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Forestry Technican

Department of the Interior
National Park Service
DOI Region 9
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position will be duty stationed at Mount Rainer National Park and will support the NPS Wildland Fire and Aviation Activities of the Pacific Northwest geographic area.

Open to the first 50 applicants or until 04/17/2020 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
04/07/2020 to 04/17/2020
This job will close when we have received 50 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$38,921 to - $50,598 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 6
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Ashford, WA
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
50% or less - You will be expected to travel for this position for mission critcal work, trainings, meets and site visits
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
6
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
PW-1545-NOCA-20-10785137-DE
Control number
565032300

Duties

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  • Serves as a Fire Helicopter Squad LeadSenior Wildland Firefighter on a n engine, helitack module., handcrew or prescribed fire crew
  • Performs day to day aviation operations in support of Search and Rescue missions, Fire management activities, resource projects and other emergency incidents.
  • Performs as a chainsaw operator and chainsaw repair technician.
  • Operates and maintains specialized tools and equipment.
  • Performs all aspects of wildland and prescribed fire operations.
  • Gathers fire weather data, fuel types, and fire behavior in response to wildland fire incidents.
  • Participates in crew proficiency checks and drills, safety sessions, and fire critiques.
For more information on this position please contact:
Scott Ebel, Fire Management Officer
Email: scott_ebel@nps.gov


This position is a Career-Seasonal appointment position and includes the same benefits as Career appointments, but do not provide work on a year-round basis. You will work from at least 20 pay periods, approximately (March - November) and you will be in a non-pay status for the remainder of the year. If additional funding becomes available you may work more Pay Periods but you will be in non-pay status for at least six (6) Pay Periods every year.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
  • Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • 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.
  • Prior to appointment, you must be determined physically fit by an authorized government physician to perform strenuous and physically demanding duties; and also pass a medical examination (which includes vision, hearing, cardiovascular, and mobility of extremities) given by an authorized government physician. You will also be required to undergo periodic medical examinations throughout employment.
  • The Work Capacity Test (WCT-Pack Test) as a method for assessing an employee's fitness levels for fire qualifications in the positions covered by this recruitment notice. Employees required to pass a WCT-Pack Test as a "condition of employment" will be provided one opportunity to pass the required test with a second chance provided at the discretion of management based on the results of the first test. This recruitment notice constitutes the required 30 days advanced notice for testing requirements. NOTE: Arduous fitness (WCT-Pack Test) will consist of completing a three-mile hike, within 45 minutes, while carrying a 45 pound pack.
  • You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You must also submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you.
  • You may be required to complete training and operate a four-wheel drive vehicle.
  • Selectees will be expected to travel in (not pilot) a small single-engine aircraft.
  • You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-04/17/2020-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 of qualified specialized experience.

This position has been identified as one of the key fire management positions under the Interagency Fire Program management (IFPM) Standard. This position has been categorized as a Senior Firefighter and requires selectee to meet the minimum qualification standards for IFPM prior to being placed into the position. For more information on IFPM, click here.

Selective Factors: The applicant must have possessed all of the following National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) incident management qualifications and training requirements to be considered eligible for this position:
1. Firefighter Type 1 (FFT1)
2. Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior (S290)

Selectees for IFPM positions requiring currency will be required to obtain and maintain currency for the NWCG qualifications listed above.

In addition to the IFPM Qualifications, you must possess the following certifications and/or trainings.
Selective Factors:
1. Helicopter Crew Member (HECM)
2. Incident Commander Type 5 (ICT5)
3. Portable Pumps and Water Use (S211)
4. Wildland Fire Chainsaw Use (S212)

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 not have reached their 37th birthday upon appointment to this position unless there is sufficient prior Federal service in a covered position to permit retirement on or before the mandatory retirement age for this type of position. An exception is allowed if you are a qualified veteran preference eligible.

EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-5 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Examples of specialized experience could include work directly related to forest or range fire control, prevention or suppression. Examples of such work are: personally performing and/or leading others in one or more of the following wildland fire-fighting functions: serving as a member of a fire suppression hand-crew, serving as a member of a prescribed fire crew; serving as a member of a wildland fire engine crew; serving as a member of a wildland fire helitack crew; or other forestry technician or comparable position performing wildland fire related work.
You must include hours per week worked.

Volunteer Experience: 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.

***Additional Position Requirements, continued***

  • You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
  • If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
  • Subject to frequent extended travel up to 14 or more nights per month particularly during fire season, and you must obtain a government charge card for travel.
  • You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.

Education

To qualify based on education, 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.

Additional information

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

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 requires prolonged standing, walking over uneven ground, and recurring bending, reaching, lifting and carrying of items weighing over 50 pounds and shared lifting and carrying of heavier items, and similar strenuous activities requiring at least average agility and dexterity. Duties include demands for activities in emergencies under adverse environmental conditions and over extended periods of time. Operation of some specialized fire equipment can place extended physical stress on employee during fire activities.

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. Employee must adjust and cope with exposure to weather elements, dust and smoke, poor sleeping and eating conditions and unpredictable sets of circumstances. Employee may be required to live in backcountry camps for extended periods of time. The hazardous nature of the work requires that personal protective equipment be worn (boots, hardhat, gloves, flame resistant clothing, etc.). Work may require travel by fixed-wing or rotorwing aircraft.

The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document that you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application. Click the following link for more information, https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Alternate_Application_Information.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories:

  • Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position
  • Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job
  • Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.
You will be evaluated on the following competencies:
  • Fire Management
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Technical Competence
  • Vehicle Maintenance

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