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Forestry Technician (Fire Dispatch) - Direct Hire Authority

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
BLM Fire
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This is a Direct-Hire advertisement. Veterans preference is not applicable to this advertisement. Learn more about this authority at: Direct Hire Authority

ATTENTION - USA Jobs system will be down September 5th-7th. Please ensure to submit your application before or after these dates.

We expect to fill multiple vacancies at this time; however, additional positions may be filled from this announcement if they become available.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
09/04/2025 to 09/25/2025
Salary
$57,098 to - $80,541 per year

See "Additional Information" for further details.

Pay scale & grade
GW 6 - 7
Locations
Fairbanks, AK
Few vacancies
Durango, CO
1 vacancy
Johnstown, CO
1 vacancy
Montrose, CO
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel is required to attend training, conferences, workshops, and/or field visits. Frequent travel MAY be required during peak fire activity.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—Relocation expenses MAY be offered where funds are available. See Additional Information Section for more information
Appointment type
Permanent - This is a permanent seasonal appointment. You will be in pay status for at least 6 months; but less than 12 months in a calendar year. When work/funds are unavailable, you will be placed in non-pay status.
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
7 - This position is considered a career ladder opportunity, with a full performance level of GW-07. Please see "Additional Information" for more details.
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
FADHA-26-12793193-CGR1
Control number
845083900

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens - No previous federal service is required. This position is being advertised under an OPM government-wide Direct Hire authority. CTAP and ICTAP candidates in the local commuting area.

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Duties

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  • Determine appropriate resource response to incidents and requests from the field.
  • Coordinate aviation dispatch operations.
  • Process and interpret weather information.
  • Anticipate fire suppression needs and determine resource allocation.
  • Operate and/or direct the operations of various dispatch telecommunications systems and input data into fire-related computer applications.
  • Review internal operating procedures and systems, make recommendations for improvement, and update/develop operating plans and mobilization guides.
  • Perform and direct others in receiving fire reports, determining locations, land status, and current fire information.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Be sure to read the HOW TO APPLY and REQUIRED DOCUMENTS Sections.
  • You cannot hold an active real estate license; nor can you have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Land.
  • Direct Deposit Required.
  • Background Investigation Required.
  • Appointment will be subject to a favorably adjudicated background/suitability investigation/determination. Failure to possess or obtain a favorable determination will result in the cancellation of the offer or will be grounds for termination.
  • Applicant(s) tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use and to pass the test prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use.
  • This position requires regular and recurring overtime and shift work during peak fire season.
  • May require completion of a one year probationary period.
  • Applicants appointed to this position MAY be required to POSSESS and maintain a valid state driver's license.
  • You may be required to pass a pre-employment physical, depending on the location.
  • Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • Driver’s License required – GSA Form 3607 will be required to be completed during onboarding process.
  • DOI uses E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/e-verify.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification Requirements: In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the minimum qualification requirement(s); please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade of the position to be filled.

To qualify for the GW-06 grade level, you must meet at least one of the following:

  1. Experience: 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to GW/GS-05 is required. Examples of work experience include, but are not limited to: performing wildland fire dispatch duties such as: receiving and reviewing fire incident reports; working with wildland fire dispatch computer programs; and determine fire resource needs.
  2. Education: 1 full year (18 semester hours) of graduate education which is DIRECTLY related to work of the position.
  3. A combination of education and experience as described above.
To qualify for the GW-07 grade level, you must meet at least one of the following:
  1. Experience: 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to GW/GS-06 is required. Examples of work experience include, but are not limited to: performing lead wildland fire dispatch duties such as: performing and directing others in wildland fire dispatch office functions; providing incident logistical support information, and making recommendations for efficient use of available resources; and determining appropriate resource responses to incidents.
  2. Education: 1 full year (18 semester hours) of graduate education which is DIRECTLY related to work of the position.
  3. A combination of education and experience as described above.

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.

*You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

Physical Demands: The work involves long hours of sitting, intense concentration, and working at peak proficiency/intensity levels with irregular breaks and mealtimes. The duties of this position create a highly stressful environment during peak activity, requiring the ability to keep calm in emergency situations. Must be able to cope with the pressure of meeting timeframes and changing priorities. Mental concentration and accuracy are required.

Work Environment: Work is performed primarily in an office setting. During peak activity, increased radio traffic, numerous ringing phones, and conversations result in high noise levels, which require a high level of concentration to perform duties. This creates a high stress work environment.

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). While secondary positions are not subject to the maximum entry age policy, the selectee must have prior service in a primary position (3 years of service in primary/rigorous position(s)) and meet the transfer requirement for movement from a primary to secondary position to be eligible for special retirement coverage. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure this office has enough information to determine your retirement status to ensure you do not lose benefits (normally through submission of your SF-50). YOU MUST LET US KNOW IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY IN A PRIMARY POSITION.

FACT SHEET for Fire Positions: Information on Special Retirement.

Education

See Qualifications Section.

Additional information

The new Special Base Rate (SBR) Salary Table for Federal wildland firefighters, General Wildland Firefighter (GW) pay plan effective March 23, 2025 was used to indicate the salary in this announcement. Salaries may vary dependent upon location selected. You can access the new pay schedule here.

This is a permanent career seasonal appointment. You will be in pay status for at least 6 months; but less than 12 months in a calendar year. When work/funds are unavailable, you will be placed in non-pay status. Pay status may be less than 6 months upon initial appointment.

This position is considered a career ladder opportunity, with a full performance level of GW-07. If selected at a lower grade level, you may be non-competitively promoted to the next grade level at the discretion of your supervisor and is contingent upon meeting regulatory and legal requirements for promotion, satisfactory performance, and the availability of higher-level work. Promotion is not guaranteed, and no promise of promotion is implied.

AK LOCATIONS ONLY: The salary includes base pay and locality pay, you will also receive a 1.49% cost of living allowance. This allowance is subject to annual review.

Travel and relocation expenses MAY be offered by the Department of Interior.

IF PCS is authorized for a location: Tax Law Impact for PCS: Moving expenses reimbursement is a taxable benefit. However, the Federal Travel Regulation18-05 issued by the General Services Administration has authorized agencies to use the Withholding Tax Allowance and Relocation Income Tax Allowance to pay for "substantially all" of the increased tax liability resulting from the "2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" for certain eligible individual

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. Information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is available from OPM's Career Transition Resources website at CTAP or ICTAP. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration or that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) This vacancy is within your CTAP/ICTAP eligibility; 2) You apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) You are found well-qualified for this vacancy. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, or a copy of your separation personnel action form.

CTAP and ICTAP eligibles will be considered well qualified if they meet minimum qualifications for this position.

Reemployment Priority List (RPL): The RPL is the mechanism agencies use to give reemployment consideration to their former competitive service employees separated by a RIF or who have fully recovered from a compensable injury after more than one year. If you are currently on a RPL, you may be given priority consideration.

The BLM has determined that the duties of this position are not suitable for telework.

Government facilities are required to provide a smoke free environment for their employees. Smoking will be permitted only in designated areas.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

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

PLEASE LIMIT YOUR RESUME TO NO MORE THAN 2 PAGES. IF MORE THAN 2 PAGES ARE SUBMITTED, ONLY THE FIRST 2 PAGES WILL BE REVIEWED TO DETERMINE YOUR ELIGIBILITY/QUALIFICATIONS. Help with New 2 Page Resume Requirements

You will be evaluated based on how your application materials reflect the qualification requirements of this position.

Once the job opportunity announcement closes, your resume and all supporting documents will be reviewed by HR to determine your eligibility for Federal employment and your qualifications for this position specifically. Due to this vacancy being filled through OPM's Direct Hire Authority, Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to positions filled under this announcement. Applications received as a result of job fairs, recruitment events, and emergency hiring mechanisms in support of this hiring initiative will also be accepted during the duration of the announcement. All qualified candidates will be referred for consideration; the hiring office may conduct interviews at their discretion. Interviews may be conducted on a pass/fail basis.

Your responses to the online questionnaire will be used to evaluate your competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and/or job elements) in the following areas:

  • Fire Management - Knowledge of the concepts, principles, and theories of fire management, including the characteristics, behavior, and ecology of fire; methodologies, strategies, and equipment used in prescribed fires; fire detection, prevention, and suppression strategies; and integration of fire with natural resource management.
  • Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.
  • Oral Communication - Expresses ideas and facts to individuals or groups effectively; makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others; facilitates an open exchange of ideas.



Certain incentives, such as, Recruitment, Relocation, or Student Loan Repayment, may be authorized to eligible selectees. If eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis, and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information visit: Recruitment Incentives (OPM.gov), or Relocation Incentives (OPM.gov), or Student Loan Repayment (OPM.gov)

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