The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) intends to issue proposed regulations to modify the limitations on seasonal appointments in part 340 and the exceptions to general time limits in part 316 applicable to repeated temporary appointments to the same positions, which have been used, in lieu of permanent appointments with seasonal work schedules, to enable agencies to use employees on a seasonal basis for longer portions of the year. Several agencies have indicated the need to make temporary appointments beyond the current regulatory timeframes. For example, for several years our Nation has been experiencing a longer than normal fire season in certain geographic locations, which poses a significant threat to life and property. This requires temporary employees to work longer periods to help combat this crisis which is of an increasingly variable duration. The current regulatory limitations hamper an agency’s ability to reemploy trained and experienced staff needed for mission-critical responses for situations such as this. OPM is seeking to modify these limitations to better accommodate seasonal needs.