As wildfires rage, Biden will raise federal firefighter pay – By Aamer Madhani (Associated Press) / June 30 2021
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is set to temporarily raise pay for federal firefighters to ensure that no one fighting wildland fires is making less than $15 per hour, according to a senior administration official.
Biden planned to announce plans for the higher pay — and other moves to boost U.S. wildfire fighting capacity and prevention efforts — as he holds a virtual meeting Wednesday with governors from Western states to discuss what is shaping up to be a torrid wildfire season. In addition, a huge swath of the Northwest is in the midst in one of the worst heat waves in recent memory.
Biden has expressed dismay at the starting pay for federal firefighters. Pay for new federal firefighters typically starts at $11 per hour to $14 per hour and they are overtime eligible, according to the Interior Department.
“That’s going to end in my administration,” Biden said during a visit last week to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for a briefing on natural disaster prevention efforts. “That’s a ridiculously low salary to pay federal firefighters.”
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