Half of federal wildland firefighters are seasonal with no off-season benefits

As of 2022, half the federal wildland firefighting workforce is employed seasonally for a maximum of six months, then laid off with no health insurance, no retirement accrual, and no unemployment benefits in most states. These workers earn $15-20/hour during season and must find other work or burn through savings during the off-season. This means experienced firefighters who have spent years learning complex fire behavior, chainsaw operations, and crew leadership leave for year-round jobs in municipal fire departments or private industry. The churn destroys institutional knowledge: a hotshot superintendent who has spent 15 seasons reading terrain and weather patterns cannot be replaced by a new seasonal hire. Crews start each season partially green, which slows initial attack response and increases safety risk. The problem persists because the federal workforce classification system (temporary vs. permanent) was designed for predictable office staffing, not a seasonal hazardous occupation where expertise accumulates over years but demand concentrates into months.