Board Rejects State Ban on Youth with Asthma in Firefighting Rehab Program

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors June 17 approved a motion authored by Supervisor Janice Hahn to oppose a proposed policy change by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation or CDCR that would ban young people with a history of childhood asthma from participating in the Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp fire training program.

Pine Grove is California’s only fire camp for incarcerated youth, providing young men between the ages of 18 and 25 with CAL FIRE training in wildland firefighting. Participants serve on real fire crews, responding to emergencies across the state—including recent deployments to Los Angeles County during the Eaton and Palisades fires.

“Pine Grove is one of the most meaningful and effective rehabilitative programs we have in California,” said Supervisor Hahn during today’s Board meeting. “It teaches structure, discipline, and gives these young men a real shot at turning their lives around through job training that can lead to a stable, rewarding career as a firefighter.”

The CDCR plans to enact a new policy starting July 1, 2025, that would prohibit anyone with any history of childhood asthma from participating in Pine Grove — despite the current policy already excluding youth with active asthma. Supervisor Hahn expressed concern that this blanket ban would disproportionately impact youth from Los Angeles County, where rates of childhood asthma are elevated due to decades of environmental injustice, especially in communities near freeways, ports, and industrial zones.

“Black children in Los Angeles County are almost twice as likely to have asthma compared to their peers,” Hahn said. “This change will unfairly shut out too many young men from our communities who are eager to serve, rehabilitate, and build a future for themselves – especially those who grew up in low-income marginalized neighborhoods.”

Supervisor Hahn also emphasized that the proposed restriction goes far beyond the LA County Fire Department’s own policy, which does not ban individuals with a history of asthma from serving as firefighters.

The motion directs the county’s chief executive office legislative affairs and intergovernmental relations to send a five-signature letter to the CDCR urging them to abandon the policy change and continue allowing youth with non-active asthma to be evaluated for Pine Grove.

The decision also comes at a critical time for Los Angeles County’s juvenile justice system. As part of a court-approved plan to depopulate Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall, the Probation Department is identifying youth eligible for rehabilitative placement at Pine Grove. Restricting access to the camp could undercut that plan.

“When I speak to the youth at Los Padrinos, many tell me they want to go to Pine Grove and become firefighters,” said Hahn. “We owe it to them to protect that opportunity.”

Read the full approved motion here: https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/bos/supdocs/204276.pdf