TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – The fight for better wildland firefighter pay continues into the last week of the 2024 legislative session on Capitol Hill, as advocates race to push through a permanent pay bump before the fiscal year ends.
It’s something former Arizona wildland firefighters said is crucial, as pay has become a major factor in retaining firefighters throughout the year.
“I can go to a fast-food restaurant and make more hourly than I can sleeping in the dirt. So that’s not right,” said former wildland firefighter Dugger Hughes.
In 2021 the Biden Administration enacted a $20,000 retention bonus for wildland firefighters. The goal was to eventually enact a permanent pay increase.
Last year, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema introduced a bill that would make that pay raise permanent. In August, it was secured in the annual appropriations bill but has yet to pass the Senate. This means to this day there has only been an extension of the temporary fix.
“The bonus thing was nice, was beautiful for a stopgap. It’s like, that’s cool, but that’s been how long, two, three years? Come on, guys let’s make a decision,” Hughes said.
The low pay is especially taxing for Arizona-based wildland firefighters. As the southwestern United States has seen more wildland fires outside of normal season year after year, with wildland firefighters telling 13 News they have seen more prevalent fires in the winter months than ever before.
“It’s absolutely a changed world we’re living in, and yet we’re still operating with a wildland fire delivery system like it was designed in the 50s,” the executive secretary for the Grassroots Wildland Firefighter Organization said.
The looming bonus expiration has taken a toll on manpower for hotshot crews, even in recent fires like the Horton Fire as Hughes said depleted workforces in addition to firefighters taking time off for holidays has stretched resources thin.
“They can’t get enough people for it. A lot of folks are laid off and gone,” Hughes said, “and getting access is tough.”
Wildland firefighters use to be predominantly seasonal positions, with more staffing during the summer than any other year. To combat this, the National Forest Service introduced more permanent positions to help firefighters make a fuller stable salary through the fight for higher pay.
But even with these positions workers said that while they expect overtime in such a demanding job, they are now depending on tons of overtime to make a living. Which has led to burnout compounding in this retention crisis.
“It’s grueling, and like I said, 1,000 hours overtime. It’s not like you’re staying in motels. You’re sucking dirt all day, working 16-hour days,” Hughes said, “It’s tough on a person’s body, and you need some recovery time.”
The current retention bonus of $20,000 or 50 percent of the firefighter’s base salary, whichever is lower, doesn’t count towards firefighters’ overtime pay or retirement and also doesn’t count toward the base salary wildland firefighters put when attempting to get a loan or a mortgage.
Hughes said he already has heard dozens of firefighters saying they’ll quit without change.
“If they lose this money, I think you’ll see the workforce drop off 20-30 percent. It would not surprise me a bit,” Hughes said.
Scopa said Congress has approved an extension of the retention bonus into the new year, but the timeline is unclear on how long it will last, especially with a new look to Congress entering Capitol Hill following the 2024 election.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen with the new congress and whether that will stay or not,” Scopa said.
Scopa is pushing to pass the Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act, which would solidify a salary pay bump. That is something she said is important to keep Arizona’s ecosystem alive.
“The future of (Arizona’s ecosystem) is dependent on having a vibrant, effective federal wildland workforce,” Hughes said.
13 News reached out to Rep. Juan Ciscomani for comment and did not receive a response but both Ciscomani and Sinema have cosponsored legislation this year to increase wildland firefighter pay.
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