U.S. Forest Service firefighters risk their lives every day they work. What’s more, they spend weeks at a time away from their families as they put themselves in harm’s way to protect others. These brave women and men, to whom we owe so much, have been under a pay freeze. It is time for the pay freeze to end, and for them to receive a raise.

My name is Alexis, and I’m the proud wife of a US Forest Service firefighter. I know what it’s like to go without seeing my husband for up to 8 weeks, striving to keep a brave face and hoping our two children won’t lose their father. When he does finally return home, he is twenty pounds lighter due to the strain of the work. People like my husband deserve to be paid fairly, not to have their wages frozen over political fights.

These men and women are dedicated to serving others. When they are not battling blazes in life-threatening temperatures, or hiking with half their bodyweight on their backs, they are training to be the best crew they can be when a crisis does arise. And yet, they are under a pay freeze. The pay they do get doesn’t reflect the job they do.

It is time for President Trump to lift the pay freeze and give a raise to our US Forest Service firefighters.

Most people don’t work in jobs where their life is on the line. We have jobs that often come with air conditioned offices, lunch breaks, and the ability to go home to our families every night. Many of those jobs pay better than what forest firefighters earn.

I respectfully ask that you take a moment to research what a US Forest Service firefighter job entails. You will find out how often they come close to death, and that many don’t make it home. Once you see what they do in the line of duty, I believe you will agree that they deserve our support in getting their wage freeze lifted and their pay increased.