Sheehy, Padilla Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Secure Hazard Pay for Wildland Firefighters

U.S. SENATE - U.S. Senators Tim Sheehy and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) today introduced the Wildland Firefighter Hazard Pay Correction Act. The bill provides hazard pay to wildland firefighters and smoke jumpers for prescribed burns and training jumps, ensuring these brave first responders are recognized with fair compensation.

"Our wildland firefighters and smoke jumpers face incredible risks to defend our communities, and for too long, they have done so without fair compensation. With the bulk of fire season on its way, this bipartisan bill ensures we pay these heroes what they deserve as they continue their dangerous work to protect families, communities, and property from the threat of catastrophic wildfire," said Senator Sheehy.

"Wildland firefighters put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe. As wildfires become more intense and frequent, we need to recruit and retain more firefighters to maintain strong crews on the frontlines. Our bill will ensure that our brave wildland firefighters receive hazard pay for a broader range of high-risk work - delivering a long-overdue raise," said Senator Padilla.

Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), and John Curtis (R-UT) joined Sheehy and Padilla in introducing the bill.

Statements of Support:
"America's wildland firefighters are asked to do some of the toughest and most dangerous work in the country from responding to devastating wildfires to carrying out the prescribed burns and training that help prevent future disasters. They deserve to be fairly compensated for those risks. Megafire Action is proud to support this bipartisan legislation because investing in the people who fight these fires is essential to building a more resilient future. We thank Senators Sheehy and Padilla for their leadership on this legislation and look forward to its passage." - Matt Weiner, co-founder and CEO of Megafire Action

"Commercial aerial assets work alongside federal ground crews every day - on wildfires, on prescribed burns, and in support of smokejumper operations. Codifying hazard pay for prescribed fire duties into statute gives the workforce - and the agencies - something durable to build on. The bill's extension of hazard pay to smokejumper training jumps is equally important. Maintaining parachute proficiency is not an administrative exercise; it is operational readiness, and it carries real risk. Compensating it accordingly is overdue. We commend Senator Sheehy and Senator Padilla for their leadership on this bill and urge swift action." - Paul Petersen, Executive Director, United Aerial Firefighting Association

"Prescribed burns are a critical tool in active forest management, and smokejumpers play a key role in combating remote wildfires by parachuting into difficult-to-access areas. For too long, federal wildland firefighters have shouldered extraordinary risks when engaging in these critical efforts without fair recognition in their paychecks. The Wildland Firefighter Hazard Pay Correction Act ensures that these risks are recognized with fair compensation, and we applaud Senators Sheehy and Padilla for introducing it." - Jeremy Craft, President, Western Fire Chiefs Association

Background:
Although firefighters receive hazard pay when responding to active wildfires, they don't receive equivalent compensation when conducting prescribed burns, despite facing similar risks from fire, smoke, and rugged forest conditions. Likewise, hazard pay isn't provided to smokejumpers conducting regular proficiency jumps needed to maintain readiness, even though parachuting into remote areas is inherently hazardous.

In April, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) took a strong step towards addressing these gaps, issuing a proposed rule that adds prescribed wildland fire duties as a covered activity triggering hazard pay.

The Wildland Firefighter Hazard Pay Correction Act would codify and build on OPM's efforts by providing hazard pay to wildland firefighters and smoke jumpers for prescribed burns and training jumps. This bill will ensure that risks across the full range of wildfire mitigation and response activities are recognized with fair compensation - supporting the first responders that keep our communities safe.

What the bill does:

• Expresses a sense of Congress that firefighters who engage in prescribed fire and smokejump training activities take on risks comparable to those in wildfire suppression and should receive hazard pay to fairly compensate these risks.
• Amends 5 U.S.C. 5545 to require that duties involving the ignition, control, or suppression of a prescribed burn, and smokejumper exercises for training, proficiency, or operational purposes, receive the same pay differential as wildfire response activities.
• Directs OPM to issue implementing hazard pay regulations within 90 days of enactment.

Read the full text of the bill HERE.