Below is a letter I’ve sent to multiple senators & representatives on behalf of Wildland Firefighters, currently recognized as Forestry Technicians.

Dear Senator/Representative/Reader,

My name is Logan Foll. I’m a Wildland Firefighter & am writing in regards to recent momentum I’ve seen in both bodies & political parties of Congress regarding Wildland Firefighters, currently classified as Forestry Technicians within the Federal Government.

I implore you to look at the situation we face & enact real changes we’ve been mercilessly teased with over the past few decades. In my three years employed by the Forest Service, I’ve already experienced some of the issues I’ve long heard about from others.

The first is the severe discrepancy in stable income between federal “firefighters” & state/local departments of firefighters. I’m not going to dive into the actual numbers between the two but as I’m sure you’re aware, the difference is jaw-dropping. Because of this, the reliance on overtime & hazard pay are how most Forestry Technicians* make enough money to survive the year. Having to work these extra hours just to make ends meet puts a huge strain on their personal lives, friends & family.

I’m currently a temporary, 1039-hour Forest Service employee stationed in Pagosa Springs, Colorado & have been dreaming of owning a house for the past few years. Recently I spoke with a mortgage loan officer and was met with confusion as I tried to explain my patchwork quilt of seasonal income. After a solid 45 minutes of clarification & plenty of income documentation provided, I was informed I could afford a loan of $175,000 in a housing market where the median home costs $368,000, effectively pricing me out of the market entirely.

According to the Nerdwallet home loan calculator, it would take a yearly salary of $52,000 with no outstanding debt and a down payment of $75,000 to afford such a home. Comparing that number to the GS pay scale, I’d have to be a GS-9, or in Forest Service terms a Forest Fire Management Officer in charge of an entire FS district fire program, to bring home that money on a consistent basis, without overtime or hazard pay.

Now there is good news: many Forestry Technicians* at the GS-5 level could manage to make that kind of money during what we would call a “good fire season.” But that brings up issue #2: we’d have to work anywhere from 800-1000 hours of overtime to qualify, leaving behind our lives & loved ones to do so.

After crunching some numbers, the sought after “perfect season” (1,000 hrs OT) leaves Forestry Technicians* with only 841 hours of actual daylight to live our lives during the season after deducting working base hours, overtime, and the proper 2:1 ratio of sleep @ 8 hours a day. Roughly 81% of our 6-month summer is spent actively working. And due to the fact we still can’t always make ends meet after that sacrifice, most Forestry Technicians* are forced to either sign up for unemployment benefits or find other employment during the winter to bridge the widening gap between wages & expenses. We cannot afford to be full-time firefighters alone.

In addition to poor wages & the emotional/physical strain, the third issue pertains to the recruitment & retention of Forestry Technicians*. Many districts lack the resources & manpower to fully support their fire crews. In 2020 (one of the worst fire years on record), the Forest Service alone faced a deficit of 600 positions left unfilled, this year Region 5 in California alone has 435 vacancies. Meanwhile closer to home, our station doesn’t even have indoor plumbing, bathrooms or stable enough internet to do administrative work, after we’ve been told time & time again that it’s simply “not in the budget” or “not a priority this year.”

With a combined total of 193 million acres & 28,000 employees under its jurisdiction, the Forest Service has an annual budget of $5.2 billion, of which $2.4 billion is spent on fire suppression & prevention. And each dollar that goes towards fire is often directly taken from other departments like wildlife, trails, timber or recreation. In contrast to the Department of Defense budget of $721.5 billion, the Forest Service receives less than one percent of that figure. We clearly have the money to pay our firefighters & protect the nation’s federal lands, now is the time to start building a better budget while more & more of the country burns.

It’s not surprising that our workforce is crumbling under such conditions. It’s not surprising that hiring new employees is a challenge or that retaining the ones already working can be a struggle.

Now don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love what I do. Being a firefighter is my passion and those who work alongside me are some of the best friends I’ve ever had. We have the privilege of getting to do one of the coolest jobs & seeing truly magnificent stretches of this great country. But we need your support.

I am writing this in hopes that Congress will hear my story & take action.

I am not alone in expressing these thoughts, there are plenty more like me who are struggling as the United States burns more, longer & hotter each year.

We need:

- Sustainable & comparable wages to reflect the dangerous & arduous nature of the job
- Stable income to provide economic security
- Classification as actual firefighters to access health benefits & retirement

Until this happens, you’re going to see more firefighters burning out, whether that be leaving the profession entirely or even more tragically, taking their own lives (Wildland Firefighters have one of the highest suicide rates in the country).

Wildland firefighters are struggling & we are asking for help. We ask that you hear us & help us.

Thank you,
Logan Foll

* I shouldn’t have to make this clarification. We are firefighters. Please treat & pay us as such.

** For more excellent resources & information about Wildland Firefighers, please visit the Grassroots Wildland Firefighter group.