A union representing thousands of federal wildland firefighters excoriated Montana GOP Senate hopeful Tim Sheehy after he accused firefighters of dragging their feet to put out infernos and “milking” disasters for overtime pay.
“Sheehy’s comments are not only unfounded and disrespectful of wildland firefighters across the country, but they also show a severe lack of understanding of the essential and dangerous work these brave men and women do to defend our country from devastating fires – especially communities in Montana,” said Randy Erwin, the national president of the National Federation of Federal Employees, in a .”
On its website, the National Federation of Federal Employees notes that its advocacy for wildland firefighters includes “fighting for a permanent, competitive pay fix, enhanced mental health and physical wellbeing resources, adequate housing, and more.” In Thursday’s press release, Erwin said that NFFE represents many federal wildland firefighters across the country, including in Montana. And he highlighted the myriad challenges these workers are facing.
“Wildland firefighters have been doing more with less for decades, and the current shortage of firefighters places them and other first responders at greater risk while they work longer deployments fighting hotter and bigger fires each year,” Erwin said. “Sheehy and his arial company have profited heavily from taxpayer-funded contracts to fight wildfires while many wildland firefighters struggle to pay the rent because of low pay.”
He slammed Sheehy’s remarks as “elitist and self-serving.”
“Federal wildland firefighters and other first responders deserve better, as do all the residents of Montana,” Erwin said.
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When HuffPost reached out to Sheehy’s campaign last month, a spokesperson called HuffPost’s reporting on the GOP candidate “embarrassing” without addressing specific questions about his comments — a tactic his campaign has increasingly turned to in recent months amid a seemingly endless stream of controversies.
While polling previously showed Sheehy with a commanding lead over Tester, a poll released last week showed the two in a dead heat.
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