Job opening: Wildland Firefighter (Fuels)
Salary: $49 025 - 70 578 per year
Published at: Nov 14 2024
Employment Type: Full-time
This position will be filled under the Office of Personnel Management's Direct Hire Authority and is open to all United States citizens and U.S. nationals. Veteran's preference and traditional rating and ranking of applications do not apply. All qualified applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration for this position. To learn more about Direct-Hire authority, go to: OPM.GOV Hiring Information: Direct Hire Fact Sheet
Duties
Operations and Preparedness -Prepares and implements routine aspects of the prescribed fire/fuels plan, ensuring that preparation, implementation, and rehabilitation are completed to the standards specified and in accordance with regulations, policies, and guidelines. Monitors treatment effectiveness, identifies potential problems, and makes recommendations. Recommends solutions for technical problems requiring the use of specialized or complicated techniques
Planning -Participates as an interdisciplinary team member under the direction of other fuels management staff, or fire management officer. Develops and recommends plans and schedules for the prescribed fire, wildland fire monitoring, and fuels treatment projects. Recommends solutions for technical problems requiring the use of specialized and/or complicated techniques. Uses input from the interdisciplinary team, management direction, and annual objectives to develop and recommend prioritization and timing of fuels management projects.
Program Management-Participates in planning and coordinating routine or limited aspects of the fuels management program. Assists in program direction, short-and long-range planning; budgeting; and managing wildland fire, fuels management, and prescribed fire programs. Monitors a variety of limited operational projects to address technical fire management problems. Ensures the smoke management program complies with state air quality standards. Coordinates with federal, state, tribal and local government air quality officials to comply with operational procedures and reporting requirements.
Requirements
- Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
- Resume (See "Required Documents"). Failure to provide ALL required information on your resume will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all information is provided on resume.
- Eligibility and Supporting documents - You will ONLY be considered for the eligibilities that you select "yes" to AND submit the required supporting documentation, as listed in the Required Documents section.
- 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 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
This key fire management position is a categorized under the Interagency Fire Program Management (IFPM) Standard as a Prescribed Fire & Fuels Specialist (PFFS). Minimum IFPM qualification standards must be met prior to being placed into the position. Detailed information regarding IFPM positions can be found at https://www.ifpm.nifc.gov/.
Prior experience in wild land firefighting is required in order to carry out the duties of this position. You will not be considered for this position if you do not have prior wild land firefighting experience.
This is a secondary-administrative firefighter position under the special retirement provisions of 5 U.S. C. 8336 (c) (CSRS) and 5 U. S. C. 8412 (d) (FERS). PLEASE NOTE: Applicants may meet qualification requirements but may not be eligible for special retirement coverage. If such an applicant is selected, they will be placed in the regular retirement system.
Only experience and education obtained by 11/27/2024 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***
You may qualify at the GS-7 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 grade level in the Federal service that demonstrates your ability to lay out and organize lines of attack for a wildland fire; locate and construct firelines; dispatch fire crews and provides onsite direction and support to crew members on the fireline; ensure availability of equipment, water, and supplies; train others in equipment safety, maintenance and use; conduct informal on-the-job fire training sessions; distribute literature and explain the fire prevention plan to the general public; use computer software for database creation, management, and manipulation (e.g., Microsoft Access, WIMS, Fire Base, etc.).
You may qualify at the GS-08 level, if you fulfill one of the following qualification requirements: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service that demonstrates your ability assisting with planning wildland fire suppression activities; assisting in writing and executing wildland fire management plans, prescribed burn plans, and preparedness plans.
IFPM Qualifications for Prescribed Fire and Fuels Specialist (PFFS) (Low Complexity)
I currently hold or have held the NWCG qualifications: Primary Core Requirement:
Single Resource Boss, Engine (ENGB)
or
Single Resource Boss, Crew (CRWB)
or
Single Resource Boss, Helicopter (HMGB)
or
Single Resource Boss, Firing (FIRB)
and
Secondary Core Requirement: Incident Commander Type 4 (ICT4)
I will provide a copy of my IQCS master record or equivalent documentation as instructed in the vacancy 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.
Promotion Potential: This position involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed represent the full performance level of GS-7/8. 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-7/8. 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.
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)