For many years, most federal firefighters earned $13 an hour. The Biden administration bumped the hourly rate to $15 and added a $20,000 supplement, but Congress has yet to make those changes permanent. Luke Mayfield is president of the Grassroots Wildland Firefighters Association.
“There’s a very real possibility that we will hit the fiscal cliff. Right now the supplement is extended until March 8th.”
The federal government is now using money set aside for other expenses to keep personnel on the job, and it’s dangerous work with an average of 14 firefighters killed each year.
“We have people who are jumping out of airplanes, rappelling out of helicopters, traveling the nation and solving complex problems across entire landscapes and in the backyards of subdivisions from coast to coast.”
The Wildland Firefighters Pay Protection Act would mean substantial raises, and that could be an issue for fiscal conservatives in Congress. Mayfield notes that many people who battle forest and grassland blazes are seasonal workers.
"They’re referred to as 10-39s. They’re allowed to work 1039 hours, and that’s an hour short of being eligible for benefits.”
And he argues it’s hard to attract new people and to retain experienced firemen without the certainty of getting paid.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
