Federal Fire Fighters Uniform Allowance Doubled

May 4, 2007 – Information provided by the IAFF helped convince federal government officials to increase the federal fire fighter uniform allowance by $400 – double the previous allowance. The new U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)-issued rule becomes effective May 29, 2007.

New NFPA standards call for more flame-retardant uniforms, which are more expensive than previous uniforms. Therefore, the IAFF and 16th District Vice President Jim Johnson began talks with OPM, emphasizing the need for a uniform allowance increase. The government office responded by offering a $100 increase.

“One hundred dollars was not sufficient,” says Johnson. “To that end, the IAFF provided supporting data during the federal register comment period.” He also communicated directly with the Department of Defense (DoD) on the issue.

“Since the DoD has the authority to increase the amount on its own, and knowing that the proposed OPM increase was not enough, I was hopeful that DoD would be receptive to pursuing a substantial increase,” explains Johnson. “The DoD began reviewing the matter and collecting information. As the DoD moved forward with the issue, our data and DoD’s data clearly demonstrated that a more substantial increase was justified.”

Uniform needs vary, depending on location. Some require full-scale dress and some only need station uniforms.