'American Pickers' Danielle Colby Issues Urgent PSA to Fans Amid LA Wildfires
With the Los Angeles wildfires continuing to rage, American Pickers star Danielle Colby shared an important message with her followers about how to support those battling the blaze.
The reality TV personality posted an urgent PSA on her Instagram Stories on Tuesday, Jan. 14, noting that many of the firefighters currently deployed in Southern California are incarcerated individuals receiving little compensation for their efforts.
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"Hey y'all! A lot of the firefighters in LA are prisoners who are putting their lives on the line to put out these fires for very little pay," Colby wrote.
"Family members of some of these firefighters have shared their jpay accounts so that they can be directly compensated for their labor and for risking their lives. You can send money at jpay.com/SendMoney.aspx using the names and ID #s below!" she added, going on to list the names and JPay ID numbers of over a dozen firefighters.
'American Pickers' star Danielle Colby shared this with followers about the California wildfires pic.twitter.com/OQwzie63M9
— Reality TV 4Lyfe (@realitytv4lyfe) January 14, 2025
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According to NBC News, as of Thursday, Jan. 9, 783 incarcerated firefighters were working to contain the L.A. fires as part of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Fire Camp Program.
California residents have criticized the CDCR for underpaying the prisoners putting their lives at risk, as the program pays participants a maximum of just $10.24 per day (though they have the opportunity to earn an added dollar per hour during active emergencies).
Prisoners must have eight years or less on their sentence and be "deemed physically and mentally fit" in order to participate in the program. Additionally, they're not allowed to have convictions such as arson or sexual violence.
While incarcerated individuals can earn time off their sentence by serving on a fire crew, some say the program exploits prisoners by forcing them to choose between putting themselves in danger or a shortened sentence.
Next: Kim Kardashian Issues Urgent Plea About Incarcerated Firefighters Amid LA Fires