CDCR – Prado Adult Conservation (Fire) Camp #28

Camp History

Prado Conservation Camp opened on October 1, 1963 and is located in San Bernardino County, 2 miles south of Chino on Central Avenue. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL Fire) jointly operate the Camp. Prado Conservation Camp is under the CDCR Administrative Supervision of Sierra Conservation Center (SCC). CAL Fire management direction is provided by the San Bernardino Unit. The camp has an annual operating budget of approximately $1.3 million dollars. The cost of housing an inmate at the Camp is approximately $16,000 dollars a year. The primary mission of the Camp is to provide inmate fire crews for fire suppression principally in San Bernardino County. The camp is centrally located for immediate response to 5 different counties, but crews may respond anywhere in the State. In addition to fire suppression, inmate hand crews provide a work force for conservation projects. The primary project work of the Camp is fire defense improvements, general weed abatement, and public recreation area beautification on tax supported government properties in the local area.

Inmate Programs

Inmates perform various In-Camp projects that include maintenance, welding, equipment repair, and carpentry. While serving their prison terms, inmates learn valuable experience and work skills. The training the inmates receive at Prado Camp is not only that of hard work and strong work ethic, but teamwork, self-esteem, and the recognition of a job well done. In addition, eligible Prado Inmates participate in a G.E.D. / College program in conjunction with the California Institute for Men in Chino. The experiences on the fire line and on their work projects are life skills that will continue to follow the Prado inmates once they are released and return back to their communities.

Prado Camp has a designed capacity for 80 male minimum custody inmates; however, currently the Camp has a total population of 91 inmates. This represents four 17-man inmate fire crews. The fourth crew is made up of the only inmate Heli-Tack crew in the State of California. In addition to the inmate fire crews, Prado Conservation Camp has a Mobile Fire Kitchen Unit (MKU). This MKU may be dispatched to feed in excess of 3,000 fire line meals to feed fire fighters anywhere in the State. Prado Camp also serves as a mobilization center for fires in Southern California. During this operation the Camp may hold as many as 1000 inmates and fire fighters from all over the State, waiting to respond to fires as they are dispatched by CAL Fire.