- Increase the number of Wildland firefighting series as to increase pay/benefits
- Via reclassifying the FT job series
- Promote permanent workforce
- More experienced position with different duties
- Holistic land management approach
- Larger role in career development
- New agreements between state and federal agencies
- Remove bulk of the burden from federal resources on non-jurisdiction
- Clear hierarchy for both state and federal
- Increase communication and efficiency
A reclassification from Forestry Technician to Wildland Firefighter Series would cause an increase in pay and improved comprehensive benefits for those in the field. In tandem, this would address a lack of mental and physical health benefits and promote career workers through a retirement plan.
New policies would seek to rebuild and support a year-round Federal professional and skilled fire-based workforce to work fire suppression when needed. This would be with an increased focus on a more holistic approach to land management to include hazardous fuels reduction, fuel break maintenance, forest restoration, prescribed fire, etc. This would address the gap between technician duties and basic firefighter duties, as technicians will play a larger role in year-round planning, acknowledgment of experience amongst the field.
Policies should also look to redefine and establish progressive cooperative land management agreements between federal, state, and local entities so that the bulk of the burden to suppress fires that happen off-jurisdiction does not fall on the firefighters.
Any policy seeking to address this problem should also support and develop skilled workforces (across all levels – federal/local/state) to increase efficiency across diverse land ownerships and WUI environments for more equitable and/or sustainable, proactive land management activities. By clarifying the hierarchy both within the scope of the federal agencies and when cooperating with state agencies both suppression actions and preventive measures, like those mentioned previously, will be more effective.
