Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) has introduced bipartisan legislation to improve the working conditions of federal firefighters protecting our national parks and federal buildings.
As Sen. Gallego's press release describes, federal firefighters currently work an average of 72 hours a week, staggered as 24 hours on duty and 24 hours off. Not only is this schedule physically and mentally taxing, but it also effectively reduces hourly wages.
Thus, the Federal Firefighters Families First Act standardizes a 60-hour workweek while maintaining current wages, ensuring that full wages are paid to a firefighter for their hours of scheduled overtime, rather than only valuing these hours at their introductory rate of pay.
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"Federal firefighters protect our communities from wildfires and keep our veterans and service members safe," said Sen. Gallego in his press release, adding, "But right now, these brave men and women are forced to work grueling hours at pay rates far below what other firefighters make. It's unacceptable, and I'm proud to introduce bipartisan legislation to fix it."
Senator Bernie Moreno (R-OH), the bill's cosponsor, similarly stated, "America's firefighters put their lives on the line every day to protect and save communities across the country. This legislation makes sure they and their families are fairly compensated for the incredible work they do and sacrifices they make."
At the beginning of March, Representative Eli Crane (R-AZ) similarly sought to address the shortage of federal firefighters by introducing the Hire Veterans Act, which would begin via a five-year pilot program in which veterans receive conditional employment by land management agencies such as the Bureau, the Forest Service, and the National Park Service, provided they have the relevant skills and abilities.
As we have covered, federal firefighting has consistently faced staffing issues due to low pay and difficult working conditions, which Gallego's bill seeks to resolve at the administrative level. Similarly, Rep. Crane's bill aims to attract qualified staff.
Perhaps these bills could work in tandem? Time will tell.
