Chief Royal Ramey is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program (FFRP). Chief Ramey founded FFRP to help individuals who are formerly incarcerated and worked in fire camps overcome the barriers that prevent them from entering the professional field of fire fighting. To him, FFRP represents a pathway for the thousands of highly qualified individuals with a similar background to secure careers professionally despite extensive training by the State.
Growing up in the San Fernando Valley, Chief Ramey planned on a career in business, but when he was twenty years old he found himself sentenced to six years at the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi. He was then quickly transferred to Mississippi because of overcrowding in California. Chief Ramey jumped on the opportunity to come home by joining a California Conservation Camp (“Fire Camp”) program in California.
Chief Ramey met FFRP Co-Founder, Brandon Smith, at the Bautista Adult Conservation Fire Camp in Hemet, Riverside County. After his release in 2014, and with the drive to pursue a career as a firefighter, Chief Ramey went from station to station but quickly encountered systemic inequities preventing him from obtaining employment. To bolster his application, Chief Ramey pursued further training at Victor Valley College and after eleven months and graduating top of his class he received an opportunity to join the Mojave Greens (US Forest Service) in San Bernardino, California.
Chief Ramey has spent more than ten years as a wildland firefighter in the US Forest Service, CAL FIRE, and FFRP’s own Buffalo Handcrew before becoming the organization’s Chief Executive Officer. He is intensely aware of what is needed to train individuals to excel at an advanced level within the forestry and fire sector. FFRP’s placement of more than 200 people directly into this sector speaks to his accomplishments and work ethic.
TSN Conference 2025:
- January 23rd, 2025 (Thursday) // 8:45 am – 9:45 am // Big Ten Room // “Fighting Fire with Fire: Creative Solutions at the Intersection between Work Development and Climate Crisis”
- January 23rd, 2025 (Thursday) // 11:35 am – 12:35 pm // Red Cedar // Keynote Workshop