Federal Firefighters Families First Act

This bill changes pay and retirement rules for federal firefighters. It aims to make firefighter pay more equal to other federal and local firefighters and to help agencies hire and keep skilled crews. It also says retirement benefits should count regularly scheduled hours in a firefighter’s workweek, not just basic hours.

For retirement, the bill adds part of a firefighter’s regular overtime to the pension formula. In simple terms, besides base pay, it will count an extra amount equal to half of the hourly rate times the number of overtime hours that are part of the firefighter’s normal schedule. This means regular overtime will help boost retirement benefits. The Office of Personnel Management must set a maximum number of regularly scheduled hours in a firefighter’s workweek within one year, and that cap can’t be more than an average of 60 hours per week.

• Who is affected: Federal firefighters
• What changes: Part of regular overtime will count toward retirement; a standard max workweek will be set (no more than 60 hours on average); aims to improve pay equality
• When: The new retirement rules apply to people who separate from service after 60 days from when the bill becomes law; the workweek rule must be set within one year of enactment