It has become widely known in the last eight months that federal wildland firefighters are embarrassingly underpaid. Numerous articles in national publications (and Wildfire Today) have been pointing this out. If the Senate version of S.2377 – Energy Infrastructure Act also passes the House, it will be a major step forward to fix this. But until then, the five federal land management agencies that underpay firefighters are going to provide pay awards to fire personnel up to the GS-9 level ranging from $1,300 to 10% of six months of their base pay. It’s not huge, but I’m sure they will take it.
A joint press release from the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the Department of Agriculture (Forest Service) gave a few details:
The pay increase will go into effect immediately, and wildland firefighters will receive a minimum of $15 an hour with a backpay date of June 30, 2021. To ensure the pay increase happens immediately, the Departments will provide pay awards to all frontline firefighters that earn less than $15 an hour to ensure their pay will meet that minimum. In addition, all temporary frontline firefighters will receive a $1,300 award and all permanent frontline firefighters up to GS-9 will receive an award equal to 10% of six months of their base pay.
Here is the way it was described in a memo sent by the US Forest Service’s Northeast Region office:
…It is important to note that the incentive awards firefighters in the categories below will receive this year are one small, but immediate step to achieve fair compensation. It is just the first step to acknowledging our firefighters. We know there is more that needs to be done longer-term around pay, benefits, title, series and mental health and well-being. The Agency is not delaying on these other important steps, but they take more time and more help from other parts of the Federal government.
In the meantime, incentive awards will be coming in the following ways:
—Temporary (1039) Seasonal Fire Employees GS-9 and below, and WG-8 and below– Temporary (1039), primary/secondary-covered positions for wildland firefighting, GS-9 and below and WG-8 and below, will receive an Achievement cash award of $1300 (resulting in an after tax amount of $1000).
—Permanent Full-Time and Permanent Seasonal Fire Employees GS-9 and below, and WG-8 and below– Permanent full-time and permanent seasonal, primary/secondary-covered positions for wildland firefighting, GS-9 and below and WG-8 and below, will receive an Achievement cash award equivalent to 10% of your base salary for 1040 hours (based on step 5 of your grade and the locality pay for the “rest of the United States”).
—All GS-3 employees earning a basic rate of less than $15 per hour– Permanent and seasonal GS-3 employees who earn a basic rate of pay of less than $15 per hour will receive additional compensation in their Achievement cash awards equal or more to the difference between their current rate and $15 per hour for a tour of 1040 hours, regardless of actual tour. This has been calculated to be an additional $1,612.
In the DOI and the FS the pay increases and awards will appear in firefighter paychecks around August 23 or 24, 2021.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Ben and Kelly.
The health issues are long lasting. Burning trees bring a higher particulate matter into the smoke the fire fighters breathe. The particulate matter has been shown to be cancer causing: just the reason rice farmers in the Sacramento Valley had to stop burning their fields
The Valley had extremely high numbers of asthma – sometimes fatal asthma. It also had very high numbers of cancers for all of the years they did rice burning.
Every fire fighter should have a government paid study of their lungs for a set number of years – starting with their first year fighting fires. And for as many years as the lung doctors agree is needed. No, the doctors aren’t in need of extra business. They are plenty busy in the allergy and the pulmonary departments.
But it is vital for the firefighters to know that their country has their back.
No amount of money will stop the unhealthy environment and the implications of that environment working as a Boots on the ground Wildland Firefighter !
Agree, and we could go round and round about the reasons we do this job. I certainly didn’t make enough money doing this, ( and still don’t) to make up for the negative aspects of the job, but did it for that small percentage of satisfaction and love of the positive aspects of the job (no, not sunsets). At least this is a recognition by the agencies that better compensation needs to happen.
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
Bill, I acknowledge what the RF is saying, but when the government states “it will take time,” their clock is like watching paint dry, so it’s likely going to be a few more years, especially with OPM involved.
That’s not very satisfying for today’s firefighters and their families.
I find this “monetary reward” insulting to the firefighters. How can legislators feel satisfied just because they have elevated firefighter pay “up to just below McDonald’s pay?” How is that? What the hell is the matter with that kind of thinking? We need to drag a few of them out on the active fire line to see for themselves what “the average day on the line” is all about, then talk to us about $15/hr pay when we all know it must be, has to be, well north of $22/hr.
The Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture are spineless if they don’t go back to the drawing board with Congress and elevate pay equal to the risk!! [Like other agencies already have done]
Yep federal jobs making the new “minimum wage”.
Its is all the agency could do without getting OPM involved. Should that have been the case we would not have seen this for many months. They did what they could and have admited it is only a start.
In the article the Regional Forester is quoted, saying:
10% of half the year equals 5%. While the bonus is great, it’s not what what promised and they shouldn’t be trying to claim it’s 10%. Another example of them suppressing firefighter pay. Folks need to speak up and get
All as I can say is it’s a step in the right direction. People in the US are getting more and more aware of our occupation, unlike 25 years ago many in the plains and east didn’t even probably know there were wildfires! If this bill with the extra yearly salary increase doesn’t go through and in a somewhat speedy time frame, I would love to see how many agency folks stick around then! Retention?!?!
This puny “award” will vanish like smoke in the hurricane of need generated by the agencies’ exploitation of their impoverished professionals who annually, often for decades, thanklessly expend their health, their bodies, the strength of their youth, in service to our country.
We need to understand why people are working these jobs and not other jobs. Very frequently, disabilities of individuals within the workforce are not readily visible without complete evaluations. We decry the divorce and suicide rates within our workforce, then get shed of the people who are at risk so these tragedies will occur on somebody else’s watch. “Don’t let him die behind our building … pack him off to somebody else’s back ally and let him die over there!”
On the firefighter “bonus” they will be taxed. And, it’s only a one time….”taxed” ……..”bonus”. Basically its worthless and Congress needs to pass the law that makes the pay increase/benefits permanent. The agency will not do it…..having worked for one of them for 35 years.