They’re called Forestry Technicians. This is what they really do.
by Jane Walgren
After days of fighting a massive wildfire, Christian Bauzo, a federal wildland firefighter and engineer with the U.S. Forest Service was waiting in line behind a group of city and county firefighters to get a bite to eat at a local food stop. He watched as the firefighters ahead of him were thanked for their service and offered their food free of charge. These types of gestures from businesses are common after destructive wildfires.
Bauzo wasn’t expecting a free meal, despite doing the same work. But when it was his turn to order, the offer had suddenly come to a halt.
“Not that I do this for free, or want a handout,” Bauzo said. “But it’s like– hey, they just got their food for free. I’ve got almost the same uniform on, we just fought the same fire, and they’re going to look at me and say, ‘No, not those guys. They’re not real firefighters’?”
These moments happen often for federal wildland firefighters, as lack of public recognition comes with the job. This is largely due to the fact that their title is vastly disconnected from the work they actually do.
This is what they really do.
The Forestry Technician
They fight the same fires. They face the same dangers. But they don’t get the same pay, or even the same title.
The U.S. Forest Service currently employs over 11,000 federal wildland firefighters, who respond to wildfires in national forests across the nation. In California, these wildland firefighters are confronted with a fire season that has now evolved into a year-round battle, with a changing climate and major droughts across the state.
Yet, while called wildland firefighters, they are officially classified by the government as “Forestry Technicians,” a job title that applies to a variety of different positions and many of which do not include fire suppression– the series includes trail maintenance, recreation, logging, and timber management.
In a job classification document through the Office of Personnel Management, the description even lacks the word ‘fire’ at all. According to Grassroots Wildland Firefighter Board Member and Fire Captain in the USFS, Ben McLane, the inconsistent job title has been a long-battle for wildland firefighters.
“There is a fundamental difference between our job description and what we actually do,” McLane said. “We are rarely acting within our position descriptions; there went from a handful to now over 400 different variations of the Forestry Technician 0462 series.”
Part of the issue comes with the fact that the role was created in the 1970’s, primarily for the reason of land management with seasonal workers who could assist with a variety of different tasks within the forest service. Thus, the title was meant to be flexible and not limiting.
The occupational series was ultimately updated in the early 90s without much change to the description of the job. During this time only 16 percent of the USFS budget was allocated to fire suppression. In 2021, that percentage was expected to increase to 67 percent due to climate change and an increase in wildfires, as outlined by Grassroots Wildland Firefighters.
The need for a new classification system for federal wildland firefighters is one that has been ongoing for decades, but also one that has reached congress in recent years.
Photo Courtesy: Patrick Lopez
More than 80% of federal wildland firefighters say their job title doesn’t reflect the dangerous, high-risk work they do.
A new classification and updated job title feels crucial for USFS wildland firefighter Grayson Guillory, who works at the Green Valley station in the Angeles National Forest after following his father’s footsteps in the Forest Service. For Guillory, the title brings up a mixture of confusion not only for the public perception, but for himself as well.
“I can’t even say I’m a firefighter, or every time someone tries to bring up your job, you have to explain to them that you’re a wildland firefighter,” Guillory said. “Because to most people you don’t seem like an actual firefighter.”
“Am I just a guy that helps protect the forest, or am I actually a firefighter?'”
Due to their job title sounding disconnected from the actual duties of the role, and their trucks being a forest green color, rather than the traditional red fire truck most people know about, these specialized firefighters are often left out of public thanks during massive wildfires. According to Guillory, these factors may not fit the mold of what the media tends to cover.
“It’s because the red trucks look a lot better on the news than the green trucks do,” Guillory said. “That’s the whole premise behind it, they have the whole look that everyone wants of a firefighter, which we don’t have. When you see our engines, you look at it like, what is that thing? Most people don’t know what we are.”
USFS Fire Engine at Green Valley Station. (Annenberg Media/Jane Walgren)
The misconception doesn’t end with the job title and different trucks or uniforms. The issues regarding the misclassification have consequences far deeper, and it’s evident through the compensation.
The Pay Cliff
Despite the risks these wildland firefighters face in their job, their base pay has been historically low. Entry level federal firefighters in the U.S. Forest Service earn an hourly wage of around $15 per hour—comparable to or even less than jobs in fast-food, and roughly 50 percent lower than their counterparts in municipal fire departments. Due to the compensation, many are left working thousands of hours in overtime to make ends meet.
Wildland firefighters earn 50% less than their municipal counterparts.
Source: National Federation of Federal Employees
For Bauzo, who is also a Marine veteran and receives disability pay, without that extra income means he would have to work many hours so he can support his family– but it wouldn’t come without sacrifice.
“If I want to make a really good living and I don’t have that extra income, I would need to work as much overtime as I possibly can and be as dedicated as I possibly could,” Bauzo said. “Just so I can give my family something that they can enjoy, but I won’t be able to be there to enjoy it with them.”
Kenneth Friel, a lead firefighter for the Angeles National Forest in the USFS, says the inadequate pay for an equivalent job often has him questioning whether or not he can afford to remain in the profession that he loves.
“The physical and mental challenges that we face for our job are very similar, if not the same as other agencies, but our compensation is definitely less than what these other agencies are giving their firefighters,” Friel said. “Which a lot of us don’t think is fair, since we are facing the same danger.”
Friel has been working for the Forest Service since he was 18 years old, after discovering the youth explorer post program with the USFS in high school. Despite his passion for wildland firefighter, Friel expressed that he has other goals that would financially benefit him more than his position in the forest service.
“I’d like to move on from this. The Forest Service has done well for me, but I have other aspirations and goals in my life,” Friel said. “Even if the pay did go through, I would still move on.”
Wildland firefighter leans down into lockers inside Green Valley fire station. (Annenberg Media/Jane Walgren)
Federal firefighters like Bauzo and Friel rely on the General Schedule (GS) pay scale for their salaries, which applies to the majority of individuals employed by the federal government. Through this scale, the base pay is based on different levels. USFS wildland firefighters are often starting off at low GS levels on the scale– such as GS-3 to GS-5.
Even the most advanced fire positions rarely reach higher pay levels, such as senior level firefighters’ on a crew, who often earn a GS level 8. Even then, the pay is still significantly lower than those in municipal departments.
Firefighters employed by CAL FIRE and city or county departments are often paid significantly higher than those in the forest service. CAL FIRE firefighters are also skilled in wildfire suppression. According to data calculated by Grassroots Wildland Firefighters, the pay disparity is reflected in the retirement income after decade-long careers.
While the responsibilities of a firefighter often require the same expectations for most of these departments, wildland firefighters are specifically trained in battling wildfires. The dangers, however, remain the same– while the pay differences and recognition are evident.
USFS Firefighter gear piled inside of a locker. (Annenberg Media/Jane Walgren)
For example, a CAL FIRE handcrew captain can potentially earn, after a 25-year-long career, roughly $95,000 a year in retirement pension once they reach the age of 50. In contrast, a federal firefighter at the same level would only end up with a pension of almost $20,000 a year at the age of 57. The result, as outlined by Grassroots, would end up being a difference of 2.28 million dollars.
While the pay remains notably lower than their counterparts, wildland firefighters recently saw a win in their fight for higher pay in Congress. In 2021, the Biden administration implemented a temporary pay bump of $20,000 for wildland firefighters. After years of extending the temporary boost, the pay recently became permanent in March through the 2025 Wildland Firefighter Pay Reform Act.
Kenneth Friel and Ben McLane discuss the pay reform.
The Working Conditions
While pay and classification have been a central issue among wildland firefighters, the poor conditions of their stations is another prevalent problem. According to wildland firefighter Patrick Lopez, the stations he has worked at during his three years in the Forest Service have encountered numerous issues with mold, plumbing, and other structural damage.
Take a look inside a building belonging to the Green Valley USFS Fire Station that is expected to be torn down due to inhabitable damages.
(All images featured in ThingLink graphic were captured by Jane Walgren)
The Aftermath
McLane emphasized that the lack of sufficient pay has caused a significant amount of disdain for these firefighters, and although many enter the profession due to a passion for fighting fire, the financial strain ultimately puts them in a position to choose between their livelihood and passion.
“When you come home from work, or when the paycheck hits your bank account, you have that pit in your stomach,” McLane expressed. “Oh my god, I can’t pay my bills, and my family has to live a life without me if I’m going to work 1,000 plus hours of overtime in order to pay my mortgage.”
McLane described the emotional toll as a kind of grief.
“We see people leaving not because they’re greedy, but because they are literally having to choose between the poverty line and their family’s well being, people leave this job and they grieve it.”
Ben McLane, Grassroots Wildland Firefighters Board Member
Wildland firefighters are more important than ever, as wildfires become a more common event in recent years due to the changing climate. While there have been small wins in their pay, the fight is yet to be over for accurate job classification and comfortable living wages.
