In a letter to Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and other relevant congressional leaders, NASF joins the Wildfire Resilience Coalition in urging Congress to maintain increases to federal wildland firefighter pay.
“Wildland firefighters are crucial for protecting lives, communities, forests, and grasslands across the country. They work long hours in dangerous conditions and deserve income security and a living wage. Chronically low wages threaten to drive many highly trained wildland firefighters to other, higher paying, jobs. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was a critical first step in improving pay and we thank Congress for your leadership. Now, Congress needs to act quickly to maintain increases in federal wildland firefighter pay, while protecting other dedicated funding for forest restoration and wildfire risk reduction.”