Major Pay Raises and Paid Rest Leave for Federal Wildland Firefighters.
This Act significantly increases the base pay for federal wildland firefighters working for the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior, with raises ranging up to 42% depending on their grade level. It also establishes a new premium pay structure, capped at $9,000 annually, for deployment during major fire incidents. Crucially, the law mandates paid rest and recuperation leave immediately following difficult deployments, aiming to improve retention and safety.
Key points
Base Salary Increase: Federal wildland firefighters receive base pay increases ranging from 1.5% to 42%, depending on their General Schedule (GS) grade.
Incident Premium Pay: A new daily premium pay (450% of the hourly rate) is introduced for deployment to qualifying fire incidents, limited to $9,000 per calendar year.
Mandatory Paid Rest: Firefighters are entitled to paid rest and recuperation leave immediately after returning from a major incident deployment.
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