There are few jobs more important to Idaho than those of wildland firefighters. The work is grueling. There’s a lot of time away from your family. And without wildland firefighters, many more Idahoans would lose everything they have each year.
The pay for that job should reflect that it is hard, dangerous and vital. Idaho’s congressional delegation should see to it that federal firefighters are compensated well.
But right now, as Idaho enters what has the makings of a particularly bad fire season, federal wildland firefighters are on the brink of taking a massive pay cut, as Boise State Public Radio reported last week.
President Joe Biden’s 2021 infrastructure bill included a significant pay increase for firefighters, but it was passed with a sunset date. That sunset is less than three months away, resulting in an looming “fiscal cliff.” This cliff could result in some losing about a third of their current base pay, or a maximum of $20,000 per year, according to congressional testimony from Deputy Chief Jaelith Hall-Rivera before the Senate Committee on Natural Resources in June.
Union officials have warned that between 50% and 30% of firefighters may leave the industry if that happens, according to NBC News. That would be a double-whammy for a state like Idaho, where the state government says it is unable to retain experienced wildland firefighters, as the Idaho Capital Sun reported.
This is a bad year to wind up short-handed. On the one hand, the panhandle’s forests are already in drought conditions as the long-delayed summer heat has arrived in full force. On the other, the cool, wet spring and early summer have led to a lot of fuel growth in the rangelands of southern Idaho.
It’s just a matter of time before these men and women are going to be called upon to fight a massive wildfire in Idaho. We’d be wise to be prepared.
And our congressional delegation has the power to help. There is currently a bipartisan bill in the U.S. Senate that would significantly increase the pay of firefighters, relative to their pre-infrastructure bill pay. Some firefighters would get more than they do now. Some would get a bit less. But none would lose a third of their income, as will happen without intervention.
The bill is sponsored by Democrat-turned-Independent Kyrsten Sinema or Arizona, and cosponsored by Republicans John Barrasso of Wyoming and Steve Daines of Montana, along with Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Jon Tester of Montana and Alex Padilla of California.
Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch should add their names to that list. And Reps. Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher should support the bill if and when it arrives in the House.
Idaho’s wildfires are bad and will only get worse over time due to the impact of climate change. We’re going to have to fight them. Fixing the pay cliff is the first step.
In the longer term, however, Idaho will need many more firefighters than it has now. Our delegation should be planning for that inevitability now.
