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Fire Management Officer

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

Summary

Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our greatest natural resource.

For additional information about the BLM, please visit Our website.

This position is located in Ukiah, CA. Information about Ukiah and the surrounding area can be found at: Ukiah, California 

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
08/27/2019 to 10/11/2019
Salary
$62,236 to - $80,912 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Ukiah, CA
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - This position may require occasional travel to attend training, meetings, or field visits.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—Travel and relocation expenses will be paid consistent with the Federal Travel Regulation, Chapter 302, and Departmental policy. The use of a relocation service company and home marketing incentive will not be offered.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
Yes
Announcement number
CA-Merit-2019-0149
Control number
543968400

Duties

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  • Directs all phases of a fire management program in planning, program direction, coordination, evaluation, and supervision. 
  • Provides guidance and advises the field office in pre-suppression, suppression and fuels management related duties.
  • Reviews NEPA analysis, documentation, burn plans and contracts for fuels management projects. Provides wildfire, fuels management and budget reporting.
  • Determines financial needs and requirements for the fire and fuels management program.
  • Coordinates operations with cooperating agencies on multi-jurisdictional incidents.
  • Develops and implements a communication plan for external and internal information to include Federal, State, Tribal, and local governments and groups.
  • Reviews prepardness actions and operating plans to include the fuels management program and ensures consistent management principles are used.
  • Provides technical and administrative supervision; plans and directs work, sets work priorities, develops performance standards, and evaluates subordinates.

Physical Demands:  Normally the work is sedentary but often requires physical exertion while overseeing fire suppression activities including walking over rough, steep, uneven terrain in all types of weather. The incumbent is faced with emergency situations at all hours and must respond quickly. The position may require long shifts or multi-day assignments under primitive living conditions during emergencies. During the fire season, extended fire assignments away from the unit may be required under very stressful conditions.

Work Environment:  Most work is performed in an office setting. Field work is sometimes performed in steep terrain where surfaces may be uneven, rocky, or covered with thick vegetation. Temperatures are frequently extreme, both from weather and fire conditions where the presence of smoke and/or dust conditions are frequently severe. The hazardous nature of fire suppression work requires that protective clothing (boots, hard hats, etc.) be worn during emergencies. The incumbent must exercise a variety of safety practices and precautions for their own and others' well being.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

This position is subject to the Interagency Fire Program Management (IFPM) Standard and Guide selective placement factors for a Unit Fire Program Manager, Moderate Complexity, and requires applicant to meet the selective factors outlined in the Qualification section.

This position has a basic education requirement that requires applicants to meet the minimum education outlined in the Qualification section. 

This position is subject to drug testing.

U.S. Citizenship is required.

Background Investigation Required.

Direct Deposit Required.

You cannot hold an active real estate license, nor can you have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Land.

Be sure to read the "How to Apply" and "Required Documents" Sections.

Qualifications

Basic Education Requirements: This position has a positive education requirement which requires that you have either:

  • A Bachelor's Degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position or a combination of education and experience - courses equivalent to a major course of study as shown above, or
  • A Combination of education and experience which includes at least 24 semester hours of upper and lower division courses in biological sciences, natural resources, wildland fire management, forestry or agriculture and appropriate experience that is comparable to that normally acquired through successful completion of a full 4 year course of study. 

Selective Placement Factors:  This position requires special qualifications that have 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 factors will be rated not qualified (currency not required).

1. TFLD (Task Force Leader) and ICT3 (Incident Commander Type 3) or RXB2 (Burn Boss Type 2); 

    OR  HEBM (Helibase Manager)  and  ICT3 (Incident Commander Type 3)

2. M-581 - Fire Program Management. 

3. Prior on-the-line firefighting:  The Department of the Interior defines wildland firefighting experience as any non-structure fire that occurs in the wildland.  Wildland firefighting experience is gained through work on the fire line in 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.  Wildland fires are categorized into two distrinct types:  (1) Wildfires - Unplanned ignitions or prescribed fires that are declared wildfires; and (2) 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.

Specialized Experience Requirements: In addition to meeting the basic education requirements, you must also meet the 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.  

To qualify for the GS-11 grade level, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in addition to meeting the basic qualification requirements and selective factors. Experience must include Fire Program Management elements such as: Developing, reviewing, and evaluation fire management plans for ecological soundness or consistency with land management goals and/or potentially adverse impacts to cultural and natural resources. Conducting field inspections before and after prescribed burns or wildfires to determine if resource objectives were achieved and/or to evaluate the effectiveness of actions taken. Analyzing the ecological role of fire and its use and/or exclusion and smoke management. In addition to Fire Program Management, your experience must include either experience in Prescribed Fire/Fuels Management or Fire Management Operations. Examples of experience may include; Prescribed Fire/Fuels Management: Professional forest or range inventory methods and procedures. Analysis of fuels loading and determination of appropriate fuel treatment methods. Land use planning and environment compliance. Evaluation of prescribed burn plans or fire management plans to ensure fire containment is possible and identification of appropriate suppression contingencies if fire containment is not obtained. Fire Management Operations: Experience in analyzing and/or applying fire management strategies in at least five of the following activities: Mobilization and/or dispatch coordination, Fire prevention and education, Training, Logistics, Equipment development and deployment, Fire communication systems, Suppression and preparedness, or Aviation. 

You will need to clearly state your undergraduate/graduate degree(s) and submit your college transcripts or a listing of your college courses that includes hours and grades.

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.  Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade requirement in accordance with 5 CFR 300.604. If you are a current Federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must have completed a minimum of 52 weeks at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.

Additional information

Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must certify that they have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law.  To register or verify your registration go to the Selective Service System website.

If you are selected for this position, you will be required to serve a one year supervisory/managerial probationary period, if one has not previously been completed.

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 receive a minimum score of 90 based on the rating criteria used 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 Reemployment Priority List, you may be given priority consideration.

BLM may use certain incentives, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract high quality applicants.

This position is not eligible for Telework.

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

This is a SECONDARY/Administrative fire 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 (MEA) policy, the selectee must have prior service in a primary position 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.

This position is subject to drug testing; passage of a pre-employment physical may be required.

You must be able to obtain and maintain a valid driver's license/CDL.

FIREFIGHTERS CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT.

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 qualified, your score may range from 70-100 points. 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 the principles, practices, and concepts of wildland fire management.

KSA #2: Knowledge of laws, regulations, and policies applicable to the use and protection of natural and cultural resources.

KSA #3: Knowledge of natural resource management, fire ecology, fire behavior, and fire management theories, concepts, principles, and standards in a wildland fire environment.

KSA #4: Knowledge of supervisory policies, procedures, and methods.
To preview questions please click here.

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