Incarcerated Women Firefighters Spotlighted in “Fire Escape” Podcast

KQED's Forum

KQED

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 7 February 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

“Fire Escape,” a new podcast from Snap Judgment and KQED, follows the story of Amika Mota, who while serving a nine-year prison sentence, joins an all-women firefighting crew. They fight wildfires. And serve as the remote prison community’s primary emergency response team. Her experience offers her a path for redemption, but also raises troubling issues about how we use prison labor. We talk to Mota and other formerly incarcerated firefighters about their experience. Guests: Anna Sussman, senior producer and managing editor, Snap Judgment Amika Mota, Executive Director and Founding Member, Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition Laquisha Johnson, former member of wildland fire camp Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Support for Forum comes from Rancho La Puerta, a wellness resort in Baja, California, just an hour from San Diego.
0:07.6	Three, four, and seven-night summer packages include fitness classes, hiking, live music, mindfulness, and culinary adventures, featuring fruits and veggies straight off the vine.
0:18.9	Special rates and offers are available for summer stays and first-time guests.
0:23.8	Saver summer at Rancho LaPuerta.com.
0:28.3	Greetings, Boomtown.
0:29.7	The Xfinity Wi-Fi is booming!
0:32.0	Xfinity combines the power of internet and mobile.
0:35.2	So we've all got lightning fast speeds at home and on the go.
0:38.8	Learn more at Xfinity.com.
0:40.6	Restrictions apply.
0:41.3	Xfinity internet required.
0:42.4	Actual speeds vary.
0:44.6	From KQED.
1:00.5	From KQED in San Francisco, I'm Alexis Madrigal.
1:03.2	We have a bit of a different kind of show for you.
1:08.0	Today, you'll meet Amika Mota, who, while serving a nine-year prison sentence,
1:13.3	joined an inmate firefighting crew that served as the remote community's emergency response team. And as documented in a new podcast from Snap Studios and KQED, we'll hear
1:20.9	how the work offered Mota a path towards redemption, but also that there's no way to escape the issues that suffuse our state's
1:29.8	use of prison labor. That's all coming up next, right after this news.
1:49.8	Welcome to Forum. I'm Alexis Madrigal.
1:57.2	Fire Escape is a rich, fascinating, crushing podcast from Wondery, Snap Studios,
2:00.6	what's the podcast wing of Snap Judgment, and KQED. The series follows the path of
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from KQED, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of KQED and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.