Support our Firefighters Act

The Support our Firefighters Act establishes mandatory rest and recuperation leave for federal wildland firefighters working for the Forest Service and Department of the Interior. The bill requires these employees to take paid leave after completing specific deployment periods, such as 3 days after 14 days of work or 4 days after 21 days of work, with policies set jointly by the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior. Additionally, the legislation allows up to $5 million in unspent wildfire management funds to be transferred between the two departments to support ongoing salary increases for firefighters. The act also removes expiration dates on overtime pay provisions for wildland firefighters, ensuring these benefits continue indefinitely rather than being limited to specific years.