Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens – Open to the Public; No previous Federal Service is required. This public notice is to gather applications that may or may not result in a referral or selection.

The incumbent will serve as a lead wildland firefighter on a hotshot crew.

- During initial attack fire suppression activities, locates fireline, directs and participates in fireline construction, backfiring and burnout operations, engine and pump operations, tree falling and holding/patrol/mop up operations.
- Responsible for operation and maintenance of specialized equipment.
- Gathers and considers information on weather data, topography, fuel types, and fire behavior during suppression of wildland fire incidents.
- May assist in the preparation of hazardous fuels treatment plans and burn plans.
- Participates in wildland fire and safety training.

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 heavy items.

Work Environment: Work is primarily performed in forest and range environments in steep terrain where surfaces may be extremely uneven, rocky, covered with vegetation, and in smoky conditions.

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/law enforcement 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 firefighter/law enforcement experience, 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. You must supply a copy of your 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 may result in loss of consideration.

If over the MEA and you are not a Veteran, proof of prior covered service must be submitted prior to employment. Acceptable proof consists of SF-50s showing beginning and ending dates of covered/creditable appointments and copies of approved letters based on individual claims.

Passage of a pre-employment physical is required. You must also pass the work capacity test for arduous 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. Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test is received.

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

Qualifications

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-06 grade level, 1 year (12 months) of specialized experience equivalent to GS-05 is required.  Examples of work experience include, but are not limited to: on-the-line wildland fire experience in forest/range fire control, prevention or suppression work; operating and maintaining specialized wildland fire tools/equipment/vehicles and may include leading crewmembers.

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.

Substitution of Education for Experience:
GS-06: 18 semester hours of graduate education which is DIRECTLY related to work of the position OR an equivalent combination of specialized experience and education.

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

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 (SFF), 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 www.ifpm.nifc.gov.

Selective Placement Factor(s): 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.

1) This position is a Primary Firefighter position and is subject to a maximum entry age (MEA). The MEA is the date immediately preceding your 37th birthday. Applicants must not have reached age 37 at the time of appointment, unless proof is provided of prior Federal service in another primary covered position, or you are a preference eligible veteran.

2) To meet IFPM requirements for this position, you must have possessed all of the following National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) incident management qualifications and training requirements to be considered eligible for this position (currency not required):

A) Firefighter Type 1 (FFT1), AND;
B) S-290 “Intermediate Fire Behavior”

* You must meet all qualification and selective placement factor requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your resume and all supporting documents will be reviewed by Human Resources to determine your eligibility for Federal employment and your qualification for this position specifically.

Because this vacancy will be 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. All qualified candidates will be referred for consideration; the hiring office may conduct interviews at their discretion. The interviews may be conducted on a pass/fail basis.

The job specific questions relate to the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) required to do the work of this position. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (KSA's and other characteristics). You do not have to respond to the KSA's separately, but your resume should contain sufficient information to demonstrate possession of the following competencies/KSA's:

KSA 1 - Knowledge of strategies, tactics and suppression methods used in containment and control of wildfires.
KSA 2 - Knowledge of wildland fire behavior and operations.
KSA 3 - Ability to serve as a working leader over crew members.
KSA 4 - Ability to communicate effectively.