06/10/26
Western Governors applaud proposed rule on prescribed wildfire hazardous duty pay
In correspondence with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Western Governors applauded a recent proposal to add prescribed wildfire as a covered activity that triggers payment of Hazardous Duty Pay for General Schedule employees and Environmental Differential Pay for Federal Wage System employees.
“Western Governors support a broad range of wildfire mitigation practices, including prescribed fire,” reads the letter of June 10, signed by WGA Chair Spencer Cox, the Governor of Utah, and WGA Vice Chair Josh Green, the Governor of Hawaiʻi. “To enable the expanded use of this critical tool, Western Governors call on the federal government to consider additional steps to recruit and retain an effective land management and wildland firefighting workforce, including the use of hazard pay for prescribed fire activities.”