues. So, firefighter Bode Leone will appear in Fire Country Season 3.
