U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) on Nov. 9 proposed legislation that would streamline the hiring process for federal skilled wildfire firefighting personnel and support personnel.
“Year after year, our Montana communities are devastated by wildfires and our brave firefighters’ response to these fires protects lives and our public forests,” Sen. Daines said. “I’m proud to introduce this legislation to make it easier to hire the most skilled wildland firefighting personnel in a timely manner to help keep our communities safe.”
The Direct Hire to Fight Fires Act of 2023, S. 3268, which Sen. Daines sponsored alongside original cosponsor U.S. Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), would provide the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) with permanent direct hire authority for any wildland firefighting position or any position in support of such a firefighting position, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers.
Additionally, S. 3268 would direct USFS and DOI to identify policies and propose changes for reducing the time and complexity of hiring federal wildland firefighters and support personnel, the summary says.
The Senate legislation is the companion bill to the same-named H.R. 3499 introduced in May by U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) in the U.S. House of Representatives.