This position is located in Big Thicket National Preserve; duty location of Woodville, TX. The incumbent serves as a trained member of a wildland fire module or crew executing fire management activities in fire preparedness, fuels management and prevention, fire suppression, monitoring, and post-fire. Work also includes all hazard and emergency response activities. For additional questions about this position, please contact Rodney Monk at [email protected].

Duties

Applies an understanding and working knowledge of firefighter safety, fire behavior, topography, weather, fuels, to work on attacking, controlling, building or patrolling fire lines, suppression, cleanup and control of fire activities Conducts and supports chainsaw operations. Performs operator duties on portable pumps, and engine operation duties. Observes, collects and record fire-related data with regards to fuels, topography, weather, fire behavior, fire effects, smoke, and fire location. Maintains equipment and hand tools.

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service or exempt.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• Must be 18 years of age at time of close date of announcement.
• This is a Drug Test Designated Position. You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use.
• Must pass the Work Capacity Test for certain Interagency Fire Program Management (IFPM) or Fire Program Management (FPM) positions.
• Under age 37; less than age 37 after subtracting the months of Permanent Federal Service in a primary or secondary firefighter/law enforcement position or a veteran preference eligible, older than age 37 and is requesting a waiver to the requirement.
• Willing to live/work in remote locations (volatile/unpredictable).
• You will be required to operate a government motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required.
• You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service fire uniform standards.
• You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
• Incumbent will be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.
• Prior to appointment, you must be determined physically fit by an authorized government physician to perform strenuous and physically demanding duties; and pass a medical examination given by an authorized government physician.
• Subject to frequent extended travel up to 14 nights a month particularly during fire season, and you must obtain a government charge card for travel.
• If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
• This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.
• This notice is being issued to recruit personnel to occupations for which a critical hiring need has been identified. To assist in filling these positions, OPM has granted the Department of the Interior "Direct Hire Authority".

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards. All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount qualified specialized experience. SELECTIVE FACTOR: Selected individuals must be under the age of 37; OR Less than age 37 after subtracting the months of Permanent Federal Service in a primary or secondary firefighter/law enforcement position; OR A veteran preference eligible, older than age 37 and is requesting a waiver to the requirement. EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: GS-04: Six months of general experience and six months of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-03 level in the federal service; Examples of general and specialized experience include: Biological science aid or technician work; forestry aid or technician work; farming or ranching work that provided a basic understanding of land use; forest or range fire control, prevention, or suppression work; engineering, range, or soil conservation technician work that involves application of cultural, resource conservation, or land management practices; farming or ranching work that provides a basic understanding of land use and involved the application of cultural and soil and water conservation practices. -OR- Successfully completed 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours in any combination of courses such as forestry, agriculture, crop or plant science, range management or conservation, wildlife management, watershed management, soil science, natural resources (except marine fisheries and oceanography), outdoor recreation management, civil or forest engineering, or wildland fire science. No more than 3 semester hours in mathematics is creditable. Transcripts must be attached to application package. -OR- An equivalent combination of experience and education. Transcripts must be attached to application package. IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTE: If you are using education to qualify you must submit a legible copy of your transcripts (A copy of your official transcripts will be required before entrance on duty, if selected). This position is covered by the special retirement provisions of 5 U.S.C. 8336 (c) and 5 U.S.C. 8412 (d) as a Primary/Rigorous Firefighter. Applicants must be 18 years of age, but not have reached their 37th birthday by the closing date of this announcement. These positions are covered by the special enhanced annuity retirement provisions for Federal Firefighters and Law Enforcement officers and have a mandatory retirement age of 57. Two exceptions are allowed: 1) an applicant has prior Federal service in documented special retirement covered position(s) sufficient to count toward 20 years of covered service on or before the mandatory retirement age of 57; or 2) an applicant is a qualified veterans' preference eligible, in which case the MEA is waived and their corresponding retirement age may be higher than 57 after completing 20 years of service. Applicants must submit proof of their previous and/or current status in the Fire Fighter or Law Enforcement special enhanced annuity retirement system. WORK CAPACITY TEST (WCT) for Wildland Firefighters: This position participates in wildland firefighting activities. Based on the type of work performed, TAKING and PASSING the WCT at the ARDUOUS level is a "condition of employment." The Arduous fitness (Pack) test requires completing a three (3) mile hike within forty-five (45) minutes, while carrying a forty-five (45) pound pack. You are strongly encouraged to consult with your physician and begin training immediately if applying for this position. This announcement constitutes the required 30 days advanced notice for testing requirements. To receive consideration for this position, you must provide updated required documents and meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement. 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.

Education

When submitting college transcripts, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Contacts

• Address Big Thicket National Preserve 6044 FM 420 Road Kountze, TX 77625 US
• Name: Lisa Salazar
• Phone: 505-917-5189
• Email: [email protected]