Panel votes to raise retirement age for federal firefighters

The mandatory retirement age for federal firefighters would go from 55 to 57 in a bill approved Thursday by the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee. The bill (S. 271), approved by a voice vote, would put the mandatory retirement age in line with federal law enforcement officers. The Forest Service and the Interior Department won't hire new permanent wildland firefighters over the age of 35 because of the mandatory retirement age. Firefighters must serve for 20 years to receive full retirement benefits. The maximum entry age frustrated many long-term temporary firefighters who wanted to become permanent employees this year. Under a congressional mandate to improve the nation's wildfire fighting force after the massive fires of 2000, the land agencies hired more than 2,000 additional permanent firefighters this spring. Hundreds of people return each summer to the Forest Service and Interior Department to fight fires as temporary employees. Many temporary employees want permanent jobs, which come with health and retirement benefits, but during the 1990s permanent positions were scarce. When the agencies opened up the permanent positions this year, many long-term temporary firefighters applied, only to find that they were too old to be hired. The Senate bill would allow the land agencies to increase the maximum entry age to 37, a change that could help the agencies fill some permanent positions that are still vacant. Some fire managers support the younger limit, contending that a younger firefighting workforce is more effective. Others would prefer that physical condition, not age, be the deciding factor for new permanent firefighters. The House passed a bill raising the retirement age to 57 earlier this year.