State Forestry warns of staffing shortfalls and retention gap; 40% turnover reported as counties and chiefs press for benefits
November 01, 2025 | Appropriations, Joint & Standing, Committees, Legislative, Wyoming
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State Forestry leaders and local fire managers told the Joint Appropriations Committee that Wyoming's permanent firefighting capacity is small and that employee turnover is significant.
Kelly Norris said Wyoming has seven individuals it would claim as permanent firefighters and a small seasonal and administrative complement: eight seasonal firefighters and roughly 16 staff who provide statewide administration and county support. Comparing permanent firefighter counts to other western states, the forester said Wyoming ranks at the low end; the next closest state cited had 37 permanent firefighters.
County chiefs and elected officials described operational stress caused by workforce shortages and said turnover increased reliance on federal agencies and out-of-state modules. Chief witnesses asked the committee to consider benefit and pay changes to make State Forestry positions more competitive with federal hiring and to retain trained employees.
"Our state forestry staff are all under foresters; they do not get hazard pay, they are not in a firefighter retirement package," Norris said in response to a committee question. "We typically see our staff that we train in fire leaving us for the federal agencies that provide those types of firefighting benefits." Representatives and senators on the committee urged LSO and State Forestry to explore options for hazard pay, inclusion in firefighter retirement plans and per-diem or paid days-off structures after extended fire assignments.
The committee heard detailed anecdotes about training pathways, the Smokebuster inmate crew as a source of seasonal staffing, and ideas for building a longer-term career pipeline into state firefighting roles. Representative Harrelson described site visits and local experiments to transition incarcerated program participants into trained seasonal firefighters as a potential career ladder.
Why this matters: State officials said staffing shortfalls and benefit gaps drive attrition and reduce the state's ability to keep trained firefighters available for Wyoming response rather than losing them to the federal agencies that offer broader firefighter-specific benefits.
Kelly Norris said Wyoming has seven individuals it would claim as permanent firefighters and a small seasonal and administrative complement: eight seasonal firefighters and roughly 16 staff who provide statewide administration and county support. Comparing permanent firefighter counts to other western states, the forester said Wyoming ranks at the low end; the next closest state cited had 37 permanent firefighters.
County chiefs and elected officials described operational stress caused by workforce shortages and said turnover increased reliance on federal agencies and out-of-state modules. Chief witnesses asked the committee to consider benefit and pay changes to make State Forestry positions more competitive with federal hiring and to retain trained employees.
"Our state forestry staff are all under foresters; they do not get hazard pay, they are not in a firefighter retirement package," Norris said in response to a committee question. "We typically see our staff that we train in fire leaving us for the federal agencies that provide those types of firefighting benefits." Representatives and senators on the committee urged LSO and State Forestry to explore options for hazard pay, inclusion in firefighter retirement plans and per-diem or paid days-off structures after extended fire assignments.
The committee heard detailed anecdotes about training pathways, the Smokebuster inmate crew as a source of seasonal staffing, and ideas for building a longer-term career pipeline into state firefighting roles. Representative Harrelson described site visits and local experiments to transition incarcerated program participants into trained seasonal firefighters as a potential career ladder.
Why this matters: State officials said staffing shortfalls and benefit gaps drive attrition and reduce the state's ability to keep trained firefighters available for Wyoming response rather than losing them to the federal agencies that offer broader firefighter-specific benefits.
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