Advocates for wildland firefighters are calling on Congress to approve proposed budget increases to the and permanently raise pay for firefighters.
This aims to combat in the midst of a wildfire crisis exacerbated by climate change
This summer, Congress is set to look at . Included in that is $1.6 billion for the Interior Department to reduce wildfire risk.
鈥淔ire is something that's gonna knock on every congressional district and every state鈥檚 door at some point throughout the year,鈥� said Jonathon Golden, a retired wildland firefighter who works on policy for .
He鈥檚 calling on Congressional leadership in the southwest to approve Biden鈥檚 in the federal firefighter workforce.
鈥淭he wildfire issue is more than just: see fire, put water on fire,鈥� Golden said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 an infrastructure component that goes with it.鈥�
Golden said that firefighter pay, which starts at as little as , doesn't reflect of the job.
Firefighters told 91暗网 last year that working conditions are appalling in some places where housing might be too expensive to acquire or simply doesn鈥檛 exist 鈥� leaving some to sleep in their trucks or, in some cases, on the side of the road.
The president is asking for $387 million over his 2023 ask to help address long-standing recruitment and retention challenges, boost pay, enhance health services, and increase government housing capabilities.
The budget also earmarks $770 million to improve community preparedness for wildfires.
Supporting firefighters is popular on both sides of the aisle, but hardline Republican opposition to government spending could still.
Several laws designed to improve wildland firefighter pay have sat in Congressional committees for months now 鈥� including and the .
This all comes as parts of New Mexico are expected to have an 鈥渁bove average鈥� and significant fire season, according to a released this month by the National Interagency Fire Center.
Firefighters did receive a temporary pay bump as New Mexico was grappling with its largest wildfire ever in 2022, but it has since expired.
