The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is looking for employees to work as career seasonal Smokejumpers (Forestry Technicians) in Boise, Idaho or Fairbanks, Alaska. For information on Boise Smokejumpers, visit their website. For information on Fairbanks Smokejumpers, visit their website. **PLEASE SEE ALASKA PAY DIFFERENTIAL IN "Additional Information" Section. This is a Direct-Hire advertisement. Veterans preference is not applicable to this advertisement.

Duties

Incumbent parachutes into rugged terrain and performs fire suppression and related duties. Incumbent maintains smokejumper and firefighting equipment, tools, and supplies. Repairs, packs, and maintains parachutes and related equipment. As a fire crew member or Initial Attack Commander, utilizes fire behavior knowledge and firefighting experience to perform wildland fire suppression and prescribed fire operations safely and effectively. May direct fire line activities and tactics for firefighters, equipment, aircraft and other resources.

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Be sure to read the How to Apply and Required Documents Sections.
• You cannot hold an active real estate license: nor can you have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Lands.
• Direct Deposit Required.
• Appointment will be subject to a favorably adjudicated background/suitability investigation/determination.
• Your resume must contain enough information to show that you meet the qualification requirements as defined in the announcement. In addition, your responses to the questions must adequately reflect in your resume.
• An applicant appointed to this position must possess (or obtain within 30 days of entrance on duty) and maintain a valid state driver's license while employed in this position.
• Passage of a pre-employment physical is required. You must also pass the work capacity test for arduous positions.
• May require completion of a one year probationary period.
• Applicant(s) tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use and to pass the test prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use.
• This position requires regular and recurring overtime and shift work.
• You must be 18 years of age or older to be assigned to a hazardous position.

Qualifications

Selective Placement Factors: This position requires a special qualification that has been determined to be essential to perform the duties and will be used as a screen out element. Those who do not provide evidence they possess the following selective factor(s) will be rated not qualified: This position is a Primary Firefighter position and is subject to a maximum entry age (MEA). The MEA is the date immediately preceding your 37th birthday. Applicants must not have reached age 37 at the time of appointment, unless proof is provided for prior Federal service in another primary covered position, OR proof of land management workforce flexibility act (LMWFA) eligibility (see required documents section for more information on proof for LMWFA), OR you are a preference eligible veteran. If you meet any of the previous exemptions to MEA you must provide the required documents. Prior smokejumping experience required - This experience must be documented with specific dates in the resume. Firefighter Type 1 (FFT1) required - You must provide the required document as instructed in the 'Required Documents' section of this announcement. Specialized Experience: In order to be rated as minimally qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the minimum qualification requirements - please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience. Failure to provide required information on resume could result in ineligibility for consideration. To qualify for the GS-05 grade level, you must possess 1 year of creditable specialized experience equivalent to the GS-04 is required. Examples of work experience include, but are not limited to: wildland fire suppression as a member of a handcrew, a helitack crew, or an engine crew, including one (1) season of smokejumping using either Ram-Air or Forest Service (FS) parachutes; OR -Successful completion of a 4 year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with either a major study in forestry, range management, or agriculture, or a subject matter field directly related to the position, or at least 24 semester hours in any combination of the following courses: forestry, agriculture, crop or plant science, range management or conservation, wildlife management, watershed management, soil science, natural resources (except marine biology and oceanography), outdoor recreation management, civil or forest engineering, or wildland fire science. No more than 6 semester hours of mathematics is creditable. The level of the course work must have been equivalent to at least the junior- and senior-year levels of a baccalaureate program; OR -A combination of education and experience that is directly related to the work of this position. To qualify for the GS-06 grade level, you must possess 1 year of creditable specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 is required. Examples of work experience include, but are not limited to: wildland fire suppression as a member of a handcrew, a helitack crew, or an engine crew, including one (1) season of previous smokejumping experience using either Ram-Air or FS parachutes, supervision of one or more employees (with little or no direct supervision) on wildland fires while anticipating fire behavior, determining suppression tactics, and taking the necessary action to control fires; OR -Successful completion of 1 full year of graduate level education which is directly related to the position; OR -A combination of education and experience that is directly related to the work of this position. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement. If selected at the lower grade, subsequent promotion to the next grade level will be processed without further competition dependent upon administrative approval and the continuing need for an actual assignment and performance of higher-level duties. Medical Requirements Please see the Department of Interior Medical Standards Program website for the Federal Interagency Wildland Firefighter Medical Standards for your position: http://www.nifc.gov/medical_standards/index.html Physical Requirements Employment in this position is conditional upon your successful completion of the following BLM smokejumper physical fitness performance tests: When you report for duty, you will be given a physical condition test. The test is given in one time period with a 5-minute break between exercises. The test consists of performing the following exercises: 30 push-ups 6 pull-ups Run 1.5 miles in 10.47 minutes or less OR backpacking a 110-pound load three miles in less than 65 minutes. Work Capacity Test at the Arduous Level: All arduous wildland firefighters must backpack a 45-pound load for three miles in 45 minutes or less. Physical Demands: The incumbent must be able to work under extreme physical exertion regularly working 16-hour shifts or longer on the fireline. Work on the fireline requires considerable strenuous physical exertion. Work Environment: The majority of work is performed outdoors in a wide variety of weather and terrain conditions or in a crowded airplane. FIREFIGHTER SPECIAL RETIREMENT: This is a primary fire position under the special retirement provisions of 5 U.S.C. 8336(c) (CSRS) and 5 U.S.C. 8412(d) (FERS). The position is subject to maximum entry age (MEA) requirements. The MEA for this position shall not exceed age 37; unless you have sufficient prior Federal civilian firefighter or you are a preference eligible veteran. If you are a preference eligible veteran, you may be eligible for this position on or after your 37th birthday. You must supply a copy of your Defense Department Form 214 (DD-214) along with Standard Form 15 (if applicable) and any associated documentation in accordance with the instructions in this vacancy announcement. Failure to provide this documentation with your application will result in loss of eligibility to receive a waiver of the maximum entry age requirement. If over the MEA and you are not a Veteran, proof of prior covered service must be submitted prior to employment. Acceptable proof consists of SF-50s showing beginning and ending dates of covered/creditable appointments and copies of approved letters based on individual claims.

Education

Proof of Education:
All applicants who are using education or a combination of education and experience to qualify must submit copies of official or unofficial transcripts which include grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, institution name, and student name. If any required coursework is not easily recognizable on transcripts, or if you believe a portion of a particular course can be credited toward meeting an educational requirement, you must also provide a memorandum on letterhead from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official stating the percentage of the course that should be considered to meet the requirement and the equivalent number of units. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to produce the original official transcripts.

Foreign Education:
If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Contacts

• Address NIFC, Fire and Aviation Human Resources (MS-1700) 3833 South Development Avenue Boise, ID 83705 US
• Name: FA-HR-Internal NIFC
• Phone: 208-387-5523
• Email: [email protected]