UNITED STATES

U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) introduced the Wildland Firefighter Hazard Pay Correction Act on June 18. The bill provides hazard pay to wildland firefighters and smokejumpers for prescribed burns and training jumps, ensuring these brave first responders are recognized with fair compensation. Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), and John Curtis (R-Utah) joined Padilla and Sheehy in introducing the bill.

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 step toward 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 smokejumpers 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.

Full text of the bill is available here.

~ U.S. Senator Alex Padilla press release