r/Wildfire • u/smokejumperbro USFS • Feb 19 '25

News (General) Hiring freeze of firefighters could be deadly, Forest Service captain warns

https://www.nbcnews.com/weather/wildfires/hiring-freeze-firefighters-deadly-forest-service-captain-warns-rcna192494

Great one!

328 Upvotes

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62

u/Busy_Lightnin_Bug Feb 19 '25

your career ladder promotions are on hold too.

4

u/Timoftheforest Feb 19 '25

Haven’t seen documentation of this, when did this happen?

28

u/ZonaDesertRat Feb 19 '25

Promotions and details are part of the freeze. They are not part of the exemption, and must be individually cleared to be flown.

Grade and with-in grade are not, at least currently, part of the freeze, but know grade increases are not automatic. The agency can choose to hold them back, to be reviewed if they so choose.

8

u/Darth_Ra Dirty COMT Feb 19 '25

Not only that, but a lot of folks are super paranoid about taking a promotion right now, or even a detail, as it could put you on a short list.

A ton of the "probationary" folks that just got fired weren't new employees, they'd just taken a new position. My specific position has been working to reclassify ourselves for a decade now, and in the last month the people who have been pushing for it the hardest have had to start being like "well, now we're not so sure that we want it, because you'll fire us all".

1

u/Busy_Lightnin_Bug Feb 19 '25

Since the freeze started. I dont understand why or how it can have anything to do with bringing new folks on board. I just know that they are on hold. I am not saying they are cancelled or will not happen, just that they are on hold. I expect they will be backdated when permission to proceed is received.

3

u/ZonaDesertRat Feb 19 '25

You probably meant to say backfilled, meaning filling the vacant position. Backdating a position is not allowed by OPM, in that backpay is not authorized for delays in the processing of promotions or grade increases.

2

u/Busy_Lightnin_Bug Feb 19 '25

No. I meant backdated. The bargaining agreement between the USFS & NFFE allows for backdating a career ladder promotion if the position is covered by NFFE. The NFFE bargaining agreement also covers supervisory positions at the GS-9 level & below (with one exception) but only for positions that are covered by primary or secondary firefighter retirement. I am not sure how they will handle delayed career ladder promotions for positions on forests that are not covered by the NFFE agreement or supv posns thay are GS-10 or higher.

2

u/ZonaDesertRat Feb 19 '25

To include pay?  Was this part of the new master agreement? 

It wasn't allowed many moons ago when it happened to me and when I was involved in union business. Good change.

3

u/Busy_Lightnin_Bug Feb 19 '25 edited Feb 19 '25

Yup. If the CLP is backdated, the employee receives backpay as well. I have backdated a CLP to a date over one year in the past!!

It is in the current NFFE agreement.

1

u/R5hotshoot Feb 19 '25

Citation from the master agreement? 

2

u/Busy_Lightnin_Bug Feb 19 '25

NFFE Master Agreement, effective date 6-4-24, article 16, paragraph 11c.