WASHINGTON— Today, Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson–Chairman of the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee–released a joint op-ed with Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR) regarding the recently passed Fiscal Year 2025 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, which provides a permanent pay fix for federal wildland firefighters.

A Permanent Wildland Firefighter Pay Solution is Needed

By Reps. Mike Simpson (R-ID) and Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR)

The full op-ed is available below

As wildfire seasons grow longer and more intense, the brave men and women on the front lines of these catastrophic blazes are increasingly hailed as heroes. Yet, federal wildland firefighters are frequently subjected to inconsistent compensation despite their essential role in protecting lives, communities, and wildlife. It is well past time to acknowledge their crucial contributions by bringing much needed certainty to pay.

Current pay structures for wildland firefighters are inadequate. Many firefighters are classified as temporary or seasonal employees, meaning their compensation is unstable. This leaves them overworked and significantly underpaid, creating numerous challenges for recruitment and retention. Temporary pay raises and hazard pay adjustments have been extended on a short-term basis throughout the years, but a more permanent solution is needed to bring these heroes the stability they deserve.

The Fiscal Year 2025 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, which just passed the House, increases wildland firefighter pay by over $330 million. This permanent pay fix accurately reflects the valued work the nearly 11,200 wildland firefighters do to protect communities nationwide. It also recognizes the need to enhance recruitment and stabilize retention of this critical workforce and will provide financial certainty to the first responders who protect our communities.

The funding and provisions included in this legislation fulfill Congress’s responsibility to maintain increased pay levels for our Nation’s Federal wildland firefighters at the Department of the Interior and the United States Forest Service. Rather than continuing temporary and uncertain Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) supplemental payments, the funding in this bill will permanently address Federal wildland firefighter pay and capacity while also saving taxpayers over $30 million this year.

The provisions in the bill—most of which are part of bipartisan legislation introduced this Congress—will improve firefighter recruitment and retention and provide financial certainty to the men and women protecting our communities from catastrophic wildfires.

Section 456 of the FY 25 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Bill permanently increases the pay scale for federal wildland firefighters, increasing pay for every GS level. Section 457 establishes premium pay for workers who respond to wildfire incidents, which is more than four times the regular hourly rate while engaged in wildland firefighting. This piece of the firefighter pay puzzle makes up 30-40 percent of what firefighters are currently paid with the IIJA supplement.

Transforming what was once a seasonal challenge into a year-round battle, the need for a permanent pay structure is dire. States throughout the West have seen their “fire seasons” turn into “fire years,” with significant wildfires occurring outside the traditional summer months. This shift demands a stable, professional workforce equipped to respond at a moment’s notice. The bill also includes other items supporting firefighters, such as a long-standing provision allowing pay cap waivers for high-ranking wildland firefighters. This provision is necessary to ensure our firefighters are compensated when they put their lives on the line and work additional hours during the busy fire season.

Another critical piece of the puzzle is improving forest management to prevent catastrophic wildfires in the first place. If our forests are properly managed, the likelihood of uncontrollable, large-scale wildfires decreases exponentially. Living in Idaho and Oregon, we have unfortunately seen the impacts of destructive wildfires firsthand. We have also seen where preventative measures and sound management practices dramatically decrease the cost of a fire season in terms of taxpayer dollars and lives and property lost.

Managing our forests is already challenging enough with the increasing costs of wildfires. The last thing our land managers need is a duplicative process that prevents the Forest Service from pursuing important projects that improve forest health and increase access to our public lands. We are pleased that the bill includes a legislative solution to the detrimental Cottonwood vs. U.S. Forest Service 9th Circuit Court decision. It also includes language requiring the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of the Interior to report on their performance metrics that accurately reflect the impact of the agencies’ forest restoration work on wildfire risk reduction and ecosystem resilience.

It is also important that the Forest Service has the resources, which is why the bill prioritizes funding for wildland fire management. This is why the bill includes nearly $460 million for hazardous fuels treatments and $12 million for the Joint Fire Science program. Finally, the bill provides funding for U.S. Forest Service Research and Development programs to study how fires act and to create tools to arm our wildland firefighters with the technology to maintain their safety while fighting fires.

Our Nation’s wildland firefighters safeguard vital benefits for communities across the Nation. This bill makes great strides to safeguard wildland firefighters’ lives and livelihoods. Our wildland firefighters endure grueling conditions. They confront raging blazes, unpredictable weather, and dangerous terrain, often working long hours with little rest. Nearly every major wildfire in the United States relies on a response from federal wildland firefighters, and we understand a permanent pay solution is needed.

Congress must do everything it can to bring financial stability to wildland firefighters and maintain a stable workforce. We will continue fighting for firefighters nationwide who deserve stability and adequate pay for their brave work, keeping us all safe and secure.