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Forestry Technician (Wildland Fire Operations Technician)

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

Summary

Amended: Closing date extended to February 15, 2022.

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


We are looking to fill positions in the following locations:
Prineville, OR
Bishop, CA
Riverside, CA
Boise, ID
Idaho Falls, ID
Shoshone, ID

We expect to fill 10 vacancies at this time; however, additional positions may be filled from this announcement if they become available.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
01/26/2022 to 02/15/2022
Salary
$49,549 to - $71,146 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 8 - 9
Locations
Bishop, CA
1 vacancy
Riverside, CA
2 vacancies
Boise, ID
2 vacancies
Idaho Falls, ID
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
25% or less - 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
Not Required
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
ORMP-22-11367255-AB
Control number
633127900

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Duties

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  • Provides oversight during initial and extended attack fires.
  • Assigns missions to ground and aviation wildland fire suppression resources.
  • Monitors weather and fire behavior.
  • Participates in development of incident objectives, strategies and tactics.
  • Conduct After Action Reviews and offers suggestions for improvement.
  • Assists in coordinating local level preparedness reviews.
  • Evaluates equipment and personnel needs and develops and prioritized equipment and personnel finding requests.
  • Assists in conducting field reconnaissance or proposed prescribed burn units and drafting prescribed burn plans.
  • Assists in developing and revising interagency annual operating plans and the unit fire management plan.

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 Lands.
  • Direct Deposit Required.
  • Appointment will be subject to a favorably adjudicated background/suitability investigation/determination.
  • Your resume must contain enough information to show that you meet the qualification requirements as defined in the announcement. In addition, your responses to the questions must adequately reflect in your resume.
  • This position requires regular and recurring overtime and shift work during peak fire season.
  • You must be 18 years of age or older to be assigned to a hazardous position.
  • You must pass a pre-employment physical.
  • You must meet specified levels on annual physical fitness tests, and pass periodic medical exams for wild land fire personnel, commensurate with current incident management qualifications.
  • You must also pass the work capacity test for arduous positions.
  • An applicant appointed to this position must possess (or obtain within 30 days of entrance on duty) and maintain a valid state driver's license while employed in this position.
  • 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.
  • BLM may use certain incentives, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract high quality applicants.

Qualifications

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:

This position is subject to the lnteragency Fire Program (IFPM) Standard and Guide selective placement factors for a Wildland Fire Operations Specialist. This position requires the following qualifications - Currency Not Required:

Pathway #1:
A) Task Force Leader (TFLD) AND;
B) Incident Commander Type 3 (ICT3) OR Prescribed Fire Burn Boss Type 2 (RXB2)

Pathway #2:
A) Helibase Manager (HEBM) AND;
B) Incident Commander Type 3 (ICT3)

90 Day Prior Wildland Firefighting Experience Requirement (resume must show to and from dates and a description of work performed). The Department of the Interior defines wild land firefighting experience as on-the-line wildland firefighting experience gained through containment, control, suppression, or use of wild land fire. This experience can be met by serving in a temporary, seasonal, or equivalent private sector fire position for no less than 90 days. Periods of wildland firefighting experience, gained through militia and rural fire departments, can also be credited, as long as the total amount of this experience equates to at least 90 days.

Wildland fire is defined as any non-structure fire that occurs in the wildland. Two distinct types of wildland fire have been defined and include wildfire and prescribed fire:

Wildfire - An unplanned ignitions or prescribed fires that are declared wildfires.

Prescribed Fire - Planned ignitions. This description includes only fire line 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.

In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the qualification requirements - please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience.

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-08: You must possess one (1) full year (12 months) of specialized experience at or equivalent to GS-07. Examples of work experience include, but are not limited to: on-the-line wildland fire experience leading a module in fire control, prevention or suppression work; predicting and monitoring fire behavior; and monitoring need for equipment and resources used to respond to wildland fires.

To qualify for the GS-09: You must possess one (1) full year (12 months) of specialized experience at or equivalent to GS-08. Examples of work experience include, but are not limited to: on-the-line wildland fire experience supervising a module in fire control, prevention or suppression work; monitoring and analyzing fire behavior; overseeing and evaluating needs for equipment and resources used to respond to wildland fires; and assisting in the development of incident strategies and tactics.

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-08: Two full years (36 semester hours) of GRADUATE level college education or received a master's degree in a field related to range work such as a major study in forestry, range management, agriculture or a field directly related to this position.

GS-09: Two full years (36 semester hours) of GRADUATE level college education or received a master's degree in a field related to range work such as a major study in forestry, range management, agriculture or a field directly related to this position.

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 CFR300.604. 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.

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.

FACT SHEET for Fire Positions: Information on Special Retirement.

Physical Demands: Duties involve fieldwork: requiring above average physical fitness and endurance. Work requires prolonged standing, walking over uneven ground, and recurring bending, reaching, lifting and carrying of items weighing over 50 pounds and shared lifting and carrying 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.

Work Environment: Work is performed in both an office and field setting. The work performed in an office setting is primarily sedentary. The work performed outdoors is in forest and desert environments or in steep terrain where surfaces may be extremely uneven, rocky, or covered by vegetation.

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 material. Personnel must adjust and cope with exposure to weather elements, dust and smoke, poor sleeping and eating situations under an unpredictable set of circumstances. Incumbent may be required to live in backcountry camps for extended periods of time. The hazardous nature of the job requires that protective clothing be worn (hard hat, gloves, boots, flame resistant clothing and other personal protective equipment). Work requires travel by light fixed-wing or rotor-wing aircraft. Incumbent will adhere to all safety rules and regulations as prescribed in manuals/supplements or by the designated Safety Officer.

Education

If using education to qualify, you must submit copies of all transcripts or a list of college courses that include hours and grades from an accredited U.S. college/university. See Required Documents section for more information.

Additional information

This position is considered to have Code 4 supervisory status. This means that the position meets the definition of supervisor in 5 USC 7103(A)(10), but does not meet the minimum requirements for application of the General Schedule Supervisory Guide (GSSG).

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 E-Verify.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/lnteragency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority, you must: 1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; 2) be rated well qualified for the position with a score of 90 or above; and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information: CTAP or ICTAP

Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service

Travel and relocation expenses will not be paid by the Department of the Interior. Any travel, transportation and relocation expenses associated with reporting for duty in this position will be the responsibility of the selected employee.

This position is not eligible for Telework.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document, you do not have in electronic form; view the following link for information regarding an Alternative Application

How you will be evaluated

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

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

Once the application process is complete, we will review your application to ensure you meet the job requirements. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your resume, supporting documentation and responses to the online questionnaire will be made. Your responses to the online questionnaire will be used to measure the degree to which your background matches the requirements for this position. However, your resume must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. The best qualified candidates will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be contacted for an interview.

Your answers to the online questionnaire will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas:

  • Fire Management
  • Leadership
  • Technical Competence


In the evaluation process, due weight will be given to job related experience, education, training, incentive awards and performance appraisals. Applicants must have a performance rating of at least the equivalent of fully successful to be eligible for promotion or placement. Applicants may provide a copy of a performance appraisal of record dated within the last 18 months. If the applicant is unable to provide a performance appraisal of record dated within the last 18 months, the applicant may provide a written explanation as to why.

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