U.S. wildfire managers have started shifting from seasonal to full-time firefighting crews to deal with what has become a year-round wildfire season as climate change has made the American West warmer and drier. The crews also could remove brush and other hazardous fuels when not battling blazes.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management said Thursday that it’s adding 76 firefighters and support personnel to its 3,400-person firefighting workforce.
Additionally, 428 firefighters will change from part-time seasonal work to either full-time seasonal or permanent work with health and retirement benefits. Ultimately, the agency wants about 80% of its firefighters on permanently. The rest would be seasonal, many of whom are college students who return to class in the fall.
It comes as many scientists say climate change is making weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive. An historic drought and heat waves have made wildfires harder to fight in the West.
The land agency received $13 million in its 2021 budget for workforce transformation that is being used to add the 76 firefighters. The U.S. Interior Department, which oversees the Bureau of Land Management, received $29 million overall to carry out a plan for transforming its firefighting workforce.
The land agency said it plans to keep shifting more workers to permanent status in line with the Biden administration’s priorities. The administration last month raised starting pay for federal wildland firefighters to at least $15 per hour, from about $13. (AP)
