Well spoken Sir, I’m onboard
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That drove a nail in deep. Very well said!
Iam going to do a pay break down from series 0081 Fire Fighter pay to 0462 Forestry Technician. This for a GS 5 Step 1 California, San Diego / Carlsbad.
0081 GS 5-1. 13.69 Hourly / 20.54 OT
0462 GS 5-1. 18.11 Hourly / 27.17 OT
0081 No Holiday Pay / No Hazard Pay / No Night Diff.
The 0081 Series has guaranteed Over time built in which it is 38 Hours @ $780.52 because we work a 72 hours a week and 144 hours a pay period.
Also 0081 is a portal to portal pay. On that note a 14 day fire assignment you will have 8 days of overtime.
Base pay with built in OT. $2,231.66
8 Days of overtime $3,943.68
Total pay for 14 day $6,175.34
Also 0081 Series firefighters are GS 7. Captains can be GS 8 or 9 depending on base and location. GS 9 are firefighter paramedic.
Now to tell you the truth I only make an extra 800$ more on a fire assignment then I did with the forest service as a 5 Step 5 and I am a 7 step 5, because I get taxed a crap ton.
To break it down if the Forest Service goes 0081 your base check will be:
0081 GS - 5 Step 1. 40 Hr Base $1,095.20
0462 GS - 5 Step 1. 40Hr Base $1,448.80
You will be losing $355.60 in pay going to 0081.
To break down 0081 Fire Fighter pay if you transfer over from FS you will double your base pay check and double the amount you put in the TSP .
Annual Pay $58,023.16 0081 GS 5 Step 1
Annual Pay $81,461.92 0081 GS 7 STEP 5 (My current pay)
I love the Forest Service the friends and knowledge I gained there but I had to leave for better pay and only having to work 6 days every 2 weeks. Please dont take this as a jab just breaking down the pay.
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Worked for the USFS for 29 years as a Forestry Tech in fire. Started out in south zone. Was 26/0 within 3 years. Moved to north zone and lost my PFT with new OPM rules. Back to 18/8. Retired as a Fire Apparatus Engineer. (FEO and going back as far as TTO). GS 7 step 9. Best move I ever made. Loved the time off. Loved the job. Worked as at remote Guard Stations most of my career. Wanted nothing to do with “management” positions. With the time off, built my house, invested my OT, financed hobbies and stayed out of debt. Would I do it again? Probably not. But I retired at 52 and am in a good place financially and health wise . Of course the the kicker is I have no kids. But what it boils down to (to me) is loving what you are doing beats “working” for higher pay. " When it comes down to taking the time or taking the money, I’ll take the time…" Ed Abbey
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Insightful Keep. Thanks. Do you have those numbers transposed? I will go back and double check.
Also thanks for your post Stymie. I think many agree with you and you seemed to have figured out how to work hard and be successful.
To some it’s no longer a matter of work place, it also comes down the pay when compared to the life/safety risks associated with the positions.
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With the 2020 federal pay raise and minimum wage hikes in California and some other states, entry level Federal Wildland Firefighters will make .32 cents more an hour, or $2.56 more day than a minimum wage worker in 2020.
Men and women Federal Wildland Firefighters are required to have a baseline of skills from the start and increase those skills and proficiency over a short period of time. Pay does not increase during a fire season as skills and proficiency increase. Federal Wildland Firefighters train in the classroom and in the field continuously and require a high level of physical conditioning.
The risks associated with the position are tremendously higher than most professions, let alone minimum wage positions.
All for 2.56 more a day.
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Yup
So expect the exodus to Calfire & LG to accelerate in R5 in 2020
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With current leadership in the House, fortunately this plan is dead on arrival. However let’s take a moment and read the whole article and ask ourselves what planet are these people from to make a suggestion like this:
“lawmakers suggested the lowest-ranked federal employees are overpaid and those at the top are underpaid. To fix this, they said Congress should expand the General Schedule so top-ranked employees earn more and those at the bottom earn less”
Register to vote and vote.
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Lots of talk. No congressional or executive branch action.
Maybe we first need to fix the Senate, where most everything does.
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I see 2-3 are absolutely needed. I would have picked 3-4 different ones, however I admire the authors thought process and passion. 1,000 times more useful than sitting around complaining about it.
We need more of this. We need to never give up. We need to be loud and clear. We need to be organized.
Our best and brightest leave everyday, and all they do is schedule another fire hire event. To me, this is not about vacancies and attrition rates, this is about safety, operational readiness and life vs occupational death.
Is it time for every Wildland Firefighter to put “Forestry Tech” in their email signature, or do so in solidarity with Wildland Firefighters?
When do we get serious and fight. When do we get into some #GoodTrouble?
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The lack of health care for seasonals is atrocious. When I was a seasonal we brought in a local insurance guy up the hotshot camp to help guys purchase catastrophic medical. It was at least something and wasnt too much money out of pocket in 1995. Cant imagine what the cost is today as much as healthcare has risen. I started in 93 and the fact that little has changed for the seasonal fed employee just kills me. Some youngsters maybe fortunate to be on their parents healthcare until 26 but thats certainly a case by case basis. What do we have to do to fix this?
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So I have been a temp for 12 years and there have been changes, we do get health and rehire rights and better chances at getting a permanent position. but our pay is already low for what we do and then you add health insurance. that said I love my job and am Happy to be here in part but also upset that the federal land management agencies abuse the temp workforce. we genuinely are second class citizens. these positions need to be converted to permanent (seasonal is fine).
so there is Health insurance for temps, it costs a bit too much for a temp but it’s there.
then there is this, it allows temps to be considered for permanent positions based on internal merit.
and last, this allows long-term temps to be rehired without having to compete for there job. basically rehire rights
6130_ID_for_Rehire_of_Long-Term_Temp_Seasonal_Emps.pdf (71.0 KB)
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So whats up with the article on saying no health benefits? IMHO for that work it should be completely paid for and no burden for the employee. Its not combat but the civil servant equivalent. Your basic needs should be met like they do in the military.
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ignorance?? or they are trying to make a point that it costs too much? no idea why they left it out.
Time to get some traction. Wake up Vallejo.
Thank you to Vice President nominee Harris for your work on this issue.
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union density, at least in R5, is extremely low. I don’t think it is my place to say what it is, but it is very very low. I agree that union power would be hugely helpful. The barriers to union power in the Forest Service are… numerous.
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I missed the connection with union membership?
But what us forest service forestry tech is stantioned in the sf bay area?!?
NPS and BLM have or had firefighters station in Marin county, with is the North Bay.
Rabbit holes are probably not where we want to go with this nugget.
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