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Rep. LaMalfa Introduces Wildland Firefighters Bill

October 1, 2014

Washington, DC – Representative Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) today announced that he has sponsored a bill to alter the position titles of federal firefighting personnel from "forestry technicians" to "wildland firefighters." H.R. 5677 requires the Office of Personnel Management to alter the designations of firefighting personnel at the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, a change that will improve morale and retention among federal firefighters.

"Federal firefighters have some of the toughest jobs around, traveling long distances to work in dangerous and difficult conditions in remote areas," said LaMalfa. "There are thousands of these men and women in the North State at this very moment, spending weeks of eighteen-hour days on fire lines in our National Forests. If they aren't firefighters, I don't know who is."

"Due to the ever-increasing complexities of wild land firefighting, the responsibilities of forestry technicians have changed in the past forty years. Their year-round duties continue to expand, and now include wildfire preparedness, suppression, and hazardous fuels reduction. Their classification should reflect their hard work, their bravery, and their crucial role combatting wild fires," stated Casey Judd, President of the Federal Wildland Fire Service Association—an employee association formed in 1990 by and for federal wildland firefighters. "H.R. 5677 is a small but cost-effective step towards both improving conditions for those who protect our Nation's natural resources, and towards providing our Nation's taxpayers with a more efficient and effective federal wildfire response."

Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California's First Congressional District, including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.

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Issues:Forestry