Investing in Federal Firefighters

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $1.5 billion for the Department of the Interior to invest in preparedness, fuels management, post-fire restoration, and fire science. 

$245 million is invested in wildfire preparedness, including workforce reforms such as compensation improvements, mental health resources, improved physical safety, hiring, and additional training; purchasing and maintaining equipment and improving fire detection methods. This funding improves pay for wildland firefighters in areas of the nation where it has been difficult to recruit and retain wildland firefights, establishing a series that recognizes wildland firefighting as a federal career and developing programs that support firefighter mental health and well-being.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $878 million for hazardous fuels management, which protects communities and landscapes by removing vegetation before it can burn in a wildfire by methods including cutting and removing or through prescribed fires. The law directs treatments to reduce the risk of fire on millions of acres near the wildland urban interface and drinking water sources. 

Successfully managing wildland fire often requires quick and decisive actions. To respond effectively, we need personnel who are properly trained, equipped, and positioned before a fire starts. 

$325 million will be used for post-fire restoration and rehabilitation activities. The Burned Area Rehabilitation Program supports efforts to repair or improve burned landscapes unlikely to recover without human assistance.

The law provides $10 million to support science and research on wildland fire management issues that mitigate wildfire risk.

Scientific studies associated with wildland fire, fuels, and fire-impacted ecosystems respond to the emerging needs of land managers, practitioners, and policymakers.