LOS ANGELES — Thousands of federal wildland firefighters could walk out on the job if Congress doesn’t pass a permanent pay increase, officials and advocates have warned in the midst of an already scorching summer that could spark an explosion of wildfires later in the year.
30% to 50% of the approximately 11,000 firefighters fighting wildfires on millions of acres of land managed by the US Forest Service Employees.
“This is an absolute crisis,” said Max Alonzo, a federation organizer. “Most of the people I know already have their applications for other jobs and are just waiting.”
The situation has become so dire that the San Bernardino National Forest in southern California saw 42 resignations in 48 hours in May, officials said.
Many of those firefighters left for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, which is considered a great job thanks to its generous wages, solid benefits, and a manageable work schedule that was recently negotiated to a workweek of 66 hours. after 72 hours.
“Soon there will be no one left,” said Steve Gutierrez, a former star who recently left the Forest Service after 15 years to advocate on behalf of firefighters through the federation. “We train them and Cal Fire takes them.”
Aaron Foye, who resigned from the San Bernardino National Forest last September to work as an engineer at Cal Fire, estimated that staffing shortages were so high when he left that only one in four fire crews had staff seven days a week. week.
“I felt like I was being selfish working in the Forest Service because I wasn’t really providing enough for my family,” Foye said. “All of our top talent with the Forest Service have bled dry in the last two years.”
Lawmakers have introduced bills this year in the House and Senate that would codify an existing pay increase under President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill, which temporarily increased wildland firefighter salaries by up to $20,000.
Without a permanent fix, that increase will expire at the end of September and reduce the salaries of thousands of federal firefighters.
“We absolutely need Congress to take action and establish a permanent wage fix,” said Forest Service Deputy Director Jaelith Hall-Rivera. “If we can’t do that and we can’t give them that certainty in the future, they’ll have to look elsewhere for a position that gives them that certainty.”
Earlier this week, a bipartisan group of six senators introduced the Wildland Firefighters Paycheck Protection Act, which would maintain the current pay increase and help ensure the federal government can recruit and retain a sufficient firefighting workforce. in the years to come.
In May, a bipartisan bill that would similarly increase pay and address mental and physical health, housing, retirement and tuition assistance benefits for firefighters was reintroduced in the House. He was referred to the forestry subcommittee in June.
Federal wildland firefighters have long warned that without a permanent pay raise, their ranks would dwindle even as wildfires continue to rise in both intensity and frequency across the country and beyond.
The expertise of federal firefighters is unrivaled by the experience of those who work for city and state agencies, which may not include trekking over rough and dangerous terrain or falling from helicopters in the middle of a forest. Federal firefighters can also cross state and international borders, including joining Canadian Forces this year to battle historic fires in the northern United States.
Still, the Forest Service has struggled in recent years to fill jobs amid rising inflation and a severe drought, officials said. In 2021, during one of the most destructive fire seasons on record, the agency also faced reduced supplies of water, food, and communications, in addition to low staffing levels.
This year, the Forest Service has 11,150 wildland firefighters on board across the country, or 99% of its goal of 11,300, the agency said.
For many men and women on the front lines of fighting fires, the high cost of living means more stress for them and their families, and they start looking for some relief.
At Cal Fire, the state added 37 fire crews to its staff in 2022 after adding 16 in 2021. An additional $671.4 million in fiscal year 2022-2023 will pay for 1,265 new positions and expand fire crews, air raid operations and the added relief of the staff. , according to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office.
TO recent report by Grassroots Wildland Firefighters, an advocacy organization, found that federal firefighters are paid on average 32.51% less than their state counterparts. In California, the disparity is just over 56%.
“I wish I had done it sooner,” Foye said of joining Cal Fire. “Best decision I’ve ever made.”
Still, when asked if he would return to the federal agency if conditions improved, he said, “I’d be back in a heartbeat.”
As federal firefighters wait for Congress to act, their families say they are held hostage to the whims of lawmakers.
Janelle Valentine has nothing but admiration and pride for her husband, who is a federal firefighter in the Gila National Forest.
She gave up her own career in early childhood education to move from Arizona to New Mexico when her husband was placed there, and now lives an hour’s drive from the nearest grocery store while her husband spends nearly half the year putting out fires.
She said the sacrifice was worth it because they are both passionate about the mission of the Forest Service, but she wonders how much longer they can hold out.
“We’ve been clinging to the skin of our teeth and wishing it would work, but we can’t afford it right now,” he said.
Valentine said they were forced to buy a mobile home for her husband to live in while he was on assignment because the government housing on offer was dilapidated and moldy. They can barely cover the cost of the trailer and their mortgage while Valentine works toward a master’s degree in social work.
“It’s such a low cost of living here, and we’re still drowning,” he said. “At what point do you just jump ship with something you love?”
