MALIBU—It’s been two months since Shawna Lynn Jones died in February after assisting with a brush fire in Malibu. The 22-year-old was a Los Angeles County Jail inmate. While trying to help extinguish the fire a boulder fell from the hillside and hit her in the head.
She was a part of the Fire Camp 13 which is an all-female camp in Los Angeles County. In August 2015, Jones had joined the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s firefighting program.
Inmates are tasked with cutting containment lines to stop the spread of wildfires and douse hotspots during cleanup. After her death, it affected many in the community. A fund was created in her honor by the Firefighters First Credit Union. The mission of the organization is to offer immediate assistance to firefighters and their families, fire victims, fire departments, and charities. The organization was created in 2008. On their website, there are several other funds that individuals can donate to.
Canyon News spoke with Robin McCarthy, who is the Executive Director of the organization, inquiring why so many people were willing to donate to the fund. McCarthy stated that Jones’s family are from the Lancaster area.
She also said that $4,000 have been collected so far. McCarthy indicated that they are able to provide the memorial funds through raising money from the public and firefighters. According to the Firefighters First Credit Union webpage for Shawna Lynn Jones, the money donated will be used for her family during their time of grief.
Canyon News was unable to reach anyone from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for comment. Those interested in learning more information about the Firefighters First Credit Union you can check out their website https://firefamilyfoundation.org.
To obtain additional details about the Shawna Lynn Jones Fund, to donate and learn about her story visit: https://firefamilyfoundation.org/news-events/news/articletype/articleview/articleid/374/shawna-lynn-jones-fund
