Job opening: Wildland Firefighter
Salary: $31 512 - 59 823 per year
Published at: Sep 05 2024
Employment Type: Full-time
Salary amounts will vary depending on location.
Please see "Additional Information" section for vacancy location information and "Salaries" tab below for location specific pay information
Salaries for Advertised Locations
Duties
Gather and consider information such as weather, topography, fuel types, and fire behavior to respond to wildland fire incidents.
Performs all aspects of wildland and prescribed fire operations, including preparation, ignition, monitoring, holding, and mop-up.
May be required to operate light vehicles and 4x4s
Work may include working as a crew member on any of the following types of crews: ENGINE, HANDCREW, FUELS CREW, HELICOPTER
Engine crews work with specialized firefighting equipment and perform many activities such as mobile attack with engines, deploying hose lays, fireline construction with hand tools, burnout operations and mopping up hotspots.
Requirements
- Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
- Resume and supporting documents (See How To Apply)
- Suitability for employment, as determined by background investigation
- Drug testing position
- Medical Requirements
- Official U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uniform required
- May be required to successfully complete a probationary period
- You must meet general and/or specialized experience to qualify
- Must meet the minimum/maximum age requirement
- Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position
- Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
Qualifications
The maximum age is 37 (except for veterans preference eligibles). Individuals must be selected for these positions prior to their 37th birthday. Qualified preference eligibles may apply and be considered for vacancies regardless of whether they meet the maximum age requirements identified at 5 U.S.C. 3307, unless the hiring agency has determined age is essential to the duties of the job.
Only experience and education obtained by 09/18/2024 will be considered.
***Your resume MUST include BEGINNING and END DATES specified in MONTH/YEAR to MONTH/YEAR format. In addition, your resume MUST reflect FULL-TIME/PART-TIME or total number of HOURS worked per week***
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.
General and/or Specialized Experience: In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the qualification requirements - include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience.
For the GS-3: You must possess 6 months of general work experience, which can be any work experience. - OR - 1 year of related education above the high school level. - OR - a combination of education and experience.
For the GS-4: You must possess 6 months of general work experience, which can be any work experience AND 6 months of specialized work experience equivalent to the GS-3 level duties. Examples of specialized work experience include on-the-line wildland fire experience in forest/range fire control, prevention or suppression work.
-OR-
2 years above high school with related courses related to the occupation.
For the GS-5: You must possess 12 months of specialized work experience equivalent to the GS-4. Examples of specialized work experience include on-the-line wildland fire experience in forest/range fire control, prevention or suppression work as a trainee wildland firefighter; or serving as a crewmember utilizing a variety of specialized fire tools, equipment, and techniques while actively suppressing wildfires. Performing basic fireline activities such as line construction, hose layout, operations of pumps and accessories, lopping and scattering of fuels using hand tools.
-OR
-4 years of related education above the high school level.
- OR
-a combination of education and experience.
This is a primary firefighter 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 maximum entry-age for this position shall not exceed age 37 unless you have sufficient prior Federal civilian firefighter experience or you are a preference eligible veteran. If you are a preference eligible veteran, you may be eligible for this position 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.
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.
Promotion Potential: This position involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed represent the full performance level of GS-3/4/5. At lower grade levels, you will perform assignments of a more limited scope and with less independence. You will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-3/4/5. Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher-level work, and availability of funds. The selectee may be promoted without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.
Physical Demands: Essential functions require arduous exertion for protracted periods of time such as, but not limited to, extensive running, walking, climbing, kneeling, stooping, pulling hoses, jumping and twisting. Duties involve fieldwork requiring above average physical performance, endurance and superior conditioning.
Work Environment: The work is primarily performed in forest, range and desert environments in steep terrain where surfaces may be extremely uneven, rocky, covered with vegetation, and in smoky conditions, etc. Temperatures vary from above 100 degrees F to below freezing. Risks include smoke inhalation, fire entrapment, snake or insect bites and stings, exposure to excessive machinery noise, and falling and rolling material.
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.
PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.
GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.
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:
Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov)