On Thursday, April 2, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Tim Sheehy (R-MT), co-chairs of the Senate Wildfire Caucus, introduced the Support Our Firefighters Act, which would establish mandatory rest and recuperation periods for federal wildland firefighters and permanently remove the annual compensation cap that limits their pay during peak fire season. The proposal builds on prior bipartisan efforts to increase base pay and prevent pay reductions for federal wildland firefighters, as policymakers continue to address staffing shortages and operational demands amid increasingly severe wildfire activity.
Under this measure, firefighters would receive three days of paid rest after a 14-day assignment, and four days after a 21-day assignment. The legislation would also permanently waive the existing cap on base pay, overtime, and premium pay, a limit that currently forces firefighters who exceed the threshold to work without additional compensation. Federal agencies employ more than 18,000 wildland firefighters, and retention has been an ongoing challenge due to compensation constraints and working conditions.
A one-pager is available HERE, and the full text can be viewed HERE. For additional information, contact RCRC Senior Policy Advocate, Staci Heaton.