Cultural English 431 - Ask an American – Firefighter inmates; Q&A

Complete Transcript

You’re listening to ESL Podcast’s English Café number 431.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast’s English Café number 431. I'm your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.

This Café is going to have another one of our Ask an American segments, where we listen to other native speakers and explain what they are talking about. Today we’re going to talk about prisoners and firefighters. What's the relationship? You'll have to listen to find out. And, as always, we’ll answer some of your questions. Let's get started.

Our topic on this Café’s Ask an American segment is firefighting inmates. An “inmate” (inmate) is a prisoner – someone who is spending a long time, or perhaps a short time, in jail or in prison. “Firefighting” is the act of trying to put out fire that you don't want burning. The people who fight or try to get rid of fires are called “firefighters.” Today's topic is about firefighting inmates – inmates who are firefighters. That may sound like a strange combination, but when you hear the story of these people, I think it will make more sense to you.

Here in California, and in some other states, some of the inmates in our prisons – and we have many of them – are given the opportunity to work outside of their prisons as firefighters, helping the professional firefighters with dangerous situations. In California, we have many fires – what are called “wildfires” – that often burn and can be quite dangerous to the people who live in those areas. We have them here in Los Angeles all the time. Not near where I live, not in the main part of the city, but out in the hills and mountains that are around the city.

California needs a lot of firefighters in order to stop the wildfires from causing damage. So, they went to the prisons and they said to the prisoners, “If you want to get out of prison for the day, or if perhaps for a few days, you can work as a firefighter.” The prisoners are given a small amount of money, but many of them find that it's better than sitting in prison.

Firefighting inmates cannot be what are called “violent criminals.” Someone who is a “violent criminal” is someone who has committed some act of violence such as killing someone or shooting someone. Those kinds of criminals are not allowed to become firefighters, but your normal everyday robbers, for example, can become firefighters. A “robber” (robber) is also called a “thief” (thief). “Robbers” or “thieves” are people who steal things from other people.

We’re going to start by listening to one robber who is an inmate firefighter, or a firefighting inmate. His name is Louis Orozco. He's going to talk about why he likes to be a firefighter. Let’s listen:

[recording]

“It’s pretty exciting. It’s an adrenaline rush, but it’s fun at the same time. You’re expected to go out there and fight fires – climb, I mean, thousands of feet up hills, rocky terrain, sometimes sandy terrain. With tools you got anywhere between 30 and 50 pounds of gear on your back.”

[end of recording]

Mr. Orozco begins by saying, “It's pretty exciting,” meaning it's very exciting. He says, “It's an adrenaline rush. “Adrenaline” (adrenaline) is a chemical in your body – what we would call a “hormone” (hormone) – that we often feel the effects of when we become very angry or excited. A “rush” (rush) is a sudden increase in something, often something that is affecting you in a positive way. An “adrenaline rush,” then, is a situation where you are in a very exciting or perhaps even dangerous situation, and you get this feeling of extra energy, which can be quite useful when you are in perhaps a situation that is dangerous.

We sometimes talk about the “fight or flight” sensation, meaning that we, when placed in a difficult situation, either try to fight it or leave it. The word “flight” (flight) here means to leave quickly or suddenly. When we’re placed in a dangerous situation, we are often aided or helped by the adrenaline rush in our body that gives us a little extra energy, perhaps to do things that we may not have been able to do without it. This can also happen when people play sports, especially very dangerous sports. Chess, for example, could be quite dangerous, in some places.

Mr. Orozco says that going out and fighting fires gives him an adrenaline rush. He says, however, “It's fun at the same time.” He continues, “You're expected to go out there and fight fires.” “To go out there” means to go where the fire is. “To fight fires,” as we mentioned earlier, means to try to stop a large fire from burning. We would use the phrasal verb here, “to put out” the fire. “To put out” the fire means “to extinguish” the fire, to use a more technical word. It means to stop the fire from burning.

This can be done in a lot of different ways. One way is to dig long holes so that the fire doesn't spread across to the other side of the hole. Another way is to cut trees down so that the fire can't burn and spread, or continue to move farther away. You can also put water or chemicals on the fire. Mr. Orozco says that part of fighting fires is climbing thousands of feet up. “To climb up” means to go up, usually to a high place, but not always. It depends on what the context is.

Orozco says the fire fighters climb “thousands of feet up hills, rocky terrain,” and “sometimes sandy terrain.” “Terrain” (terrain) simply means land, or the ground that you walk on. “Sandy” (sandy) and “rocky” (rocky) are two ways of describing terrain. They come from the words “sand” and “rock.” So, a “sandy terrain” has a lot of sand on it. A “rocky terrain” has a lot of rocks or stones on it.

Finally, Mr. Orozco says that with all the tools the firefighters have to carry, they have “anywhere between 30 and 50 pounds of gear” on their back. The phrase “anywhere between” means somewhere between 30, in this case, and 50. 30 is the minimum – the least amount. 50 is the maximum – the highest amount. So, the weight of these tools is somewhere between, or anywhere between, 30 and 50 pounds.

“Gear” (gear) is a general term that refers to any sort of special tool or special kind of clothing that you need – in this case, to fight fires. We use the word “gear” in a lot of different ways. Sometimes it is used to describe equipment, especially radio equipment, but it could also be used to talk about the things you need to go hunting or to go fishing. Any kind of special clothing and special tools could be referred to as “gear.” “Gear” also is the name of the actor Richard Gere, but he has nothing to do with our story today. Let's listen to Mr. Orozco one more time:

[recording]

[end of recording]

Next we’re going to hear not from one of the inmates, but from one of the professional firefighters. We’re going to hear from Captain Mike Mohler, who works in the state government organization that takes care of fighting fires: the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. He's going to talk about what the firefighters are used for. Let’s listen:

[recording]

“Our crews are used during floods, search-and-rescue operations. They put in about two and a half million hours a year in just emergency response alone.”

[end of recording]

A short quote, but one in which we hear someone speaking very quickly. So, let's go back and figure out what he said. He begins by saying, “Our crews are used during floods, search-and-rescue operations.” The word “crew” (crew) here refers to a group or team of firefighters used to fight many different fires. In general, we can use the word “crew” to refer to a group of people who all are working on one particular thing.

It's used in some special situations, such as the people who take care of the airplane. The pilot and the other members of the airline staff – the people who work for the airlines, such as the flight attendants – those would all be considered part of the “crew.” You can also have a crew on a ship. The people who work to sail the ship could be called a “crew.” There’s also a sport called “crew,” and a famous clothing company called “JC Crew.” Here, we’re talking about firefighters and firefighting crews, however.

Captain Mohler says that the crews of inmate firefighters “are used during floods.” A “flood” (flood) is when you have too much water in a river, typically. The water goes over the sides of where the river normally ends and goes into the land around the river. We say the river “overflows.” When a river “overflows,” the water will go into towns and cities and houses, where you don't want it to be. That's one time that the firefighter crews are used, during floods.

They’re also used during what are called “search-and-rescue operations.” “To search” means to look for. “To rescue” (rescue) means to save someone who is in danger. When people perhaps are out on a camping trip and they get lost, or they get sick and they can't find their way back home, we might use a “search-and-rescue operation” to find those people and to bring them out of a dangerous situation. They could also just get a map next time. I mean, come on – how hard is that? Anyway, firefighter crews participate in search-and-rescue operations.

Our captain, Captain Mohler, says the crews “put in about two and a half million hours a year in just emergency response alone.” “To put in” is a two-word phrasal verb meaning they spend this amount of time. “They put in two and a half million hours” means that if you took all of the hours that these firefighters worked and added them together, you would have a number greater than two and a half million. Obviously, not every firefighter works two and a half-million hours a year, because there aren’t two and a half million hours in a year. So, we’re talking about all of the firefighters together.

Captain Mohler talks about “emergency response.” “Emergency response” describes any efforts to respond to or take care of situations where people are in danger, such as fires and floods. Let’s listen to Captain Mohler one more time:

[recording]

“Our crews are used during floods, search-and-rescue operations. They put in about two and a half million hours a year in just emergency response alone.”

[end of recording]

Finally, we listen to another professional firefighter, Captain Kevin Krauss, who supervises, or oversees, the inmate firefighters as they work next to the regular firefighters. Let’s listen to him and then explain briefly what he said.

[recording]

“I treat them like firefighters. I demand they act like firefighters, and I tell them if they want to be heroes, they can be out here; if they want to be zeros they can go back and they can get incarcerated inside. It’s their choice.”

[end of recording]

Captain Krauss says that he treats the inmates like firefighters. “To treat” (treat) someone here means to behave toward them in a certain way, to act toward them in a certain way. He doesn't treat them like prisoners, like inmates. He says, “I demand they act like firefighters.” He requires that they act just like regular firefighters, not like prisoners.

He says, “I tell them, if they want to be heroes, they can be out here.” A “hero” (hero) is someone who is respected by other people, typically because he or she has done something that required a lot of courage or that perhaps required a lot of bravery, especially in a dangerous situation. If the inmates want to be heroes, they can be “out here” – that is, out fighting fires.

The captain continues, “If they want to be zeros, they can go back and they can get incarcerated inside.” “To be a zero” here means to be someone who doesn't have any value or use. It's an insulting term, really. We would also use the word “loser” (loser) for a situation such as this.

Captain Krauss is saying that if the inmates want to be losers – want to be zeros – they can go back, or return to the prison. When you're in prison, we use the verb “incarcerate” (incarcerate). “To incarcerate” means to put someone in prison. “To be incarcerated” means that you are put in prison. Now, let's listen to Captain Krauss one more time.

[recording]

[end of recording]

If you want to be a firefighting inmate, just come to California, commit a crime, get sent to prison, and volunteer. And you can have that same experience. Very exciting, indeed.

Now let’s answer some of the questions you have sent to us.

Our first question comes from Yasser (Yasser) in Iran. The question has to do with three words: “catastrophe,” “calamity,” and “disaster.” All of these words could be used to describe most of my dating life as a younger man, but we'll talk about other examples today.

The first one is “catastrophe” (catastrophe). A “catastrophe” is some event, some action, that causes a lot of damage, a lot of destruction. You could have a tornado or a typhoon or an earthquake. All of these could be catastrophes. You could have a plane that crashes into the ground. That would be a catastrophe – an event that could cause a lot of damage or destruction. A “disaster” (disaster) is quite similar. It is also an event, something that happens, that causes a lot of damage and destruction.

“Calamity” (calamity) can, like disaster and catastrophe, also mean some event that causes a lot of damage. “Calamity” is a little more of an old-fashioned word – a word you don't hear as much anymore. A “calamity” is often an event that isn't a physical disaster. It isn't like an earthquake hitting a city and killing many people. That could be described as a “calamity,” but nowadays if people use “calamity,” they would probably use it to describe some sort of situation that had a lot of negative consequences, not necessarily physical.

But overall, “calamity” is the least used of these three words. The most general word is “disaster.” People will talk about their date being a disaster, or “That movie was a disaster.” “Disaster” is often used to mean bad – something that was not very good. It can be used also for natural disasters, things like earthquakes and hurricanes – things that take place because of the weather or because of the natural environment around us.

To review, then: “calamity” is very similar to “disaster” and “catastrophe,” but not used as much anymore. “Catastrophe” describes a very bad result from some event, often used to describe things like earthquakes and hurricanes. “Disaster” is the most general of the three words and can be used to describe a lot of negative situations, both some that are very extreme and some that are less serious.

Aguss (Aguss) in Indonesia, wants to know the difference between two expressions: “can hardly wait” and “can't hardly wait.” “To wait” (wait) means to stay in a certain place, waiting for something to happen. “Hardly” (hardly) here means barely, almost not at all. The expression “I can hardly wait” means that I can wait, but I'm very close to not being able to wait. I want something to happen right now. That's how the expression is used when you are eager for something to happen, when you want something to happen as soon as possible.

“Can't hardly wait” is also used sometimes in informal English. It's not grammatically the best choice, and the original expression is “can hardly wait” – “I can hardly wait.” But people have changed the expression so that it is now sometimes used with the negative “not” – “I can't hardly wait.” (“Can't” being a contraction of “can” and “not.”) So, although they are both used to mean the same thing, you’re probably best to use just “can hardly wait” for this particular meaning.

Finally, Ceo (Ceo) from country unknown wants to know the meaning of an expression I use a lot, which is “so that.” “So that” is used to express the idea of “in order that,” “to the extent that.” It's used to show the purpose of something. You should lock your doors. Why? “So that,” “for the purpose that,” or “because” you want to prevent people from coming into your house.

“So that” is used to describe the result or the consequence of a certain action. “I am eating a healthy meal so that I will live longer.” That's the reason I'm eating a healthy meal – so that I can live more years and record more podcasts, of course.

From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Come back and listen to us again right here on the English Café.

Glossary

adrenaline rush – a sudden feeling of extra energy in response to some emergency, with the adrenaline hormone giving one extra energy to either fight an enemy or to run away from some danger

* Goz loves downhill skiing because it always gives him an adrenaline rush.

to fight fires – to try to make a large fire stop burning; to put out a large fire

* Fighting fires is hot, dirty, and requires a lot of physical and mental strength.

rocky terrain – an area of land with many rocks or stones

* We can’t get any plants to grow in such rocky terrain.

sandy terrain – an area of land covered with sand, like a beach

* It’s difficult to build on sandy terrain, because there isn’t a stable foundation for the buildings to rest on.

anywhere between – approximately; within the range of

* Once you submit the paperwork, you should get a new passport in anywhere between four and six weeks.

gear – equipment; tools and other items needed to perform a certain type of task

* Before we can go camping in the mountains, we’ll need to buy some new gear, like a waterproof tent and some warmer sleeping bags.

flood – a phenomenon when there is more water than usual in rivers, so they overflow, and water covers streets and gets into homes and buildings that normally remain dry

* If the rain doesn’t stop soon, we’re going to experience a flood.

search-and-rescue operation – an organized attempt to find and help someone who is lost and/or in danger

* When Perry didn’t come home from his backpacking trip, the local police department coordinated a search-and-rescue operation.

emergency response – an organized effort to respond to unplanned events where people or property are in danger

* If the voters don’t approve this tax increase, the county won’t have enough money to provide emergency response services when they are needed.

firefighter – a person whose job is to put out large fires

* The school had a special event where firefighters talked to children about what to do during a fire and then let them try on firefighters’ hats and sit in the fire truck.

hero – a person who is respected and admired because he or she helps others

* Emergency room doctors are heroes every day because they save people’s lives.

zero – a person who has no value or use; a person who does not make contributions to society; a loser

* Why is Hannah dating such a zero? She deserves a better boyfriend.

to incarcerate – to imprison; to force someone to stay in a jail or prison as a punishment

* The school won’t allow anyone who has been incarcerated to work around the students.

catastrophe – an event that causes great, widespread destruction

* The earthquake was a catastrophe for the local economy.

calamity – notable disaster that causes extensive damage and distress

* Biological warfare would be a calamity for the entire region.

disaster – an occurrence that causes a major widespread damage and destruction

* Which nonprofit organizations are better at providing food, shelter, and other assistance after a natural disaster?

so that – in order that; to the extent that

* Please send me your cost estimates as soon as possible so that I can incorporate them into our proposal.

What Insiders Know

Work Release Programs

“Prisoners” (people who are held in jail or prison) who have “proven” (demonstrated; shown) themselves to be “trustworthy” (reliable and able to be counted on) may be allowed to work outside of the prison during the day. Many of them must return to the prison once their “workday” (the time spent working in a job) is done.

Prisoners participating in a work release program are monitored carefully by their “supervisors” (bosses; managers) and by “corrections officers” (people who work in jails with the prisoners). They are also tested “randomly” (without a pre-established schedule) for drug and alcohol use. Any “infraction” (an instance of breaking a rule) may “terminate” (end) the work release program, so the prisoners have a strong “incentive” (reason or motivation for doing something) to behave well “on the job” (at work) and in prison.

Work release programs make some people “nervous” (worried, anxious, and uncomfortable) because they don’t like the idea of having “convicted” (found guilty) criminals working alongside others. However, corrections officers believe that work release programs are a “valuable” (beneficial) way to “ease” (make easier; facilitate) prisoners’ transition back into society at the end of their “prison term” (the amount of time someone must stay in prison). Working outside of the prison can give the prisoner valuable skills and can help him or her “secure” (obtain; get) full-time employment upon “release” (when one is allowed to leave prison).

Studies have shown that participants in work release programs are more likely to “retain employment” (keep a job; not be fired), reconnect with family members, and become “productive” (contributing) members of society than prisoners who do not participate in such programs prior to their release.