Fire Procurement
Employee Pay While on Fire Dispatch
Washington State Department of Natural Resources
Employee Pay While on Fire Dispatch
July, 2002
Time and Activity Reports (TARs) and Emergency Firefighter Time Report (EFTR/OF288) – All DNR employees on fire duty must submit a TAR and EFTR showing fire duty time twice monthly (by the second and the 17th). All fire duty hours are compensable. While on fire duty, DNR employees are guaranteed, at a minimum, the equivalent to their normal daily pay. It is the responsibility of the employee to ensure that their completed TAR and EFTR is faxed to their payroll designee by the dates indicated above and to bring the original OF-288 back to their home unit upon demobilization.
Travel/Per Diem – Employees must meet the 2 to 1 work to rest guidelines while in travel status. Employees should not be in travel status for more than 16 hours in a 24-hour period Exceptions to the 2 to 1 work to rest guidelines must be approved in writing by the region/division manager of the employee and the DNR emergency operations manager.
Employees are entitled to per diem while on fire duty away from their normal duty station if a base camp has not been established. It is the responsibility of the employee to ensure that they have the financial means to pay for their own meals and travel arrangements as necessary. The employee may apply for an agency credit card to use for agency business purposes.
Call Back Provision – Scheduled and non-scheduled work period designated employees are entitled to a call-back penalty for work on a scheduled day off on a fire incident. This penalty pay is equivalent to 3 hours of straight time pay for fire duty on the first scheduled day off and one hour of straight time pay for each subsequent day of fire duty on a scheduled day off on the fire incident. Responding to more than one fire from the same camp is considered the same incident.
Scheduled work period designated employees are entitled to a call-back penalty if they start emergency work after the end of their regular work schedule.
Equipment and Supplies – Employees are expected to arrive at a fire site with the appropriate supplies and equipment for their position. If additional items are needed while at fire camp, it is the responsibility of the employee to ensure that non-expendable supplies and equipment are returned to the fire cache prior to demobilization.
Less than a 5-hour break between shifts – Unless the employee requests a break, any break while on fire duty that is less than 5 hours in duration will be compensated. The only exception to this is for normal meal breaks (which are not compensated). It is the responsibility of the employee to complete a Crew Time Report (CTR) that shows the time (hours) that were less than 5 hours, have the CTR signed and given to the finance section to record the time that should be compensated on the EFTR. Time cannot be added or changed to the EFTR by the payroll designee at the employees’ home office after the employee has returned from fire duty.
Meals – Employees who are required to remain at a fire site three or more hours beyond their normal work shift are entitled to a nutritious meal every four hours of continuous work thereafter. If employees are required to report for emergency duty three or more hours prior to their normal work shift, they are entitled to a nutritious meal.
Transportation to Town – DNR will make every effort possible to ensure that fire duty personnel have available while off duty transportation to the nearest community. This transportation may be in the form of a shuttle bus, van, or other government provided transportation. If transportation is not provided the employee is entitled to stand-by pay for off duty hours. It is the responsibility of the employee to ensure that they receive documentation from the Logistics Chief if transportation to town was not made available.
Use of Commissary – DNR employees may not utilize payroll deduction for items purchased at a fire camp commissary. It is the employees’ responsibility to ensure payment to the commissary manager by either cash or credit card purchase.
Laundry Services while in fire camp – DNR employees are entitled to laundry services while on fire duty. DNR will make every effort to provide laundry service to employees in fire camp. If laundry service is not provided, DNR employees are entitled to compensation of up to $5.00 for laundry services after five days of fire duty away from their normal duty station.
Spike Camp/Coyote Status – A spike camp is a closed satellite camp with limited and variable support facilities, but provides, at a minimum, hot meals and adequate sleeping facilities. Employees assigned to a spike camp are considered in pay status for all hours while assigned to the spike camp except sleeping periods (5 to 8 hours) and normal meal breaks.
Coyote status is deployment by incident staff requiring employees to remain in remote and primitive conditions near the fire-line without returning to any base or spike camp at the end of a work shift. Employees deployed in coyote status will be compensated for all hours assigned while deployed in coyote status.
If assigned to a spike camp or deployed in coyote status, it is the responsibility of the employee to obtain documentation from the Incident Commander that states when they were assigned to a spike camp and/or when they were deployed in coyote status.
Rest and Recuperation (R&R) - DNR employees are entitled to a day of R&R to be paid as miscellaneous leave after 10 consecutive days, but no later than the 14th consecutive day of fire duty away from their home unit. Up to 48 hours of travel to and up to 48 hours of travel from the incident are not included in counting consecutive days of fire duty away from a home unit. If entitled to R&R but due to scheduling R&R is not taken while assigned to an incident, it is the responsibility of the employee to obtain written authorization from the Incident Commander to take miscellaneous leave upon return to their normal work schedule at their regular duty station.
Approved R&R taken as miscellaneous leave upon return to the normal duty station must be taken on the next scheduled workday following the employee’s return from fire duty.
Duration of Fire Duty – Fire duty away from the employees’ normal duty station will be limited to 14 consecutive days (plus up to two days travel for mobilization and demobilization). Written approval must be received by the Region/Division Manager of the employee and the Resource Protection Division Manager before an extension of fire duty can be granted. If an extension of fire duty away from the employee’s normal duty station is approved, the employee must take a day of R&R after the 10th and no later than the 14th day of continuous fire duty.
DNR Agency Liaison – DNR will appoint an agency liaison for all out of state dispatches. If there is not a DNR agency liaison onsite assigned to your incident, the assigned DNR liaison is the Emergency Manager (currently Marlene Majeski) in Resource Protection Division. Please feel free to contact the Emergency Manager and/or DNR Resource Protection Division Dispatch Coordinator at 1.800.562.6010.
