 You could be in federal housing for as little as four days a month as you travel the country responding to fires. And with the rental increases that we've seen over the past few years, there's times where you're paying more in rent than you're getting paid in base pay. Many firefighters report living in their cars or in campgrounds due to high housing costs. The National Federation of Federal Employees, which lobbied for the measure, says the Forest Service is also looking into relief for those renting private housing.