Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. Citizen. DIRECT HIRING AUTHORITY will be used to fill this position.

Major Duties of the Prescribed Fire/Fuels Technician GS-0462-08
The prescribed fire/fuels technician is directly responsible for participating in the planning, implementation and coordination of all aspects of the prescribed fire and fuels management program, ensuring that preparations, ignition, holding, mop-up and rehabilitation are completed to the standards specified and in accordance with regulations, policies and guidelines. Use fire management systems such as INSPECTOR, NFPORS, INFORM, FTEM, Collector, BEHAVE, Farsite, Fire Family Plus, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and other fire modeling systems to develop treatments schedules, burn prescriptions, and/or write burn or mechanical treatment plans. Reviews project plans and makes recommendations on appropriate levels of monitoring in conjunction with the zone fire ecologist. Supervises activities of a crew that conducts field work in such areas as wildland fire suppression, mechanical fuel treatment, prescribed fire, related resource management projects and cross division assignments as directed. May serve as an incident commander, engine boss or squad boss directing and supervising crews on fires. Conducts formal and informal fire training and drills for all zone fire personnel.

Major Duties of the Prescribed Fire/Fuels Technician GS-0462-09
In addition to all GS0462-08 duties: Provides technical assistance in program direction, short and long-term planning, budgeting and managing wildfire suppression, fuels management and prescribed fire. May serve as Duty Officer, after hours contact or acting AFMO when needed.

Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.

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.

FERS TRANSITION REQUIREMENT: To be eligible for Secondary retirement coverage under CSRS, an employee must transfer directly (without a break in service exceeding 3 days) from a primary position to a secondary position. To be eligible for Secondary retirement coverage under FERS, an employee must: 1) transfer directly (without a break in service exceeding 3 days) from a primary position to a secondary position, AND 2) complete 3 years of service in a primary rigorous position including any such service during which no FERS deductions were withheld, AND 3) must be continuously employed in a secondary position(s) since moving from a primary rigorous position, except for any break in employment from a secondary position that began with involuntary separation (not for cause). It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure this office has enough information to determine your special retirement status to ensure you do not lose benefits (normally through submission of your work history or other documentation that demonstrates work history of approved retirement covered positions). You must let this office know if you are in a Primary retirement covered position.

Physical Demands: 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.

Working Conditions: Work is perform both in-doors (office) and out-of-doors (field work). Office conditions require long periods of sitting, working with computers and general lifting, and bending and reaching. Field conditions are performed in various conditions and often involve steep terrain where surfaces may be extremely uneven, rocky, covered with vegetation, and in smoky conditions. 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. Personnel must adjust and cope with exposure to adverse weather elements, dust and smoke, poor sleeping and eating conditions and unpredictable sets of circumstances. The 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 rotor-wing aircraft.

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.
• 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.
• Work may require travel by fixed-wing or rotorwing aircraft.
• You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
• You may be required to work evenings, weekends, holidays, and overtime.
• 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 travel up to 4 nights per month and you must obtain a government charge card for travel.
• Subject to extended travel (up to 14 nights per month) during fire season.
• You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.
• 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 given by an authorized government physician. You will also be required to 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. WCT Information

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement06/23/2021 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 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 Prescribed Fire & Fuels Specialist (PFFS) Moderate Complexity and requires selectee to meet the minimum qualification standards for IFPM prior to moving into the position. For more information on IFPM, click here.

Selective Factors: The applicant must have possessed all the following National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) incident management qualifications and training requirements to be considered eligible for this position:

1. Primary Core Requirement: Prescribed Fire Burn Boss Type 2 (RXB2)
2. Secondary Core Requirement: Engine Boss (ENGB) -OR- Crew Boss (CRWB) -OR- Helicopter Manager (HMGB)

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

-AND-
Candidates must possess a minimum of 90-days of wildland firefighting experience, gained through fire line work in containment, control, suppression or use of wildland fire. You must clearly demonstrate this experience in your resume, including the months, days and hours per week at which the work was performed in order to be considered.

A minimum of 90 days of wildland firefighting experience is required to meet qualifications for secondary (administrative) covered positions. The Department of Interior defines wildland firefighting experience as: On-the-line wildland firefighting experience gained through containment, control, suppression, or use of wildland fire. This experience can be met by serving in a temporary, seasonal, or equivalent private sector fire position for no less than 90 days. Periods of wildland firefighting experience, gained through militia and rural fire departments, can also be credited, as long as the total amount of this experience equates to at least 90 days. Wildland fire is defined as any non-structure fire that occurs in the wildland. Two distinct types of wildland fire have been defined and include wildfire and prescribed fires as follows: Wildfire: Unplanned ignitions or prescribed fires that are declared wildfires. Prescribed Fires: Planned ignitions. This description includes only fireline experience on a Prescribed Fire; it does not include experience in the planning stages. Prescribed fire experience must be supplemented by fire suppression experience in order to be creditable as previous wildland firefighting experience.

- AND -

NOTE: If your firefighting experience includes both structural and wildland, it is essential that your application materials clearly separate and document your wildland experience.

To qualify for the GS-0462-08

One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal service. Examples of qualifying specialized for this position 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 include: Participating in implementing prescribed fire or fire use plans to ensure resource objectives can be met from a fire management standpoint; developing initial attack incident management strategies and tactics to meet the stated resource objective; implementing surveys, assisting in the review of survey results and initiating recommendations for prescribed fire and mechanical fuels management projects or treatments.
-OR-

2 years of graduate level education or a Master's Degree directly related to the position.

-OR-

Combination of education and experience that is directly related to the work of this position as stated above.

IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTE: If you are using education to qualify you must submit a legible copy of your transcripts (A copy of your official transcripts will be required before entrance on duty, if selected).

-AND-
To Qualify for the GS-0462-09

One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-08 level in the Federal service. Examples of qualifying specialized for this position is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Specialized experience for this position includes experience in at least two of the following three categories:

(1) Experience that demonstrated understanding of fire effects on cultural and natural resources through assignments such as developing fire management plans to ensure resource objectives can be met form a fire management standpoint; or, conducting field inspections before and/or after prescribed fires or wildland fires to determine if defined resource objectives have been met.

(2) Prescribed fire/fuels management experience demonstrated by activities such as professional forest of range inventory methods and procedures (e.g., Browns planar intercept for dead and down fuels; live fuel loading assessments); or, analysis of fuel loadings and determination of appropriate fuel treatment methods and programming; or evaluating prescribed fire plans or fire management plans to ensure fire containment is possible, and identify appropriate suppression contingencies if containment is not obtained.

(3) Fire management operations that included analyzing and applying fire management strategies, PLUS experience in at least four of the following activities: Mobilization and dispatch coordination; Fire prevention; Training; Logistics; Equipment development and deployment; Fire communications systems; Suppression and preparedness.

-OR-

2 years of graduate level education or a Master's Degree directly related to the position.

-OR-

Combination of education and experience that is directly related to the work of this position as stated above.

IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTE: If you are using education to qualify you must submit a legible copy of your transcripts (A copy of your official transcripts will be required before entrance on duty, if selected).

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.

How you will be evaluated

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

Applicants will be evaluated based on how whether they meet the qualification requirements.

Upon receipt of the completed application package, a review of your application will be made to ensure basic qualification requirements are met.

This vacancy will be filled through a Direct Hire Authority. Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to positions filled under this Authority. All qualified applicants, as determined by the SHRO, will be referred for consideration. While managers and supervisors are not required to conduct interviews, it is highly recommended that they do so in order to assess the competencies of each applicant.

If an applicant's resume is incomplete or does not support the requirements for minimum qualifications or specialized experience a rating of "ineligible" or "not qualified" will be applied and no consideration for employment will be granted.

If a determination is made that an applicant has inflated qualifications or experience on the resume, the applicant will receive no consideration for the position, as per OPM regulations.