HR.5631 – The Tim Hart Wildland Firefighter Classification and Pay Parity Act is moving through committees in the House of Representatives. This is an extremely important piece of legislation for Federal wildland firefighters, who are actually not classified as being firefighters at all. Most of us who have worked for Federal agencies have been classified as ‘Forestry Technicians’ or ‘Range Technicians’. Federal wildland firefighters are paid less than State and Municipal firefighters. Many are paid seasonally, and receive no benefits. ‘Tim’s Act’ has been developed by wildland firefighters to address many of the unique challenges faced by people working in the profession, including the need for better mental health care and housing support (imagine trying to find affordable housing during peak tourist season while working as a seasonal firefighter assigned to a fire crew based in Lake Tahoe or Yosemite).
Please consider writing a letter or email to your representative and asking them to support HR.5631. The information below is from https://www.grassrootswildlandfirefighters.com/tims-act