In the midst of an already sweltering summer that might cause a wildfire explosion later in the year, officials and advocates warned that thousands of federal wildland firefighters could quit their jobs if Congress fails to adopt a permanent pay raise.
According to the National Federation of Federal Employees, between 30% and 50% of the approximately 11,000 firefighters who fight wildfires across millions of acres of land managed by the U.S. Forest Service may resign in the upcoming seasons if a long-term fix is not found for their persistently low pay and inadequate benefits.
"This is an absolute crisis," declared Max Alonzo, a federation organizer. Most folks I know have already submitted applications for other employment and are simply waiting.
According to officials, the situation has gotten so bad that 42 resignations occurred in 48 hours at the San Bernardino National Forest in Southern California in May.
Many of those firemen moved on to work for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, which is regarded as a top job due to its competitive pay, extensive benefits package, and moderate work schedule that was recently reduced from 72 to 66 hours.
"Soon there won't be anybody left," said Steve Gutierrez, a former hotshot who just quit the Forest Service after 15 years to represent firefighters' interests through the federation. "We train them, and Cal Fire takes them."
Only one out of every four fire engine crews, according to Aaron Foye, who left the San Bernardino National Forest last September to work as an engineer with Cal Fire, was staffed seven days a week.
Since I wasn't truly supporting my family, Foye added, "I felt like I was being selfish working at the Forest Service." "In the last two years, all of our top talents at the Forest Service have left."
President Joe Biden's infrastructure bill temporarily increased compensation for wildland firefighters by up to $20,000, and lawmakers have proposed bills in the House and Senate to formalize that pay boost.
Without a long-term solution, that raise will terminate at the end of September and result in the salary reduction of thousands of federal firefighters.
Jaelith Hall-Rivera, deputy chief of the Forest Service, stated that "Congress must act immediately and enact a permanent pay fix." "They will need to look elsewhere for a position that does provide that certainty," the manager said, "if we're not able to do that and we're not able to give them that certainty going into the future."
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