§5332a — Title 5 Government Organization and Employees | U.S. Code

Summary

Wildland firefighters must be paid a special base rate instead of the normal General Schedule (GS) base pay. That special base rate replaces the GS base pay, counts as basic pay for all purposes (including calculating locality pay under section 5304 or 5304a), and changes whenever GS pay changes. To get the special base rate, take the GS base pay for the employee’s grade, increase it by the grade’s percentage, and round to the nearest dollar. The increases are: GS-1 add 42%; GS-2 add 39%; GS-3 add 36%; GS-4 add 33%; GS-5 add 30%; GS-6 add 27%; GS-7 add 24%; GS-8 add 21%; GS-9 add 18%; GS-10 add 15%; GS-11 add 12%; GS-12 add 9%; GS-13 add 6%; GS-14 add 3%; GS-15 add 1.5%. If pay is shown hourly, daily, weekly, or biweekly, compute it from that annual special base rate using the rules in section 5504(b). Definitions in one line each: “firefighter” — an employee who meets the firefighter definitions in the federal pay laws or who would if they had transferred from firefighter duties; “General Schedule base rate” — the annual GS basic pay before extras; “special base rate” — the annual replaced pay for wildland firefighters; “wildland firefighter” — a Forest Service or Interior employee whose main job is fighting fires on forests, rangeland, or other wildlands (not building fires).

Title 5, §5332a

Government Organization and Employees — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In this section—

(1)the term “firefighter” means an employee who—

(A)is a firefighter within the meaning of section 8331(21) or section 8401(14);

(B)in the case of an employee who holds a supervisory or administrative position and is subject to subchapter III of chapter 83, but who does not qualify to be considered a firefighter within the meaning of section 8331(21), would otherwise qualify if the employee had transferred directly to that position after serving as a firefighter within the meaning of that section;

(C)in the case of an employee who holds a supervisory or administrative position and is subject to chapter 84, but who does not qualify to be considered a firefighter within the meaning of section 8401(14), would otherwise qualify if the employee had transferred directly to that position after performing duties described in section 8401(14)(A) for at least 3 years; or

(D)in the case of an employee who is not subject to subchapter III of chapter 83 or chapter 84, holds a position that the Office of Personnel Management determines would satisfy subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) if the employee were subject to subchapter III of chapter 83 or chapter 84;

(2)the term “General Schedule base rate” means an annual rate of basic pay established under section 5332 before any additions, such as a locality-based comparability payment under section 5304 or 5304a or a special rate supplement under section 5305;

(3)the term “special base rate” means an annual rate of basic pay payable to a wildland firefighter, before any additions or reductions, that replaces the General Schedule base rate otherwise applicable to the wildland firefighter and that is administered in the same manner as a General Schedule base rate; and

(4)the term “wildland firefighter” means a firefighter—

(A)who is employed by the Forest Service or the Department of the Interior; and

(B)the duties of the position of whom primarily relate to fires occurring in forests, range lands, or other wildlands, as opposed to structural fires.

(b)(1)Notwithstanding section 5332, a wildland firefighter is entitled to a special base rate at grades 1 through 15, which shall—

(A)replace the otherwise applicable General Schedule base rate for the wildland firefighter;

(B)be basic pay for all purposes, including the purpose of computing a locality-based comparability payment under section 5304 or 5304a; and

(C)be computed as described in paragraph (2) and adjusted at the time of adjustments in the General Schedule.

(2)(A)The special base rate for a wildland firefighter shall be derived by increasing the otherwise applicable General Schedule base rate for the wildland firefighter by the following applicable percentage for the grade of the wildland firefighter and rounding the result to the nearest whole dollar:

(i)For GS–1, 42 percent.

(ii)For GS–2, 39 percent.

(iii)For GS–3, 36 percent.

(iv)For GS–4, 33 percent.

(v)For GS–5, 30 percent.

(vi)For GS–6, 27 percent.

(vii)For GS–7, 24 percent.

(viii)For GS–8, 21 percent.

(ix)For GS–9, 18 percent.

(x)For GS–10, 15 percent.

(xi)For GS–11, 12 percent.

(xii)For GS–12, 9 percent.

(xiii)For GS–13, 6 percent.

(xiv)For GS–14, 3 percent.

(xv)For GS–15, 1.5 percent.

(B)When the special base rate with respect to a wildland firefighter is expressed as an hourly, daily, weekly, or biweekly rate, the special base rate shall be computed from the appropriate annual rate of basic pay derived under subparagraph (A) in accordance with the rules under section 5504(b).

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Section is based on section 456(a) of H.R. 8998, from the 118th Congress (Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Congress, Agencies Appropriations Act, 2025), as passed by the House of Representatives on July 24, 2024, which was enacted into law by section 1807 of div. A of Pub. L. 119–4.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

section 456(d) of H.R. 8998, from the 118th Congress, as passed by the House of Representatives on July 24, 2024, which was enacted into law by Pub. L. 119–4, div. A, title VIII, § 1807, Mar. 15, 2025, 139 Stat. 30, provided that: “The

Amendments

made by this section [enacting this section, amending section 5343 of this title, and enacting provisions set out as a note under section 6592 of Title 16, Conservation] shall take effect on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after either October 1, 2024 or the date of enactment of this Act [Mar. 15, 2025], whichever is later.”

§5332a Special Base Rates of Pay for Wildland Firefighters