Stopgap bill includes permanent pay raises for firefighters

The budget package that helped avert a government shutdown on Friday when it passed the Senate in a 54-46 vote also ensured that federal wildland firefighters split between the U.S. Forest Service and the Interior Department can retain pay raises originally established with the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law. 

Most wildland firefighters earned less than $15 an hour prior to the raises laid out in the infrastructure law, which allotted $600 million to boost salaries $20,000 per year or 50% of their base salary, whichever was lower, for two years. 

Those raises allowed federal agencies to retain the firefighters amid fears that without better pay, they could lose up to a third of their workforce. 

However, once the funding ran out in fiscal 2023, continuous bouts of uncertainty played out on Capitol Hill as to whether Congress would extend the raises or send the wildland firefighters over a pay cliff that would entail sharp salary cuts.

That question hung thick with every budget negotiation, continuing resolution and ultimate appropriation deal for the past two years. In July, the House Appropriations Committee advanced a spending package that included $330 million to continue funding and codifying the pay raises.

The recent funding deal includes a combined $3.57 billion for wildland fire management between the Interior Department and the U.S. Forest Service, as well as establishing a special base rate salary table and a new premium pay category for hours wildland fire responders are mobilized on an incident.   

“These firefighters endure extreme conditions and grueling work to safeguard our homes, businesses, and natural resources,” said Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, in a statement. “This permanent pay increase ensures they are fairly compensated for their sacrifices and strengthens our ability to recruit and retain top-tier talent in this essential profession.”

Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz also lauded the legislation saying, in a statement, that, “This is critical to ensure wildland firefighters receive the pay and recognition they have long deserved. With this step forward, the Forest Service is committed to implementing these changes seamlessly and continuing to support the courageous women and men who protect our nation.”

The Interior Department noted that nearly 65,000 wildfires burned more than 8.9 million acres across the nation last year, while 58,000 acres burned in California alone this year due to multiple wildfire blazes in and around Los Angeles in January.