Minnesota Wildfire Season Highlights Need for Fair Compensation and Rest for DNR Firefighters

Local 1401 member Victoria Jari, a forester with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), spent this wildfire season serving as a Heavy Equipment Boss, directing bulldozer operations to contain fires that burned more than 70,000 acres in northern Minnesota. During one 14-day assignment, she logged 84 hours of overtime. 

"It was over 100 degrees those first few days," Jari said. "These fires are getting more intense, making work near the flames more dangerous." 

Heavy equipment crews create fuel breaks, clear access routes and help protect firefighters operating near fast-moving fires. 

Local 101 member Emily Greger, a Single Resource Boss, supervises wildfire crews and equipment in Minnesota and on out-of-state assignments. During the Rabbit II Fire, her crew systematically searched for and extinguished hidden hot spots to prevent reignition. 

While Minnesota wildland firefighters have earned widespread praise this season, MAPE leaders say long-standing workplace issues remain unresolved. 

"This has been an especially difficult wildfire season, and firefighters across the Forestry division have worked tirelessly to protect lives, property and natural resources," said Local 1401 member Megan Eiting, a Forestry Specialist and member of MAPE's DNR Meet and Confer team. "Yet we've continually met closed doors at DNR and MMB regarding consistent contract language and treatment across unions." 

Despite the increasing demands and risks of wildfire response, firefighters say compensation and recovery policies have not kept pace. Forestry employees represented by MAPE, AFSCME and MMA receive wildland fire qualifications through training and experience. Qualified employees from all three unions work side-by-side during wildfire responses in Minnesota and when deployed out-of-state as needed.    

MAPE-represented firefighters are raising two key concerns: 

• Unequal compensation: Employees from different unions can receive different overtime compensation while performing the same wildfire suppression work. 

• Lack of paid rest and recuperation (R&R): DNR firefighters cannot access federally reimbursable paid R&R following extended in-state assignments and do not receive paid R&R after long incidents under DNR jurisdiction. 

"Protected days off aren't just employee benefits," Eiting said. "They're essential safety tools in wildland fire suppression." 

For firefighters like Jari, the stakes are personal. 

"You're breathing smoke, working long days and getting really tired," she said. "The work is grueling, and it's critical to have those R&R days to recover and reconnect with loved ones." 

As wildfire seasons grow longer and more intense, firefighters worry about retention and long-term sustainability. 

"If we're going to be fighting fires all summer, people are going to find new jobs," Jari said. "I'm starting to wonder whether my body can keep up with it in five or ten years." 

Despite the challenges, firefighters remain committed to public service. 

"A lot of us enjoy the work and the camaraderie," Greger said. "We know how critical our jobs as public servants are to protecting Minnesotans.”  

"We're lucky Minnesota has a great fire training program and a lot of skilled people," Jari added. "I can't say enough good things about my coworkers."