Federal first responders, such as our wildland firefighters, wildfire dispatchers, forest LEOs, and others that work under land management agencies such as the USFS, DOI, etc. put in a great deal of work protecting the natural resources and people of this country. However, when it comes to incentives to this line of work, many feel unappreciated and burnt out, often working hundreds, if not over a thousand, hours of overtime hard at work each year while still often making near federal minimum wage (which is approx. $15 an hour for base pay). Many rightly compare this fast food jobs, wondering why anyone would ever choose to work in public service this way if they could make the same, if not more, behind a fryer or a grill.
In an attempt to both increase retention of current hard-working employees, increase the workforce of new employees as many seasoned employees begin to retire, and to avoid the eventual falloff of current employees due to inability to continue this line of work due to more liveable opportunities elsewhere as cost of living increases while the workload/pay ratio continues to widen.