Support our Firefighters Act

This bill introduces a new provision to Title 5, United States Code, establishing paid rest and recuperation leave for federal employees engaged in wildland firefighting. Specifically, it covers employees of the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior who qualify as wildland firefighters or are certified for incident-related duties. The Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior are directed to jointly prescribe uniform policies for this leave, which may include requirements for a minimum number of rest days following a specified deployment period, such as three days of leave after a 14-day deployment or four days after a 21-day deployment. The granted leave must be used immediately after a qualifying incident, is paid in the same manner as annual leave, and cannot be saved for later use or paid out if unused. For intermittent workers, the bill ensures they are excused from duty and receive payment equivalent to the rest and recuperation leave. Furthermore, the legislation authorizes the transfer of up to $5,000,000 in unobligated funds from the Forest Service to the Department of the Interior to ensure the uninterrupted continuation of federal wildland firefighter base salary increases and premium pay. Finally, it amends existing law to indefinitely extend the waiver of overtime caps for wildland firefighters, removing previous calendar year limitations.