Federal wildland firefighters have finally secured a permanent pay raise after years of waiting for Congress to act. The new spending bill approved by Congress includes a new pay scale and incident-response premium pay for firefighters assigned to active fires. President Donald Trump is expected to sign the bill into law. The new pay scale will allow firefighters to keep their temporary pay raises from the Biden administration, either $20,000 annually or 50% of their base salary. Firefighters will also receive premium pay for fires that take longer than 36 hours to contain. This pay will be calculated at 450% of their hourly base rate and capped at $9,000 per calendar year. The pay bump marks the first time federal firefighters will be compensated for rest and sleep hours while away from home, aligning with practices in municipal and state departments.
The pay increase comes as federal firefighters recover from cuts to their ranks after the reinstatement of over 5,000 probationary employees who were fired in February. Some uncertainty still lingers as federal agencies are required to submit reorganization plans that may include large-scale reductions in force, potentially affecting firefighters. The Forest Service has already seen resignations of top officials, including Chief Randy Moore. The resignations have extended to top foresters overseeing forests in various states. The instability and potential for job cuts have left many within the Forest Service feeling uncertain and frustrated.
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