Harder Backs New Bipartisan Bill to Boost Federal Firefighter Pay to $20 an hour, Improve Health Care and Guarantee Retirement Benefits

WASHINGTON — Today, Representative Josh Harder (CA-10) backed a new bill that will raise federal firefighter pay to at least $20 an hour and increasing annual pay to at least $20,000 per season, create a permanent federal classification so wildland firefighters are correctly recognized for their dangerous work, improve their physical and mental health care services, secure their retirement benefits, provide housing stipends for those fighting fires 50+ miles from their homes, offer tuition assistance, and more. The legislation, the Tim Hart Wildland Firefighter Classification and Pay Parity Act, is named after Tim Hart, a smokejumper from Cody, Wyoming who lost his life on May 24, 2021 while working on the Eicks Fire in New Mexico. This bill is a continuation of Rep. Harder's work on behalf of federal firefighters after he successfully secured a firefighter pay raise this summer.

"Our firefighters are heroes and we've got to get them the support they need," said Rep. Harder. "Delivering our firefighters a living wage earlier this summer was only step one. Now, I'm teaming up with folks on both sides of the aisle to permanently bump federal firefighter pay and make sure they have the health care, retirement, and education benefits they deserve. They keep all of us safe and the least we can do is make sure they can make a proper living."

Currently, wildland firefighters are primarily classified as "forestry technicians," paid an hourly wage of $15.00 after President Biden issued a one year firefighter pay raise, and are often not provided adequate health care benefits or housing while on the job. According to recent studies, firefighters nationwide commit suicide 30 times as often as the general public and have a 30% increased risk for cardiovascular diseases, and 43% increase for lung cancer.

The Tim Hart Wildland Firefighter Classification and Pay Parity Act would address pay, benefits and classification of wildland firefighter's wholesale, the bill would:

• Raise federal wildland firefighter pay to at least $20 an hour; and add compensation "portal-to-portal", increasing annual pay at least $20,000;
• Create a federal wildland firefighter classification series, so wildland firefighters are appropriately classified for the dangerous work they are doing;
• Provide health care and mental health services to temporary and permanent wildland firefighters, including:
  • creating a national "Federal Wildland Firefighter Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Database" to track chronic disease caused by on-the-job environmental exposure throughout the lives of current and past wildland firefighters, and
  • launching a mental health awareness campaign, a mental health education and training program and an extensive peer to peer mental health support network for wildland firefighters and immediate family.
• Ensure all federal wildland firefighters earn retirement benefits for temporary seasonal employment, retroactively applying to the last 10 years of service;
• Establish a mandatory 1 week of mental health leave for wildland firefighters;
• Provide housing stipends for all firefighters on duty more than 50 miles from their primary residence; and
• Provide tuition assistance for all permanent federal employees in the wildland firefighter classification.

Read the bill online here.

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