Female inmate firefighters on the frontline
Caribbean Life, AUGUST 6-12, 2021 27
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
Your oversized plastic tote is
all packed.
You don’t want to think
about it, but if you have to
bug out, you can. A backup
laptop, extra dog bowls, every
irreplaceable document, it’s all
there, ready to slide into the
car. You can never be too careful
when it’s fire season and in
the new book “Breathing Fire”
by Jaime Lowe, you’ll meet
some of the women tasked with
keeping you safe.
Shawna Lynn Jones had
made mistakes in her life. The
biggest one got her sent to
prison.
She was young, though, and
in good physical shape, which
ultimately helped her get into
the CDCR’s (California Department
of Corrections and Rehabilitation)
inmate firefighter
program. She learned to be a
bucker, tasked with cleaning
up behind her partner, Carla,
who was a sawyer with a chainsaw.
Crew 13-3 consisted of two
sawyer / bucker pairs, followed
by other women with jobs specific
to stopping wildfires.
Jaime Lowe grew up in
California but until she read
about Shawna, she was unaware
of the role that female
inmate crews have in fighting
fire. Inmate firefighters take
the same qualifications tests
as do free-world firefighters.
They do the same work, face
the same dangers, and they
save the state millions of dollars:
when Lowe began writing
this book, inmate firefighters
averaged less than $3 an hour
for their skills.
Still, despite low pay, many
inmates pursued positions in
“fire camp.” Some, says Lowe,
even hoped to fight fires after
their release, although it was a
long shot: their felony records
follow them, no matter where
they might apply.
In learning about the program,
Lowe got a chance to
meet Selena, who “wasn’t
intending to go back to prison”
after her release. She met Whitney,
formerly a white-collar
worker and ultra-marathoner.
She met Laurie, who struggled
to find a job after prison;
Sonya, who delighted in a new
grandson; and Marquet, who
found solace in her religion.
And Lowe met Shawna, who
gave her life to fight a fire….
Let’s start here: this is a
good story. It’s very good.
But for readers looking for
boots-on-the-ground action
and extended-wall-of-fire danger,
it’ll be a disappointment
because “Breathing Fire” isn’t
that kind of book.
Rather than focusing on
flames, author Jaime Lowe
instead concentrates on the
women of Crew 13-3 and the
work they did for the State
of California. In this, readers
can expect pure honesty: Lowe
unabashedly reveals what each
woman did to land her in prison
and the struggles each had in
life, in prison, and on the line.
She also makes absolutely sure
that readers – especially those
in California – understand the
unfairness of a far-ranging system
that denies good jobs to
women who are essentially professionally
trained, and who’ve
paid their dues and are trying
to move forward.
Overall, parts of “Breathing
Fire” put you on charred grass
and parts make you cell-bound.
The rest of it shows flawed reallife
heroes amid an area-wide
“constant crisis,” and if you’re
burning for stories like that,
this book is packed.
“Breathing Fire: Female
Inmate Firefighters on the
Front Lines of California’s
Wildfires” by Jaime Lowe
c.2021, MCB / Farrar,
Straus and Giroux
$27.00 / $37.00
Canada
303 pages
Book cover of “Breathing Fire” by Jaime Lowe.
Annual Vincy Day USA picnic cancelled for second year
By Nelson A. King
Organizers of the annual,
grand Vincy Day USA picnic, at
Heckscher State Park in East
Islip, Long Is., have cancelled
the extravaganza for the second
successive year because of
the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As New York State is gradually
emerging from the grips
of COVID-19 corona virus
and gradually returning to a
level of normalcy, there’s been
inquiry as to whether there
will be a Vincy Day Family
Fun Day for 2021,” Raymond
O. “Otis” Lewis, chairman of
the Brooklyn-based Vincy Day
USA, Inc., told Caribbean Life
on Wednesday.
“Unfortunately, that will not
be possible for this year,” he
added. “There are many logistical
challenges that are associated
with Vincy Day; and, given
the short time that may be
available when COVID restrictions
are lifted and the date
our family fun day is scheduled,
the odds will be insurmountable.
“With that being said, we
are eagerly anticipating that
2022 will see us free, clear and
ready to celebrate what will be
the 10th Anniversary of Vincy
Day Family Fun Day,” Lewis
continued.
For this year, he said his
organization is instead hosting
a Vincy Day USA Food Sale
BBQ, on Aug. 21, from 3:00 pm,
at Friends of Crown Heights
Educational Center, 668 Logan
St., Brooklyn, NY 11208.
In August 2019, for the eight
successive year, thousands of
Vincentians from all walks of
life — trekking from as far
as Toronto in Canada, Miami
in Florida, and even from
the homeland — converged
on Heckscher State Park for
another “epic” picnic.
Busloads and carloads of
Vincentian and other Caribbean
nationals made the annual
pilgrimage to feast, drink,
“ole talk”, renew acquaintances
and friendships, dance
and have just plain fun at the
event described by organizers
as “another epic year.”
“From all reports from the
patrons in attendance, it was
another great family fun day,”
Lewis, the newly-elected chairman
of the Brooklyn-based
Vincy Day USA, Inc. Committee
told Caribbean Life then.
“Every year, we try to gauge
our attendance, and it’s proving
more and more difficult by
the sheer number of persons in
attendance and vehicles parked
in the lots.”
“This year proved to be
another epic year with it being
one of the biggest crowds
we’ve had at Heckscher State
Park,” added the Brooklyn
resident, declining to estimate
the crowd. Many picnic-goers,
however, said it was well over
10,000.
“Everyone I encountered
was very happy and supportive,
and conveyed their best wishes
and support for continued success
and longevity for Vincy
Day Family Fun Day,” continued
Lewis, who said he also
spent “quite a bit of time” with
park and law enforcement officials
“to ensure that we were in
good standing and not facing
any issues.
“Their response was nothing
more than glowing reviews
for Vincy Day and the patrons
who attended,” he said. “That,
in itself, is what makes having
this family fun day such a
worthwhile venture. It makes
me a proud Vincentian to hear
our people spoken of with so
much admiration.”
At each Vincy Day, several
Vincentian gospel, soca, calypso
and reggae artistes entertain
the massive crowd.
During Vincy Day 2019, gospel
artistes included evangelists
Bridgette Blucher and LaFleur
Durrant, Esworth Quammie,
Brigo and the Hills family.
Evangelist Bridget Blucher
belches out gospel hits at
Vincy Day USA 2019. Photo by
Nelson A. King, fi le