Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis joins bipartisan efforts to protect pay for wildland firefighters

CASPER, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) - In July, a group of senators including John Barasso introduced the Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act. The motion will ensure the federal government provides funding to continue to recruit and retain wildland firefighters and provide pay increases. Senator Lummis has co-sponsored this movement, saying wildlife firefighters have dangerous jobs and the current pay rate is not enough to incentivise wildland firefighters to stay on the job.

Senator Lummis says, “It’s possible that people who fight fires on federal lands would choose to go elsewhere and that when we need them so desperately to contain a fire in its early stages, that they would not be available.”

Senator Lummis says the potential lack of funding to recruit wildland firefighters puts federal lands, wildlife, and people at risk.

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