A Cal Fire engineer accused of starting several fires in Northern California had previously participated in a firefighting training program while serving a six-year state prison sentence for vehicular manslaughter, according to state correctional officials.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation stated that 38-year-old Robert Matthew Hernandez, who was recently charged with several counts of arson, took part in the state’s Conservation Camp Program from April to December 2018.
The prisons department, Cal Fire, and the Los Angeles County Fire Department administer the state’s approximately 35 fire camps, which have minimum security. According to state officials, the program will provide formerly imprisoned persons with job possibilities and benefits.
According to Mary Xjimenez, a prisons department official, Hernandez was transported from San Bernardino County to the state jail in August 2017.
“He was sentenced to six years for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated,” she told me. “He received 756 days of pre-sentence credit for time served while awaiting sentencing and was eligible for credit-earning opportunities while incarcerated.”
One of the credit-earning opportunities was the fire camp program.
Hernandez was freed under parole supervision in December 2018. The following year, Xjimenez claimed he participated in the Ventura Training Center, a certification program that helps formerly jailed people apply for entry-level firefighting jobs with local, state, and federal authorities.
According to Xjimenez, Hernandez completed his parole in November 2020.
Hernandez’s most recent run-in with the law occurred a week ago, when the Healdsburg native allegedly started five fires while off duty: the Alexander fire on August 15, the Windsor River Road fire on September 8, the Geysers fire on September 12, and the Geyser and Kinley fires on September 14, according to Cal Fire law enforcement officials.
Hernandez was charged with five charges of arson on Tuesday. The Press Democrat, the first news outlet to report on Hernandez’s involvement in the fire camp program, said that Hernandez did not enter a plea and that his attorney, Orchid Vaghti, declined to comment.
State correctional and fire officials were outraged to hear that Hernandez not only broke the public’s confidence but also attempted to discredit firefighters’ work.
“We strongly condemn the actions of any individual that endanger our communities and undermine the valuable contributions of fire camp participants,” according to Xjimenez.
