Mar. 16—As Arizona looks ahead to what could be a busy fire season, state officials are hoping inmates might present part of a solution.

Gov. Doug Ducey this month signed into law a new initiative this month that, in part, would train about 700 Arizona Department of Corrections inmates as wildland firefighters.

The program is couched as a win-win situation, providing more manpower to fight wildfires for forest restoration work, while providing the inmates involved with an opportunity to build skills before their release.

Later that year during a joint meeting, the Flagstaff City Council and Coconino County Board of Supervisors recognized the efforts of the Perryville prison all-female fire crew who helped fill and stack sandbags in concerns about fears of post-fire flooding.

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