CNN has joined the chorus of news organizations covering the deteriorating status of Federal wildland firefighting crews. A lengthy article published today describes the pay discrepancy between federal crews and personnel in other jurisdictions as “staggering”.
The CNN reporters interviewed several current and former federal wildland firefighters. Aaron Humphrey, who is known as “Hump”, quit after 25 years, leaving the position of Superintendent of the Eldorado Hotshots, becoming “just the latest mentally fried, underpaid hotshot veteran to leave, at a time when California wildfires are at their worst.”
From CNN:
I needed to be home with my family,” Hump told CNN. “The level of stress I was bringing home (from massive fires) — I didn’t even recognize myself anymore.”
Hump, a married father with three children — ages 12, 10 and 8 — now works for Pacific Gas and Electric, as a lead on the utility’s safety infrastructure protection team.
Hump says he’s paid at least $40,000 more annually than what he made before as a hotshot supervisor. The money comes with peace of mind, as he now attends all of his children’s events, even coaching some flag football.
CNN also interviewed a Captain on the El Dorado Hotshots, D.J. McIlhargie.
“I have five irons in the fire right now,” McIlhargie told CNN. “I’m looking for something that will work for my family more. And my wife knows that I’m tired of waiting for the Forest Service to give me a commensurate salary to what other departments pay.”
The father of two boys, 7 and 10, McIlhargie lives an hour outside Sacramento. He described feeling “wiped out” and “frustrated” by battling the recent streak of super fires.
McIlhargie, 39, says there are just not enough firefighters to take on massive blazes such as the ones that ravaged Northern California last year.
The article also states “15 California Interagency Hotshot Crews don’t have enough members to activate as a full firefighting unit. CNN obtained a CIHC document that confirms that number.”
Four Senators, Dianne Feinstein, Alex Padilla, Kyrsten Sinema, and Steve Daines, wrote a letter asking a subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee to include language in its fiscal year 2022 funding bill directing the Office of Personnel Management to implement a plan to raise federal firefighter pay. They are requesting that the following language be included in the bill:
“The Director of the Office of Personnel Management ….not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, submit to Congress a plan to establish comparable rates of pay payable to wildland firefighters employed by the Federal Government, as compared to the rates of basic pay payable for similar work by wildland firefighters employed by State and local governments in each jurisdiction identified by the Departments of Interior and Agriculture…Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, fully implement any necessary regulation or OPM authorized changes to establish the new position classification and qualification standards—for employees across the Federal Government, the job responsibilities of whom involve wildland firefighting; which shall reflect the comparable rates of basic pay established in the plan submitted.”
Opinion
When CNN, NBC, LA Times, and USA Today point out that the pay structure of Federal wildland firefighters is far out of line with what it should be, maybe there is a problem that needs addressing. Senators write letters and ask softball questions of Forest Service officials testifying in hearings, but nothing is getting done to improve the working environment of Federal wildland firefighters.
They need a new Wildland Firefighter job series with pay commensurate with those in agencies and organizations that are poaching trained and experienced employees from the Federal land management agencies.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Richard.
I have a question for everyone…Why is it that some people go out on fire assignments all the time and other people do not? I have friends that have been on fire assignments continuously for the last 3 months and other friends that have not gone out at all. I’d like the real answer…Is it management? Is it the firefighters? Is it the firefighter’s race or sex? What’s really going on here?
I would imagine its a combination of alot of things. Are they on engines/IHC’s/Helitack etc? What are the fuels and fire danger like on their home unit? Are they a national or local resource? Is management inclined to keep them at the home unit due to some of the fire danger. I understand my job as an engine captain is initial attack on my home district and fire assignments are never guaranteed! Don’t get me wrong i would love to go help outside of my region. The reality is in the last 3 years I haven’t left my region during fire season (typically Apr-Sept) due to extreme fire danger. The only way i was able to go is through single resource but due to some staffing stuff it wasnt a choice for me. Most of the engines on my forest have been in the same boat the last couple years. Just hoping for a nice wetting monsoon this year and maybe we can leave the region.
Until the more family/ home time and the mental side of this is addressed more pay is useless. Someone in the feds or one of the WFF advocate groups should have figured that out by now and be pushing in that direction. Throwing money at this issue will not fix it. The entire program either needs scrapped or totally rebuilt top to bottom to encompass ALL the issues. The whole thing is designed around young, unattached people who can roam like fire gypsies for a few months a year wherever the fire is until they finally find a real job. Its not meant to be a long term career. That is the crux of the problem. The position requirement need to be redesigned to accommodate folks with families. A pay raise and title change will do absolutely nothing to fix this problem.
Also I suspect once again just because something is in the media its considered gospel truth. Did anyone actually take a deeper look at how those pay numbers are created in the Cal Fire vs Fed? My understanding ( but that could be wrong) is Cal Fire is year round vs Fed is only 6 months. So if that is the case are the salaries as reported adjusted to reflect this or is this just more spin of fake news?
The “salaries” reported for fed fire fighters IS year round numbers. GS-3 starts at 28k and GS-5 is 35k PER YEAR. So what people are actually taking home is lower then that depending on H pay and OT because a GS-3 is only getting half of 28k in base pay since they can only work half a year as a 1039.
Fire is not the only injustice some have left ems service to make more money. Money may not drive people to do the right thing they would probably do the right thing however they still have bills and taxes just the same. Money is driving factor in one’s ability to do the “right thing” save people no matter race, creed, sexual orientation, etc. I have always said it doesn’t matter who you are in the back of my bus you treat me with respect I will do according. I have seen firsthand the in justice to those who serve both fire and ems “those who we counted as hero’s less than a year ago are now down and out with no end in sight where are their hero’s” the people who have not faulted in their duties through this difficult time where is their compensation whether it be fire or other Nobel occupations?
Start paying portal to portal for fire assignments! Year round employment! Firefighters need to balance work and life! Out with the old way of doing things, in with the new. Write your representatives and demand a living wage for firefighters and promote laws that make prescribed fire a more reliable fuels management tool. End of rant…
Has the time finally come for a National Wildland Firefighting Agency?
They need to fix their broken HR department while they are at it. Trying to hire a seasonal employee these days is a disaster. I would bet that those crews that aren’t fully staffed are because of the atrocious hiring system the FS has implemented. Ever since they made the grand move to centralizing in Albuquerque, HR and Finance ha ve gotten worse and worse in customer service. 2 to 3 months to hire a seasonal is NOT acceptable. Let alone the Fire Hire debacle for continuing employees. No private organization would ever allow a system like this.
Just waiting for everyone to get off the line and say how they were paid in sunsets today!