Hundreds of incarcerated firefighters, who are trained to respond to emergencies and disasters, were reportedly deployed in Los Angeles.

Hundreds of inmates are among the firefighters battling the Los Angeles wildfires. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says 395 inmate firefighters have been deployed across 29 crews fighting the multiple out-of-control fires,

In some form, inmate firefighters have been used in California since the end of World War II. The state has leaned on inmates to provide additional fire-fighting staff in “hand crews” to help contain the blazes. These teams also respond to other disasters like floods.