Federal Fire Bill Mandates 10% Annual Acreage Increase for Controlled Burns, Adds Hazard Pay for Firefighters

The new National Prescribed Fire Act of 2025 is the federal government’s plan to tackle catastrophic wildfires by dramatically increasing the use of prescribed fire—that is, controlled, intentional burns designed to clear out dangerous fuel on federal lands. If this bill passes, it will fundamentally change how the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior manage forests, setting a rigid schedule for controlled burns while overhauling the federal firefighting workforce.

The Mandate: Burn 10% More, Every Year

Starting in the first full fiscal year after enactment, the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture must increase the acreage they treat with prescribed fire by 10 percent annually for the next nine years (Sec. 103). This is the biggest, most rigid requirement in the bill. Think of it like a mandatory, escalating quota. If they burned 100,000 acres this year, they must hit 110,000 next year, and so on. The goal is clear: close the “fire deficit” (Sec. 103), meaning the vast amount of land that needs controlled burning but isn't getting it. For anyone living near the wildland-urban interface, this means seeing more smoke from controlled burns, but hopefully less smoke from massive, uncontrolled wildfires.

To make this happen, the agencies get more financial flexibility. They can now redirect up to 15 percent of their hazardous fuels management money toward prescribed fire activities (Sec. 102). This flexible funding can be used for everything from grants to local burn associations to training and post-burn monitoring. The priority for this funding will be projects that cross jurisdictional boundaries and protect high-risk areas like those near homes (Sec. 102).

New Pay and Career Paths for Firefighters

If you are a federal employee involved in setting or managing a controlled burn, this bill is a major win for workplace equity. The bill mandates that these employees receive hazard pay, just like those fighting active wildfires (Sec. 202). This addresses a long-standing complaint that prescribed fire work—which is often just as dangerous and requires just as much skill—wasn’t compensated equally. The Secretaries must also create a joint report explaining how they’ll use pay incentives to keep skilled workers from jumping ship to higher-paying suppression jobs (Sec. 202).

Crucially, the bill creates new career pathways. It allows for the non-competitive conversion of seasonal federal firefighters to permanent employees if their new role focuses on prescribed fire and they have good performance reviews (Sec. 202). Furthermore, the bill specifically directs the Secretaries to create training and support services for veterans and formerly incarcerated individuals (excluding those convicted of arson or violent crimes) who worked on wildland firefighting crews, helping them transition into permanent prescribed fire practitioner roles (Sec. 202).

The Liability Shield: Who Pays When Things Go Wrong?

One of the most significant—and potentially controversial—provisions is the extension of federal liability protection to non-federal partners. If a state agency, private contractor, or non-profit is working under a federal agreement to conduct a prescribed fire, they are now considered a “covered entity.” This means that if something goes wrong during that federal work, they are treated as if they were federal employees under the Federal Tort Claims Act (Sec. 203).

What does this mean in the real world? If a controlled burn escapes and causes damage, the outside group that was running the burn is shielded from personal liability. The lawsuit would have to be filed against the federal government instead. While this is designed to encourage states, Tribes, and private experts to help with these risky burns, it also significantly limits the ability of citizens to sue non-federal actors for damages caused by the work, shifting all accountability to the federal level.

The Cost of Accountability

The bill also sets up a new Collaborative Prescribed Fire Program (Sec. 104) to fund large-scale, multi-jurisdictional projects (at least 50,000 acres). This program is capped at $20 million annually, with no single project getting more than $1 million per year. Projects must be scientifically sound, prioritize collaboration, and aim to restore natural fire regimes.

However, the bill puts a financial hammer down on states that don't participate in the accountability system. If a state fails to report its annual prescribed fire data to the National Fire Planning and Operations Database by December 31st, that state loses eligibility for all funding under this Act from the previous fiscal year (Sec. 301). This is a strong incentive to ensure states are tracking their data, but missing a deadline could mean losing millions in critical funding.

Finally, the bill addresses smoke management, directing the EPA to coordinate with state and local air quality agencies to make it easier to classify prescribed fire smoke as an “exceptional event” (Sec. 204). This is a technical move, but it matters because it helps states meet air quality standards without being penalized for intentional, ecologically necessary burns.