The Justice Department denied a request for death benefits made by a Utah inmate's family. Inmate Michael Todd Bishop, 27, died August 23, 2000 after being struck by lightning while fighting a wildfire. He was participating in the Flame-N-Go program sponsored by the Utah State Prison. The program trains inmates to be firefighters.
Bishop's family applied to the agency for $147,000 in death benefits. The request was denied because Bishop's status as an inmate prevented him from being considered a public service officer and made him ineligible for benefits. In fact, no relative of a fallen inmate firefighter has ever received benefits before, regardless of involvement in state programs such as Flame-N-Go.
Bishop and fellow inmate, Rodgie Briathwaite, were killed while seeking shelter behind a boulder in the Stansbury Mountains during a thunderstorm. They were assisting other firefighters in containing a wildfire.
The mother of Bishop's eleven-year-old daughter, Natasha, is appealing the denial.