The very first known woman firefighter in the United States was a black woman named Molly Williams.

It was back in New York City in 1815 and she was a member of the Oceanus Engine Company number 11 and worked side by side with male firefighters.

Legend has it, she wore a calico dress and a checkered apron when she helped pull the huge water pump through deep snow to extinguish fires.

She was such a hardworking team player, her crew even gave her the nickname, Volunteer Number 11.

They like to say that Molly was, quote, as good a fire laddie as many of the boys.

A children's book has even been written about her.

But an essential part of her story is often overlooked.

Molly Williams was enslaved.

She didn't choose to risk her life fighting fires.

She was brought to the firehouse by the man who enslaved her and made her do the work.

That legacy of forced labor and firefighting hasn't entirely disappeared.

Today as wildfires become more frequent, destructive and unpredictable, there is no state

that utilizes the prison system for their inmate fire crews more than the state of

California.

To meet the need of a year-round fire season, California

uses inmate fire crews who make up roughly 30% of the state's firefighting force.

These individuals can volunteer for the program, but they are paid as little as $1 an hour,

plus a few dollars a day to perform dangerous, physically demanding work on the front lines.

The state has acknowledged that this system has saved over $1.2 billion in firefighting costs.

But those savings come with real human risk.

Many of these incarcerated firefighters, including women, face increasingly dangerous conditions as fires grow larger and more volatile.

And behind these systems are stories that don't often get told. Welcome to National Park After Dark.

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