Right now, when the Forest Service or Interior Department agencies need to hire wildland firefighters, they have to go through a lengthy federal hiring process that can take months. This bill makes it easier and faster by giving these agencies permanent authority to directly hire firefighters without jumping through as many bureaucratic hoops. This matters because wildfire season waits for no one—when fires are raging, agencies need to get trained people on the job quickly.

The bill also pushes these agencies to make it easier for firefighters to move between different government agencies. If a firefighter trained by the Forest Service wants to work for the Bureau of Land Management, the current system makes that unnecessarily complicated. The bill requires agencies to streamline these transfers and remove other barriers that make it hard to recruit and keep experienced firefighters.

Finally, the bill adds transparency by requiring the USDA and Interior Department to report annually to Congress and the public about their wildfire staffing needs. They'll have to say how many firefighters they need, where the job openings are by state, and what's preventing them from filling those positions. This gives Congress and the public a clear picture of whether these agencies are adequately staffed to handle wildfire season.

Direct Hire To Fight Fires

Issa, Darrell

Direct Hire To Fight FiresThis bill provides permanent direct-hire authority to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of the Interior to fill wildland firefighter and firefighting support positions in the Forest Service and Interior agencies.The bill also requires USDA and Interior to implement policies to recruit and retain wildland firefighters and related personnel, such as by streamlining the hiring process and reducing barriers for firefighters transferring between agencies.Further, the bill requires USDA and Interior to annually report related data to Congress, including the number of firefighters needed for the coming year, the number of firefighting vacancies in each state, and existing barriers to filling such vacancies. The report must also be made available on a public website.