Dossier
Solano State Prison
Coverage of Solano State Prison in the Nexus archive.
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitationorganization2Legislative Analyst’s Officeorganization2CalMattersorganization1Kern Valley State Prisonplace1Kristen Cowanperson1Matt Cateperson1fire alarm systemstopic1Office of the State Fire Marshalorganization1Forestry and Fire Recruitment Programorganization1Caitlin O’Neilperson1Royal Rameyperson1Fire Watchtopic1
- Facing $1.5B fire alarm bill, CA prisons go with human smoke detectors
California prisons are using correctional officers and office assistants as human smoke detectors due to outdated fire alarm systems that would cost $1.5 billion to replace. The state has spent $50 million on 'fire watch' programs since 2020, with mixed expert opinions on the adequacy of this approach.
- Why California prisons are using their own employees as human fire alarms
California prisons are using employees as human fire alarms due to outdated fire alarm systems, costing nearly $50 million between 2020 and 2025. Replacing all fire alarm systems would cost $1.5 billion, leading the state to rely on 270,000 hours of prison staff monitoring for fires. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is exploring lower-cost roles for fire watch coverage.