As cool weather arrives and the number of U.S. wildfires declines, wildland firefighters who have spent months working in the heat and smoke are able to take a much-needed break. But for many of them, the stress of the job isn’t going away.
Continued uncertainty regarding federal pay and benefits, coupled with mental health risks and seasonal financial strain, make this a precarious time for wildland firefighters.
I study the environmental and occupational health of wildland firefighters as a professor. I’m also married to a wildland firefighter, and we have two children. His work is unpredictable and dangerous. For him and many wildland firefighters like him, the stress is compounded by the uncertainty surrounding the future of wildland firefighter pay.
In 2021, Congress approved a temporary retention bonus of US$20,000 a year or 50% of the firefighter’s base pay, whichever amount was smaller. However, wildland firefighters are still waiting for that raise to be codified three years later.
AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
This means that thousands of families are living in a constant state of financial insecurity across the country. If that pay raise expires, many firefighters will lose large percentages of their income. For many, these aren’t high-paying jobs. The starting pay is as low as $15 per hour.
The federal continuing resolution that has been keeping the government operational – and the pay increase temporarily in place – is set to expire on Dec. 20, 2024. Congress is likely to extend it one more time. But if the new budget Congress eventually passes fails to address wildland firefighter pay, firefighters face a major financial setback.
With seasonal contracts wrapping up, many wildland firefighters are at a crossroads.
Surveys reflect mental and physical health strain
In 2022 and 2023, my research team and I conducted national-scale surveys of wildland firefighters and the dispatchers who work with them. We wanted to understand how the high health risk factors, work-life balance and morale affect their well-being and future in the field.
Working in wildland firefighting is an unpredictable and often emotionally challenging job. Wildland firefighters work in tight-knit crews that depend on one another for physical safety, and they are the front-line defense for homes and communities threatened by fire. On average, about 17 U.S. wildland firefighters are killed in the line of duty each year.
Wildland firefighters and wildland fire dispatchers report widespread struggles with mental health, including high rates of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal thoughts or ideations.
One in three wildland fire dispatchers said they had had suicidal thoughts or ideations, and half know a wildland firefighter who has died by suicide.
Pay policies encourage overwork, risky choices
The federal wildland fire system also incentivizes overworking and risky behaviors that put firefighters at greater risk of physical harm.
With starting pay so low, many wildland firefighters end up working an average of over 600 hours of overtime annually to pay their bills. This is the equivalent of working 15 additional 40-hour weeks per year.
A typical wildland fire deployment lasts 14 consecutive days, averaging 16 hours per day. Often, they sleep in rugged conditions, in tents and on the ground.
AP Photo/John Bazemore
Further, there is incentive pay for working in hazardous conditions. This means that, as a deployment progresses, wildland firefighters are working more dangerous jobs, more hours and are increasingly physically and mentally exhausted, leaving them vulnerable to costly errors that could impede their safety.
Our studies have found that 67% of wildland firefighters have been injured or had an illness related to their work. Smoke inhalation, living in close quarters and the daily physical stress can all create health risks. Additionally, over three-quarters of the respondents report unsafe working conditions, ranging from substandard housing to equipment failures to violent interpersonal interactions.
These issues need long-term proactive solutions, but currently few exist. The U.S. Forest Service offers mental health counseling, but until 2023, temporary seasonal employees, including over one-third of wildland firefighters, weren’t eligible for federal health benefits.
Federal hiring system adds more stress
A career in wildland firefighting can be a tough sell – long hours, months away from home, grueling physical labor, health and safety hazards, and low starting pay.
Surveys of wildland firefighters’ spouses and partners found high levels of family conflict and poor work-life balance. Most wildland firefighters said that they were unable to attend important family and life events during fire season, and most wildland fire dispatchers reported that they did not spend adequate time outdoors or with family.
Wildland firefighters said that they love the challenge of the job, and they felt like their work makes a difference. Crews must rely on one another for their safety, and this builds deep bonds and loyalty to their organization.
Given the need for more firefighters and the intense demands of the job, it may come as a surprise that one of the top obstacles wildland firefighters report facing is successfully navigating the gauntlet of federal hiring.
AP Photo/Elaine Thompson
Many federal firefighters are temporary seasonal employees, so they need to reapply for positions every year. Even for full-time employees, career progression frequently requires moving among different positions or locations to accumulate experience necessary for promotions.
Stories of monthslong delays in start dates are not uncommon: One firefighter we spoke with had received a job offer in November but did not start the position until May of the following year. At no point during this six- to seven-month window did he have a clear indication of when he would start and was consistently told it would be “soon.” This job paid approximately $38,000 per year.
What Congress can do to retain firefighters
My husband loves his job. He is proud of the work he does and the difference he makes by protecting lives and communities from wildfires. However, the risks to his health and well-being, the low pay and the pervasive stressful uncertainty of the future of the profession mean that exploring alternatives is a necessity.
Over the past three years, 45% of the U.S. Forest Service’s wildland firefighting workforce has quit, something my research team sounded the warning bell on in 2022. That loss of experience matters.
Retaining experienced firefighters amid longer and worsening fire seasons will require policymakers to improve health care, pay and the organizational structure itself, including how firefighters are hired and retained. Yet, the federal government continues to delay taking action, leaving our nation’s fire-prone communities and wildland firefighters in a precarious and uncertain position.