Firefighters are leaving the U.S. Forest Service for better pay and benefits

LOS ANGELES — Thousands of federal wildland firefighters could walk off the job if Congress fails to pass a permanent pay increase, officials and advocates warned amid an already scorching summer that could lead to an explosion of wildfires later in the year.

From 30% to 50% of the roughly 11,000 firefighters who combat wildfires across millions of acres of land managed by the U.S. Forest Service could resign in coming seasons without a longterm solution to persistently low wages and poor benefits, according to the National Federation of Federal Employees.

“This is an absolute crisis,” said Max Alonzo, an organizer […]

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