Uncle Sam Pays Firefighters Extra to Start 'Safe' Wildfires
Published Date: 4/14/2026
Proposed Rule
Summary
Federal employees who fight planned wildland fires could soon get a 25% pay boost for their risky work. This change affects General Schedule and Federal Wage System workers directly involved in controlling these fires. Comments on this proposal are open until June 15, 2026, so now’s the time to weigh in!
Free Policy Watch
New rules are filed every week. Most people never see them.
Pick a topic. PRIA watches every federal rule and tells you when one hits your household.
Pick a topic to get started
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 1 costs, 1 mixed.
25% Hazard Pay for Prescribed Fires
If you are a federal General Schedule (GS) or Federal Wage System (FWS) employee who is a member of a firefighting crew working on the fireline and directly implementing or controlling a prescribed wildland fire, you would be eligible for a 25% pay differential. OPM proposes this new Hazardous Duty Pay (HDP) for GS employees and Environmental Differential Pay (EDP) for FWS employees; comments are due June 15, 2026.
GS Wildland-Firefighter Eligibility Clarified
OPM proposes to add paragraph (f) to 5 CFR 550.904 to clarify that the rule barring HDP when a hazard is accounted for in job classification does not apply to employees in occupational series whose primary duties involve wildland fire. That means GS-0456 (wildland fire management) employees can receive HDP for prescribed-fire fireline work despite classification accounting.
Scope and Government Cost Estimates
OPM expects the rule to affect about 10,000 GS employees and 2,500 FWS employees (primarily at USDA Forest Service and DOI). USDA estimates FY2026 costs of $20 million and DOI estimates $12.5 million for FY2026 (DOI separately reported $9.0M for FY26 and $9.5M for FY27 in internal estimates).
Pay Limited to Fireline Implementation/Control Work
The proposed differential applies only to activities on the fireline that 'directly involve' implementation and control of a prescribed wildland fire and explicitly excludes preparatory activities done before ignition. The pay would begin the first day of the first pay period after the final rule's effective date.
Your PRIA Score
Personalized for You
How does this regulation affect your finances?
Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this federal register document and every other regulation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Key Dates
Department and Agencies
Take It Personal
Get Your Personalized Policy View
Start a Free Government Policy Watch to see how policy affects your household, then upgrade to PRIA Full Coverage for year-round monitoring.
Already have an account? Sign in