Direct Hire To Fight Fires

This bill lets the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of the Interior hire wildland firefighters and support staff more quickly and directly. It also tells these agencies to set policies to recruit and keep these workers, make the hiring process faster, and remove hurdles when firefighters move between agencies.

Each year, the agencies must share a public report to Congress that lists how many firefighters they’ll need next year, how many job openings each state has, and what problems are getting in the way of filling those jobs.

Key points

• Who is affected: Wildland firefighters and firefighting support staff in the Forest Service and Interior agencies.
• What changes: Permanent authority to hire directly, faster hiring, better recruiting and retention, and easier transfers between agencies.
• Transparency: Annual public report with staffing needs, state-by-state vacancies, and barriers to hiring.