U.S. Forest Service is short thousands of firefighters amid pay raise delay

May 10, 2022
With a pay raise funded by the infrastructure bill stuck in bureaucratic morass, the agency is struggling to staff up to the full force it needs.
Many firefighters have sounded alarms about crews and forests being critically short-staffed, even as they prepare for what is expected to be another challenging summer.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Higher pay urged for federal wildland firefighters

Jul 16, 2021
The need for firefighters is greater than ever. But the federal government is having a hard time finding recruits.
The federal government is having a hard time finding firefighter recruits, in part because the $15-an-hour base pay is not competitive.
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