(NewsNation) — The U.S. Forest Service is facing mass resignations from its wildland firefighters, a crisis that could hurt America’s ability to fight devastating blazes.
The end of a temporary pay raise in September is fueling their frustration. It has sparked calls for Congress to step in and pay crews long-term or lose crucial assets on the frontlines of America’s wildfires.
As fire season is heating up, so are tensions within the U.S. Forest Service.
Under President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill, federal firefighters saw pay boosts of up to $20,000.
The temporary raise for over 11,000 wildland firefighters is set to expire on Sept. 30 if Congress does not agree to a permanent hike. The National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) said roughly 30% to 50% of those first responders could resign in the coming months without a long-term solution to low wages and poor benefits, NBC News reported.
Resignations are already coming in.
“We are in a national crisis right now. I guarantee you nobody quite understands the gravity of this situation,” Max Alonzo with the NFFE said. “I would say almost every wildland firefighter that I know — and I know tons across this country — I don’t know one that isn’t at least seriously considering leaving.”
For former wildland firefighter Jonathon Golden, it wasn’t just the low pay, but the incredibly long weeks and months away from home.
“Waking up in the parking lot of the Ventura County fairgrounds Christmas morning thinking I could be with my wife and my then 3-month-old son. Yeah, this isn’t what I have in mind for my future or his future in getting to know who his dad is,” Golden said.
The issue has garnered support on both sides of the aisle.
In a letter urging the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs for a permanent solution, a bipartisan group of Western senators wrote:
“Firefighters deserve fair pay, support for their mental and physical health, and time to recover from their dangerous work. In a future with increasingly catastrophic wildfires, Congress cannot wait to ensure that the federal government has the necessary workforce to protect communities.”
A new bill called the Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act, introduced last Wednesday by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., would make the temporary pay raise permanent for federal firefighters and set a base pay raise for those frontline responders.
“This workforce is what is protecting the West right now, and more so across the country,” Alonzo said.
Much of the country saw a glimpse of what these firefighters experience while fighting fires with the recent smoke coming in from Canada, blanketing American cities. Just because people might not live in a fire zone, it doesn’t mean they won’t be affected.
“I think people need to realize that just because it’s not happening in their backyard, or in their state, doesn’t mean that they won’t feel the impact,” Golden said.
The historic winter rains in the West have helped slow the start of the fire season. However, according to Accuweather, as temperatures rise and the moisture dries out, the risk will increase.
