Senators from different political parties push for enhancements in work conditions and benefits for federal firefighters.
In July 2025, a bipartisan bill named the Federal Firefighters Families First Act was introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senators Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Bernie Moreno (R-OH), along with a House companion bill (H.R. 759). This legislation is designed to address the challenges of recruitment and retention among federal firefighters.
The bill aims to improve the work-life balance and physical and mental health of federal firefighters by limiting their pre-scheduled workweek to 60 hours, reducing mandatory overtime from about 19 hours per week to 7 hours per week while keeping overall pay steady.
One of the major issues addressed by the bill is the current practice where extra earnings from overtime hours aren't calculated into federal firefighters' retirement benefit amounts in the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). The bill seeks to reform pension calculations under FERS to accurately include scheduled overtime pay, ensuring firefighters receive the retirement compensation they have earned.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has reported for years that federal firefighters working at government and defense facilities face major recruitment and retention issues. The Department of Defense (DoD) is continuing to face staffing shortages among federal firefighters employed at military installations. Despite including strategies for civilian firefighter retention in its strategic workforce plan updates, DoD has not fully addressed the identified causes of its civilian firefighter staffing gaps.
The bill is supported by the National Treasury Employees Union, the National Federation of Federal Employees, and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF). These unions emphasize that the bill honours firefighters’ hours served while ensuring safer, healthier work conditions.
Most of the affected firefighters work at facilities for the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Since at least 2019, civilian federal firefighter staffing at DoD has remained below the authorized levels. The proposed legislation aims to reduce mandatory overtime hours and adjust benefits calculations for thousands of civilian federal firefighters.
By capping excessive work hours and securing fair pension treatment, the Act seeks to improve work-life balance and physical and mental health for federal firefighters, who currently undergo gruelling schedules that impact their well-being and family life. This change is intended to make federal firefighting positions more attractive and reduce high turnover rates, thus addressing ongoing recruitment and retention problems in the sector.
As of early August 2025, the bill was recently introduced, with advocates urging swift congressional passage to help federal firefighters and their families.
References: 1. Congress.gov - Federal Firefighters Families First Act (S. 1234) 2. National Treasury Employees Union - NTEU Supports the Federal Firefighters Families First Act 3. IAFF - IAFF Applauds Introduction of Federal Firefighters Families First Act
- The Federal Firefighters Families First Act, introduced in July 2025, is a bipartisan policy-and-legislation aimed at addressing the ongoing challenges of recruitment and retention among federal firefighters, particularly those working at facilities for the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.
- The politics surrounding the General News of federal firefighters' conditions have sparked significant interest, with the proposed legislation seeking to improve work-life balance and physical and mental health of the firefighters by capping excessive work hours and securing fair pension treatment.
