Wildland firefighters on track for 25% hazard pay boost for prescribed burns

Federal wildland firefighters may soon earn higher “hazard pay” rates for more of their work, according to a new proposal from the Office of Personnel Management.

In proposed regulations issued this week, OPM outlined plans to authorize a 25% pay boost for any work that wildland firefighters do to manage and control prescribed burns.

Wildland firefighters already receive hazard pay rates when working on uncontrolled wildfires, due to high health and safety risks from fire and smoke. Although firefighters face virtually the same risks when working on prescribed fires, they do not currently receive hazard pay for that work.

OPM said authorizing hazard pay for prescribed fire activities is necessary due to the current pay disparity — and that the new proposal would achieve “pay parity.” The agency added that not having hazard pay for prescribed fire activities has been a “persistent barrier” to recruitment and retention of employees who carry out those operations.

“Recent research has heightened awareness of smoke and other environmental risks during prescribed burns. Providing commensurate pay for prescribed fire operations will help with recruiting and retaining,” OPM said. “Providing the differential pay also shows a recognition of the risks associated with the position and places a higher value on the needed service.”

As opposed to wildfires, prescribed fires are intentional and controlled burns that firefighters implement to restore health to ecosystems and help prevent extreme wildfires across communities. The controlled burns are only done in appropriate weather conditions and at certain times of the year.

In any given fiscal year, about 80% of wildland firefighters at the Forest Service will spend time working on prescribed fires.

“In implementing the most effective wildfire risk reduction tools we have, our firefighters take on real risk in service to the American people,” a Forest Service spokesperson told Federal News Network. “This proposed rule is a common-sense step that supports our ongoing efforts to strengthen compensation for federal wildland firefighters.”

A spokesperson for the Interior Department said the proposed rule change “recognizes the demanding conditions wildland firefighters face during prescribed fire operations. It would also be a meaningful step in improving recruitment and retention across this vital workforce. Prescribed fire remains an important part of a complete wildland fire management strategy.”

The National Federation of Federal Employees, a union representing federal wildland firefighters, expressed support for OPM’s proposed regulations. NFFE officials said they first approached OPM about the possibility of making the hazard pay changes in 2022. Since then, the union has also been pushing for similar pay reforms through collective bargaining and in Congress.

Steve Gutierrez, a national business representative at NFFE, called the new proposal “a huge win” for wildland firefighters.

“It reinforces what we’ve been saying — that this is a dangerous job. Prescribed fires are just as dangerous, if not more dangerous, than wildfire,” Gutierrez told Federal News Network. “Prescribed fire is part of the job. It should be counted as hazardous.”

Gutierrez said adding the hazard pay may also incentivize more federal employees with “red cards” — those who are certified as wildland firefighters despite it not being their main job title — to work on prescribed fires.

“This proposed rule is an investment in the workforce that will eventually work towards lowering the intensity of wildfires across the country,” he said.

In practice, the regulations would authorize “hazardous duty pay” for General Schedule employees, and “environmental differential pay” for Federal Wage System employees, when working on prescribed burns. Federal employees generally receive higher hazard pay rates when their work involves “unusual physical hardship or hazard,” according to OPM.

The hazard pay would apply mainly to employees at the Forest Service and the Interior Department, which together employ the vast majority of federal wildland firefighters. Between the two agencies, OPM said it expects about 12,500 wildland firefighters would earn hazard pay for prescribed fire activities.

An OPM spokesperson said the proposed regulations align with President Donald Trump’s June 2025 executive order, which “emphasizes the importance of preventative, prescribed firefighting activities.”

“We expect the rule to have a positive impact on wildland firefighter recruitment and retention,” the spokesperson told Federal News Network.

OPM is accepting public comments on its proposed regulations until June 15. If implemented as-is, the new hazard pay rates would take effect on the first day of the first full pay period after the regulations are finalized.

Even with the new proposal, NFFE is still advocating for legislation that would codify hazard pay for work on prescribed fires. The Wildland Firefighter Hazard Pay Correction Act, which Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-Utah) introduced in September 2025, would provide higher pay rates for training-related parachute jumps, as well as for prescribed burns.

The hazard pay proposal also comes on top of a permanent pay raise that federal wildland firefighters secured in 2025, after years of advocacy work.

“I spent 15 years as a firefighter, and we talked about pay for my entire career,” Gutierrez said. “We never thought we’d see the day that people knew what we did for a living. It’s awesome to see that we’re getting that respect and recognition.”

Updated Friday with comments from OPM, Interior and the Forest Service.

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