A bill has been introduced in the U.S. Senate that would make pay increases for federal wildland firefighters permanent.
Temporary raises were included in the 2021 infrastructure law but expire Oct. 1.
The bipartisan Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act is sponsored by Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, and supporters say it’ll help maintain a firefighting workforce.
Fire agencies nationwide have struggled with recruitment and retention in recent years because of low pay and stressful working conditions.
Officials are concerned that staffing levels may not be met in order to fully respond to wildfires across the U.S.
Advocates call the looming expiration of the pay raises a “firefighter fiscal cliff.”
There are currently about 18,700 fire federal fire personnel working for the U.S. Forest Service and four agencies within the Department of the Interior.