Money Talks, But is the Stipend Enough to Help With Retention and Applicants?
Maybe... if D.C. follows through.
Money talks… we all know that, but I wanted to know if this stipend was enough to keep folks in wildfire. Remember, this is not a permanent pay increase. The initial back payments should be out by now. The stipend should have been seen by some, and others are still waiting to see it added to their checks. Just last week Forest Service supervisors in Region 5 said some might not see the stipend until late July or Early August.
The good news is they are coming and some are seeing it deposited already. However, the money that was granted to be distributed will run out around September of 2023. This can be fixed… but with an election coming this year, and a reshuffling of Congress almost guaranteed, it’s time to get vocal again.
A week before the payments started to trickle down from the Washington D.C. Office I asked in a poll:
“If the Payments Go Through as Promised are You More Likely to Return to Fire?”
This poll was responded to by just under 2,000 wildland firefighters. After I went through all the private responses I received on top of the poll, it became apparent that a lot of folks had some caveats. “Yes, but…” type of responses filled my inbox. We should first look at the raw numbers that the poll pulled in. Then we can get into what’s next, how to make it permanent, and what firefighters said would keep them from returning even if the payments went through.
Out of nearly 2,000 respondents 83% said that the newly approved payments would make them stay in wildland fire for at least another year. Also, 17% said it made no difference in their decision making. Now, this doesn’t mean 17% are leaving. Some may have been planning on returning already and others may have planned on leaving before this announcement. What is very substantial is that 83% of firefighters said this directly impacts their decision to return for another season.
Now a lot of folks sent me DM’s saying they are stoked about the pay stipend but they need to see more action. There were basically to main points firefighters expressed would deter them from returning. The first was the perception of inaction. Remember, this poll was conducted 1 week before payments started going out. The understandable narrative I saw was “I’ll believe it when I see it”. Now that the stipends and back pay have indeed made believers out of a large group, can this continued “proof of work” be delivered before the money runs out?
Now that’s the big question. As we
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