PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

Wildland firefighters get a special base pay rate that replaces their normal General Schedule (GS) base pay. Firefighter: a federal employee who fits the federal firefighter job rules, including some supervisors who used to be firefighters or who the Office of Personnel Management says are equivalent. General Schedule base rate: the annual basic pay before any add-ons. Special base rate: a yearly basic pay rate set for wildland firefighters that takes the place of the GS base and is treated the same as GS pay. Wildland firefighter: a firefighter who works for the Forest Service or Department of the Interior and mainly fights fires in forests, rangeland, or other wildlands (not building fires). The special base pay is calculated by increasing the firefighter’s GS base by a grade-based percentage and rounding to the nearest dollar. The increase rates are: GS–1 42%, GS–2 39%, GS–3 36%, GS–4 33%, GS–5 30%, GS–6 27%, GS–7 24%, GS–8 21%, GS–9 18%, GS–10 15%, GS–11 12%, GS–12 9%, GS–13 6%, GS–14 3%, GS–15 1.5%. This special rate counts as basic pay for all purposes, including calculating locality or other pay additions. If pay is shown hourly, daily, weekly, or biweekly, convert from the annual special rate using the normal conversion rules.

Title 5, §5332a

Government Organization and Employees, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Definitions.—

In this section

(1)

(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)Special Base Rates of Pay.—

(1)Entitlement to special rate.—

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)Computation.—

(A)In general.—

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)Hourly, daily, weekly, or biweekly rates.—

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