Inmates at Georgia prisons help fight fire at station

Inmates at Georgia prisons helped battle a fire that broke out at a fire station on Dec. 30 in Glennville, Ga.

According to a report from the Georgia Department of Corrections, fire station crews from Smith State Prison, Long Unit and Georgia State Prison responded to a fire that broke out at the Glennville fire station.

Inmate firefighters are certified and can be hired as career firefighters. The fire chief and inmates often train and work side by side with local full time and volunteer fire departments. More than 220 inmates participate in the inmate firefighter program.

The report says that around 1 p.m., a call was issued for assistance with a large fire and the Georgia Department of Corrections responded with 18 firefighters.

Smith State Prison responded with seven inmate firefighters, Long Unit responded with six inmate firefighters, and Georgia State Prison responded with five inmate firefighters.

The Tattnall County Fire Department assisted the inmate firefighter crews and Glennville Fire Department to extinguish the flames.

The Red Cross also responded to the scene.

The Georgia Department of Corrections says the Glenville Fire Department was able to evacuate the building quickly after staff noticed smoke coming from an air conditioning vent. The fire appeared to have started in the attic area of the fire station and is currently being investigated. No injuries were reported and the station received extensive damage.

Georgia Department of Corrections fire teams work with each other and municipal departments throughout the state of Georgia. The Georgia Department of Corrections Fire Services unit operates 19 fire stations in state prisons and six in county prisons across the state of Georgia.

The firefighter program provides fire protection to state property and 51 local counties and cities surrounding the 25 state and county prisons across Georgia.

This story was originally published January 10, 2018 at 10:25 AM with the headline "Inmates at Georgia prisons help fight fire at station."