Work Schedule/Pay

 Work Schedule

Below is the pay period calendar for the fiscal year of 2024. Here you can see that we are paid bi-weekly. As a seasonal employee you can expect to be working as early as April all the way through November with possible extensions into December due to fire severity. Our training period begins in April through May where you will get all the training in class and in the field to become a successful and effective crewmember and firefighter with a focus in aviation. Once the helicopter arrives, typically in early June, the crew will split into two mods. The two mods will split the work week working four 10 hour day shifts either Sunday to Wednesday with Thursday to Saturday off, or work Wednesday to Saturday with Sunday to Tuesday off. Wednesdays will have the whole crew on. This allows us to have 7 days of available coverage with the helicopter.

Pay

Here you can see the General Schedule pay scales. There have been recent and ongoing changes to our pay and classification due to the passing of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. With pay increasing and a creation of a new firefighter classification, things are moving in a good direction. Highlighted in yellow are the starting hourly rates for GS3 -5 Positions.

Keep in mind that this accounts only for base pay and overtime. It does not factor in hazard pay that you receive when on incidents and per diem when travelling outside of our duty station throughout the season , both of which can bump up your check a few hundred dollars. Here's the math.

Hazard Pay = 25% of base rate

Per diem = Variable based on location and meals provided.

GS3 Base Rate = $15.10

GS3 Hazard Pay = $15.10 x (.25) = $3.75

GS3 Rate when on incident (Base Rate + Hazard Pay) = $18.85

GS3 Overtime Rate = $22.65

GS3 Rate when on Overtime and incident (Overtime Rate + Hazard Pay) = $26.40

GS4 Base Rate = $16.95

GS4 Hazard Pay = $16.95 x (.25) = $4.23

GS4 Rate when on incident (Base Rate + Hazard Pay) = $21.18

GS4 Overtime Rate = $25.43

GS4 Rate when on Overtime and incident (Overtime Rate + Hazard Pay) = $29.66

GS5 Base Rate = $18.96

GS5 Hazard Pay = $18.06 x (.25) = $4.74

GS5 Rate when on incident (Base Rate + Hazard Pay) = $23.70

GS5 Overtime Rate = $28.44

GS5 Rate when on Overtime and incident (Overtime Rate + Hazard Pay) = $33.18

Additional Info

Follow these links for more info:

USFSUpdates on Pay and Classification

General Schedule (GS) Salary Table for 2024

General Schedule (GS) Hourly Table for 2023 Update when OPM site works.

Per Diem Rates

2024 Pay Period Calendar