FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Matt Dorsey
(202) 550-6987
January 17, 2024
Washington, D.C. – Today, the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM) endorses the Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act (WFPPA), which was reintroduced in the Senate this morning. The bipartisan bill aims to maintain current wages for federal wildland firefighters, who will see their base pay cut by 50 percent, up to $20,000, if a permanent pay solution is not passed by Congress.
Specifically, the legislation is an emergency measure to permanently avoid a pay cliff by establishing a new pay scale for federal wildland firefighters that aligns closely with the current temporary pay boost established by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The bill also provides supplemental pay for each day a firefighter is deployed to a fire incident and directs agencies to ensure proper rest and recuperation when personnel return from fire deployments.
“Right now, the United States is facing an extreme wildfire crisis,” said NFFE National President Randy Erwin. “Wildland fires are increasingly dangerous year-round threats, and this country does not have an adequate workforce to protect American communities from these natural disasters. Federal wildland firefighters are the most highly trained personnel for the job, but we cannot recruit or retain qualified professional firefighters when they cannot afford to live without a permanent pay solution.”
“No federal wildland firefighter should have to live out of their car or chase thousands of hours of overtime just to make ends meet,” continued Erwin. “Federal wildland firefighters have made it clear that they can no longer endure the uncertainty that comes with not knowing if their pay will fall off a cliff. We are already facing a massive shortage of wildland firefighters nationwide, and the end result is what we have witnessed in Los Angeles, where Americans have died and entire communities have been completely destroyed.”
“The reality is that without paying professional firefighters a living wage, we cannot sustain a workforce to combat the wildfire crisis,” continued Erwin. “Congress must pass the Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act if protecting our country from wildfires is a priority. Thank you to Senator Padilla and Senator Daines for your leadership on this critical issue.”