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Forestry Technician (ATGS) (Wildland Firefighter)

Department of Agriculture
Forest Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

These positions will be located at a USDA Forest Service Unit.

The incumbent serves as an Air Tactical Group Supervisor (ATGS) for an Air Attack platform covering most interagency lands in and adjacent to the National Forest.

See ADDITIONAL INFORMATION section for the duty station location and contact information.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
04/14/2025 to 04/24/2025
Salary
$55,328 to - $79,443 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 8 - 9
Locations
Many vacancies in the following locations:
Chester, CA
Fresno, CA
Lancaster, CA
McClellan, CA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
9
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
Yes
Announcement number
25-FIRE-P3VA-ATGS-89DH
Control number
835165700

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. citizen. Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position. Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy.

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Duties

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  • Duties listed are at full performance grade GS-09 level.
  • Directs air tactical operations, provides aerial supervision and establishes priorities for initial attack, extended attack and other aviation duties as required.
  • Evaluates aircraft needs to perform air tactical mission; briefs ATGS pilots on mission requirements and crew resource management; determines navigation requirements; gathers air space information; identifies available aircraft.
  • Establishes air traffic control; identifies retardant and foam use restrictions; establishes target identification and appropriate tactics and coordinates with appropriate personnel; orders additional air resources as needed.
  • Briefs pilots; ensures positive control of aircraft in incident airspace; notifies ground crews of incoming aircraft and tactics; coordinates with other incidents.
  • Monitors incident aircraft and pilot flight hour limitations. Selects locations for temporary and semi-permanent airfields, helispots, and heliports as needed for air tactical operations.
  • Serves as a technical specialist on accident investigation teams. Provides instruction on a variety of topics in fire, aviation safety and certifies aviation proficiency of Forest personnel.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • 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.
  • Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.
  • 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.
  • Willing to live/work in remote locations (volatile/unpredictable).
  • Secondary Coverage: Prior wildland firefighting experience is required.
  • 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.
  • There may be additional Conditions of Employment not listed here, however applicants will be notified of any specific requirements at the time a tentative job offer is made.

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.

Basic Requirement:
GS-08: You must have one year specialized experience at least equivalent to the GS-07 in the Federal service. OR two full years (36 semester/54 quarter hours) of successfully completed graduate level education or master's degree if the coursework is directly related to the work of the position (such as forestry, range management, agriculture). OR a combination of graduate level education that is directly related to the position (in excess of 18 semester/27 quarter hours) and specialized experience. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university.

Specialized Experience Requirement:Assisting with the direction of air tactical operations for wildland fires suppression by assisting with evaluating aircraft needs to perform tactical missions, establishing target identification and navigation requirements; assisting with the inspection of aviation activities, notifying ground crew of tactics, and ordering additional air resources as needed; and, participating in aviation activities to support contract management, aviation training, and safety programs.

For the GS-09: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-08 in the Federal service. OR two full years (36 semester/54 quarter hours) of successfully completed graduate level education or master's degree if the coursework is directly related to the work of the position (such as forestry, range management, agriculture). OR a combination of graduate level education that is directly related to the position (in excess of 18 semester/27 quarter hours) and specialized experience. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university.

Examples of Specialized Experience include: Assisting with the direction of air tactical operations for wildland fires suppression by providing aerial supervision and establishing priorities for initial and extended attacks; evaluating aircraft needs to perform tactical missions and establishing target identification and navigation requirements; and performing contract management, aviation training, and safety program support activities for an aviation program.

Selective Placement Factors

Successful completion of the NWCG Core Requirement of Division/Group Supervisor (DIVS) OR Incident Commander Type 3 (ICT3).

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.

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 secondary 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.

To receive consideration for this position, you must provide updated required documents and meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

See QUALIFICATION section for educational requirements.

Additional information

For additional information about the duties and location(s) of these positions, please contact regional representative: To see the different locations within the Regional Offices | US Forest Service (usda.gov)

Region 5: Pacific Southwest Region - DeeDee Cherry at 530-227-2198

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors.

These are permanent positions with varying tours of duty and may include weekend work. Some positions may have irregular and protracted hours of work. Tours of duty include full-time or less than full time (guaranteed minimum 13 pay periods full-time employment).

The duty station for this position will be at one of the duty locations listed in this announcement. Salary range as shown is the locality pay Rest of U.S. (RUS). Pay rates vary by location. Please visit the Office of Personnel Management's website for additional information on pay rates.

Recruitment or Relocation Incentive may be authorized. Final determination to pay an incentive will be made by the hiring official at time of job offer.

The Forest Service may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract highly qualified candidates. Additional information is available at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/pay-and-leave-flexibilities-for-recruitment-and-retention/

PROMOTION POTENTIAL: If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied or guaranteed.

Positions filled from this announcement may be a bargaining or a non-bargaining unit position represented by either NFFE, AFGE or NAGE.

Forest Service daycare facilities may be available.

Government Housing may be available.

How you will be evaluated

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

This is a Direct-Hire Authority position, all applicants who meet the minimum qualifications, to include any selective placement factor(s), if applicable, will be referred to the selecting official. Before a certificate is issued to the selecting official, the resume is reviewed to ensure that you meet all the qualification requirements. A rating will not be used; veteran's preference does not apply due to the existence of the Direct Hire authority for this position.

Selections made under this authority will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Current civil service employees would be given a new appointment.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12720351

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