Federal Firefighters Face Impending 'Pay Cliff' Threatening Wildfire Response.

Federal wildland firefighters are facing a "pay cliff" as the temporary pay raise offered to improve recruitment and retention will run out by the end of September. The two agencies employing the vast majority of federal wildland firefighters, the Department of Interior and the Department of Agriculture's Forest Service, have spent years struggling with recruitment and retention of the frontline workforce. The Biden administration proposed permanent reforms to increase federal and tribal firefighters' pay, invest more in mental and physical health and wellbeing, improve housing options, and expand the number of permanent firefighters.