Job opening: Supervisory Wildland Firefighter (FMO)
Salary: $73 572 - 96 287 per year
Relocation: YES
Published at: Dec 26 2024
Employment Type: Full-time
Fish and Wildlife Service will be filling two Supervisory Wildland Firefighter, GS-0456-11 permanent full-time positions at the Region 4 locations below:
One (1) vacancy - Carolina Sandhills NWR, McBee, SC ($74,069 to $96,287)
One (1) vacancy at either Pocosin Lakes NWR, Columbia, NC OR Alligator River NWR, Manteo, NC ($73,572 to $95,641)
A supplemental pay increase of $20,000 or 50% of base pay per year, is authorized under Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and continuing resolutions.
Duties
Supervision
Supervises regularly assigns fire management staff and provides situational leadership and supervision for additional fire management staff during preparedness and incident response assignments; likewise, assigns and reassigns crews, firefighters, and other fire staff to various shifts and stations throughout the organization. Performs or supervises administrative program management functions such as planning; budget formulation and execution; stewardship of physical facilities, equipment, vehicles, and accountable property; development and implementation of training and development programs; and implementation of cooperative agreements.
Fire Program Management
Develops and maintains overall fire management plans for moderately complex fire programs covering a variety of activities such as: fire detection (i.e., lookout towers, detection cameras, ground and aerial patrols, aerial observation routes); fuels management projects; staffing requirements; pre-incident planning for construction of landing spots, fire camps, staging areas, fuel breaks and barriers, and water facilities; organizational requirements for supplies, materials, fleet, equipment, and facilities, standardized mapping and record keeping systems; strategic locations of fire resources; prevention inspection schedules and workload requirements; initial attack methods; operating procedures; operational methods for managing and suppressing large fires; policies and procedures for operating and maintaining communications systems and facilities; and fire management training programs needs and requirements.
Planning
Facilitates fire management planning activities. Fire management planning involves interacting with all disciplines (interdisciplinary teams) as well as subordinate leadership, employees of the organization, and cooperators from other federal, state, tribal, and local agencies. Provides advice and guidance to the unit agency administrator. Fire planning documents include, but are not limited to, fire management plans, prevention plans, training plans, dispatch plans, fuels management plans, use of new equipment or techniques, use of aerial assets both fixed and rotor, fire suppression, and cooperator participation.
Preparedness / Operations
Makes periodic inspections of the fire management organization and operations for compliance with approved plans, rules, regulations, and standards to ensure that an adequate and effective fire management force is being maintained. Inspects and evaluates the effectiveness and timeliness of fire prevention and fire dispatching operations and programs. Evaluates adequacy, efficiency, timeliness, speed of action, and effectiveness of firefighting resources, fleet, equipment, and facilities during fire suppression operations. Prepares reports of findings and makes recommendations for correction of deficiencies or steps required to improve operations or programs.
Fuels Management
Ensures the fuels management program is consistent with ecosystem management principles, land management plans, and evaluates the impacts to air quality standards. Establishes priorities for fire hazard reduction to protect high value resources and assets and maximize multiple resource benefits and ecosystem enhancements. Reviews and evaluates fuels management and prescribed fire burn plans and prescriptions to achieve ecosystem and resource management objectives. May participate in interdisciplinary teams in the development of land use plans. Stays current with new technology and science to ensure best fuels management practices. Ensures fuels related reporting requirements are met to adhere to various funding source requirements.
Requirements
- Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
- 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
- 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 categorized under the Interagency Fire Program Management (IFPM) Standard as Moderate Complexity. 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 01/09/2025 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-11 level, if you fulfill one of the following qualification requirements:
If you are a current or former federal employee who served in a competitive or excepted appointment, your resume must show that you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level that demonstrates your ability to direct multiple phases of fire management programs on Federally managed lands. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include, fire management planning, aviation management, training and workforce planning, fire preparedness, fuels management and fire prevention, dispatching, suppression, post-suppression, as well as hazard and emergency response activities.
If you have never been or are NOT a current federal employee who served in a competitive or excepted appointment, your resume must show that you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-10 grade level that demonstrates your ability to direct multiple phases of fire management programs on Federally managed lands. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include, fire management planning, aviation management, training and workforce planning, fire preparedness, fuels management and fire prevention, dispatching, suppression, post-suppression, as well as hazard and emergency response activities.
This position is subject to the qualifications and additional required training specified in the Interagency Fire Program Management (IFPM) Qualifications Standards and Guide.
NWCG INCIDENT MANAGEMENT QUALIFICATIONS (CURRENCY NOT REQUIRED):
Pathway #1
1) Task Force Leader (TFLD)
AND
2) Incident Commander Type 3 (ICT3) OR Prescribed Fire Burn Boss, Type 2 (RXB2)
OR
Pathway #2
1) Helibase Manager (HEBM)
AND
2) Incident Commander, Type 3 (ICT3)
(You must provide a copy of your Incident Qualification and Certification System (IQCS) Master Record or other equivalent documentation which verifies you meet the required minimum qualifications for this IFPM position. Failure to provide this documentation by the closing dated of the announcement will result in you being rated as not qualified).
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
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)