US seeks ways to recruit, retain wildland firefighters; may move from seasonal to full-time jobs
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — U.S. wildfire managers are considering shifting from seasonal to full-time firefighting crews to deal with what has become a year-round wildfire season and making the jobs more attractive by increasing pay and benefits.
There’s a push in Congress to increase firefighter pay and convert at least 1,000 seasonal wildland firefighters to permanent, full-time, year-round workers.
U.S. Forest Service Deputy Chief Christopher French told the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on Thursday that firefighters are underpaid.
“Without a paradigm shift in the way we treat hazardous fuels on federal and non-federal land, and addressing the impacts of climate change, we will remain in this current wildfire crisis and destruction from wildfires will continue to threaten communities across the West,” he said while testifying on West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin’s Energy Infrastructure Act.
Officials at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, say they face a potential shortage of firefighters because the starting wage of $13 an hour isn't high enough.
The problem has become more challenging in recent decades as more homes are built where urban and wildland areas meet, forcing wildland firefighters into protecting structures.
President Joe Biden recently called for an increase in firefighter pay from $13 an hour.
“That’s a ridiculously low salary to pay federal firefighters,” he said.
Firefighters can often boost pay by working overtime, a regular occurrence on bad fire years.
