- Serves as a senior wildland firefighter on a wildland fire engine.
- Drives engine to fire locations, frequently over unimproved roads and positions engine in appropriate locations in consideration of the safety of crew and equipment and how the equipment can best be used in control and mop-up operations.
- Gathers and considers information on weather data, topography, fuel types, and fire behavior in responding to wildland fire incidents.
- Responsible for operations and maintenance of specialized equipment used to respond to wildland and prescribed fire situations.
- Participates in wildland fire and safety training in the techniques, practices, and methods of fire suppression and in the safe, efficient operations and use of tools, equipment, and vehicles used in fireline activities.

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

This is a primary firefighter position under the special retirement provisions of 5 U.S.C. 8336(c) (CSRS) and 5 U.S.C. 8412(d) (FERS). The position is subject to maximum entry age (MEA) requirements.

The MEA for this position shall not exceed age 37, unless you have sufficient prior Federal civilian covered firefighter experience or you are a preference eligible veteran. If you are a preference eligible veteran, you may be eligible for this position after your 37^th birthday. You must supply a copy of your Defense Department Form 214 (DD-214) along with Standard Form 15 (if applicable) and any associated documentation in accordance with the instructions in this vacancy announcement. Failure to provide this documentation with your application will result in a loss of eligibility to receive a waiver of the maximum entry age requirement.

Proof of prior covered service must be submitted prior to employment. Acceptable proof consists of SF-50’s showing beginning and ending dates of covered/creditable appointments and copies of approved letters based on individual claims. Applicants who fail to provide this evidence will not be considered eligible for the position.

THIS IS A DRUG TESTING DESIGNATED POSITION. In accordance with Executive Order 12564, and under the Department’s Drug Free Workplace Program, 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.

You must be 18 years of age or older to be assigned to a hazardous position.

You must possess a valid state driver's license by the closing date of the announcement and at all times during your appointment in this position.

Qualifications

Physical Demands: Duties involve rigorous 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 of heavier items, and similar strenuous activities requiring at least average agility and dexterity. Duties include demands for strenuous 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 incumbent during fire activities.

Passage of a pre-employment physical is required. You must also pass the work capacity test for arduous positions.

Work Environment: The work is primarily performed in forest and desert environments in steep terrain where surfaces may be extremely uneven, rocky, covered with thick tangled vegetation, smoky conditions, etc. Temperatures commonly exceed 100 degrees F and fall below freezing. Risks include smoke inhalation, fire entrapment, snake or insect bites and stings, exposure to excessive machinery noise, and falling and rolling materials.

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. Detailed information regarding IFPM positions can be found at IFPM.

Specialized Experience Requirements:
In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the specialized experience requirement - please be sure to include this information in your resume. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade of the position to be filled.

For GS-05: One year (12 months) of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level GS-04 in the federal service. Examples of specialized experience may include experience directly related to wildland fire suppression and control activities including suppression, preparedness, prevention, monitoring, hazardous fuels reduction or prescribed burning.

For GS-04: 6 months of general work experience, which can be any work experience AND 6 months of specialized work experience equivalent to GS-03 level duties. Examples of specialized work experience include on-the-line wildland fire experience in forest/range fire control, prevention or suppression work as a trainee wildland firefighter.

Substitution of Education for the Specialized Experience Requirement:
For GS-05: Successful completion of a full 4-year (120 semester hours/ 180 quarter hours) course of study leading to a bachelor's degree (a) with major study in forestry, range management, agriculture, or a subject-matter field directly related to the position, or (b) that included at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such forestry, agriculture, crop or plant science, range management or conservation, wildlife management, watershed management, soil science, natural resources (except marine fisheries and oceanography), outdoor recreation management, civil or forest engineering, or wildland fire science. No more than 6 semester hours in mathematics is creditable

For GS-04: Successful completion of 2 years (60 semester hours/ 90 quarter hours) of education above the high school level which included at least 12 semester hours in any combination of the following courses: forestry, agriculture, crop or plant science, range management or conservation, wildlife management, watershed management, soil science, natural resources (except marine biology and oceanography), outdoor recreation management, civil or forest engineering, or wildland fire science. No more than 3 semester hours of mathematics is creditable toward this requirement.

Education and experience may be combined to meet the specialized experience requirement.

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 IFPM minimum qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

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

SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTORS: This position requires a special qualification that has been determined to be essential to perform the duties and will be used as a screen out element. Those who do not provide evidence they possess the following selective factor(s) will be rated not qualified.

Selective Placement Factor 1: This position is a Primary Firefighter position and is covered under Special Fire Retirement. In accordance with Public Law 107-27, applicants must be age 37 or under at the time of appointment, unless proof is provided of prior Federal service in another covered position, or you are a preference eligible veteran. If you are a preference eligible veteran, you MAY be eligible for this position after your 37th birthday.

Selective Placement Factor 2: To meet IFPM requirements for Senior Firefighter, you must possess 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) Additional required training of S-290, "Intermediate Fire Behavior".

You must provide a copy of your Incident Qualification and Certification System (IQCS) Master Record or other equivalent documentation which verifies you meet the required NWCG qualifications for this IFPM position. Failure to provide this documentation by the closing dated of the announcement will result in you being rated as not qualified.

How you will be evaluated

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

Upon receipt of your complete application package, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. Your rating will be based on your responses to the Job Specific Questionnaire and the information stated in your resume. If you meet the qualification requirements, you application will be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans. In addition, interviews may be conducted for this position. The interviews may be conducted on a pass/fail basis or may be scored. The job specific questions relate to the following knowledge, skills and abilities required to do the work of this position.

KSA 1: Knowledge of fire behavior, hazards, prescribed fire and fire suppression tactics sufficient to make decisions regarding initial attack actions, crew safety, and deployment of assigned resources.

KSA 2: Knowledge of firefighting techniques and practices utilizing fire engine, water handling and pumps, fire devices, helicopter, hand crews and associated equipment in a variety of fire management operations.

KSA 3: Oral and written communication skills sufficient to effectively interact with people at all levels, internal and external to the organization.
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