Lead Wildland Firefighter (Assistant Fire Engine Operator)

Summary

These positions will be located at a USDA Forest Service Unit. The primary purpose of this position is to perform wildland firefighting work and to lead crews performing such work. See ADDITIONAL INFORMATION section for the Regional contacts.

Duties

• Duties listed are at full performance GW-06 level.
• Make initial evaluation of fire situations, determines rate of spread, potential hazards to property and other improvements, suppression method to use, hose lays, deployment of crew, point of initial attack.
• Personally perform and direct others in starting pump engine, priming pump, adjusting engine speed and pump valves, laying hose, and using appropriate nozzles and nozzle adjustment in effective use of water and additives.
• Provide daily leadership, instructs crew members in specific tasks and techniques, distributes and controls work assignments among employees, and assures timely accomplishment of assigned tasks.
• Perform hazardous fuel reduction projects which entail thinning, cutting and piling vegetation through use of mechanical means, e.g. chainsaw, etc.
• Perform project work such as road and trail maintenance; inventory fuels beds, habitat improvement, burned area rehabilitation, miscellaneous equipment, facilities maintenance and other resources.
• Responsible for operation and maintenance of specialized equipment used to respond to wildland and prescribed fire situations. Operates a variety of motor vehicles to transport equipment, supplies, crew members, etc.

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. Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide course descriptions as necessary. Specialized Experience Requirement: For the GW-05: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GW-04) in the Federal service; OR A bachelor's degree or 4 years of successfully completed education above high school (120 semester/180 quarter hours) with major study in forestry, range management, agriculture, or a subject-matter field directly related to the position, or that included at least 24 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, outdoor recreation management, civil or forest engineering, or wildland fire science (no more than 6 semester hours in mathematics is creditable); OR An appropriate combination of successfully completed post-high school education (in excess of the first 60 semester/90 quarter hours) and specialized experience. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. Examples of specialized experience may include: Served as a skilled wildland firefighter on an organized crew during prescribed burns, monitoring or controlling the fire, and collecting data on fire weather and fire behavior and/or Operated pump and adjusted controls under close supervision and/or Performed regular maintenance and minor repairs to fire engine and/or Independently, or with one or two other crewmembers, carried out specialized assignments such as tree felling, backfire and burnout, and mobile and stationary engine attack. For the GW-06: Applicants must have one-year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GW-05) in the Federal service; OR One full year (18 semester/27 quarter hours) of successfully completed graduate level coursework that is directly related to the work of the position (such as forestry, range management, agriculture); OR An appropriate combination of graduate level education that is directly related to the position and specialized experience. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. Examples of specialized experience may include: Performed and directed others in starting pump engine, priming pump, adjusting engine speed and pump valves, laying hose appropriate nozzles and nozzle adjustment in effective use of water and foam application and/or Performed prescribed fire operations including preparation, ignition, monitoring, holding, and mop up and/or Evaluated initial fire situations, determined rate of spread, potential hazards to property and other improvements and/or Ensured the engine and fire equipment has been kept in full state of readiness for emergency dispatch. Selective Placement Factors: Successfully completed the Primary NWCG Core Requirement of Firefighter Type 1 (FFT1) AND Successfully completed the NWCG Course # S-290 Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior. Interagency Fire Program Management (IFPM) and Forest Service - Fire Program Management (FS-FPM) qualifications must be met by the time of selection. Most recent IQCS master record and/or signed Agency Certified task book must be attached to your application. If you are selected, you may be required to submit an updated IQCS master record or signed Agency Certified task book as proof of attainment of IFPM requirements prior to a final verbal offer. In order to be considered for this position, copies of your Incident Qualification and Certification System (IQCS) Master Record (or equivalent training documents) which contain documented proof of the certification or attainment of the IFPM Selective Placement Factor for this position MUST be attached to your application. Red cards are not acceptable documentation. Currency Requirement: Required to maintain currency once hired into the position. Currency of NWCG qualifications is not required for selection. If not currently qualified, the applicant must provide documented evidence that they have been fully qualified in the past, and are able to regain currency within one year of being hired. Failure to provide this documentation will result in disqualification. Primary firefighter positions include the following age requirements: Under age 37 -OR- less than age 37 after subtracting the months of Permanent Federal Service worked 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 maximum age requirement -OR-currently occupy a permanent position with primary fire fighter retirement coverage. For those who do not currently occupy a permanent Federal position covered under primary fire fighter retirement, you must be 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 requesting a waiver to the requirement. This position has been identified under the Interagency Fire Program Management (IFPM) or Forest Service Fire Program Management (FS-FPM) and is subject to selective placement factor requirements contained in the Interagency Fire Program Management (IFPM) Standard and Guide when filling this vacancy. IFPM or FS-FPM selective placement factors are made up of a primary and secondary National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) core Incident Management Qualifications and Required Training. The applicant must possess these qualifications at the applicable complexity level to be considered eligible for 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. FIREFIGHTER RETIREMENT COVERAGE: This is a primary/rigorous position covered under the special retirement provisions of 5 USC 8336(c) for the Civil Service Retirement System and of 5 USC 8412(d) for the Federal Employees 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. To receive consideration for this position, you must provide updated required documents and meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service or exempt. Subject to satisfactory 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. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify. Must be 18 years of age. This is a drug testing designated position. You will be subject to pre-employment and random drug testing. Appointment is based on a negative result. This announcement constitutes 30 days advance notice. Must pass the Work Capacity Test for certain Interagency Fire Program Management or Fire Program Management positions. Willing to live/work in remote locations (volatile/unpredictable). Some Fire positions may have Conditions of Employment such as: a valid state driver's license; a commercial driver's license (CDL); pre-appointment and random drug testing; or a physical or medical examination. 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. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Education

See QUALIFICATIONS section for education requirements.

How to apply

Please view Tips for Applicants - a guide to the Forest Service application process. Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Mountain Time Zone, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement to be entered into the system prior to its closing. Resumes must not exceed two pages. This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this. To begin, click "Apply" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents. Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded documents must be less than 5MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, TXT or Word (DOC or DOCX). Do not upload Adobe Portfolio documents because they are not viewable. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration. Please ensure your resume does not exceed two pages. Applicants who submit a resume that exceeds two pages will be removed from consideration. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, your system failure, etc.