Differential Pay for Prescribed Wildland Fire Activities
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This proposed rule aims to provide a 25% pay differential for federal employees involved in prescribed wildland fire activities to align their compensation with those fighting wildfires. It primarily affects General Schedule and Federal Wage System employees participating in the management and control of prescribed fires, addressing pay disparities and mitigating recruitment challenges.
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Key Changes
- Establishes a 25% pay differential for employees in prescribed fire activities
- Aims to align pay between prescribed fire workers and wildfire fighters
- Addresses recruitment and retention challenges for fire personnel
Obligations
What this law requires
OPM must amend 5 CFR Parts 532 and 550 to add prescribed wildland fire activities as covered activities for Hazardous Duty Pay (HDP) for General Schedule employees and Environmental Differential Pay (EDP) for Federal Wage System employees
OPM must establish a 25 percent differential rate for both HDP and EDP categories for prescribed wildland fire activities
OPM must amend 5 CFR 550.904 to add paragraph (f) clarifying the statutory exclusion allowing GS-0456 wildland firefighters to receive HDP for prescribed fire work despite position classification
Covered activities triggering HDP/EDP must be limited to GS and FWS employees participating as members of a firefighting crew engaged in activities on the fireline directly involving implementation and control of prescribed wildland fires
Submit comments on the proposed rule on or before June 15, 2026 via the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov