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.

• Provides aerial and ground fire assessment, development of control strategy and tactics, deployment and assignment of personnel and equipment.
• Works in conjunction with other resources assigned to the incident including aircraft and provides pilots, crews, and dispatchers with detailed instructions on incident objectives, situations, and tactics.
• Response may occur on the unit, or in support of local agreements or on an interagency basis in support of regional and national interagency missions.
• May oversee and be certified to function in program enhancement mission, e.g., aerial ignition, cargo let down, single skid toe-in, hover entry/exit operations etc.
• Instructs training courses to crewmembers, other bureau employees, interagency employees, and cooperators in helicopter safety, proper loading/unloading of personnel and cargo, external load/longline operations, bucket/tank operations.
• Responsible for acquisition, inventory, monitoring and maintenance of helicopter support vehicles, equipment and accessories, aerial ignition equipment, program enhancement equipment, personal protective equipment, etc.
• Responsible for ensuring that safety regulations and policy are strictly enforced for helicopter, suppression, and project activities.
• Provides formal and on-the-job safety training. Ensures that all personnel are trained and qualified for their assigned activities.
• Serves as first-level supervisor of firefighters in primary/rigorous positions.
• Assigns and reviews work daily, weekly, or monthly; assuring that production and accuracy requirements are met; and approves leave.
• Plans and assigns work to be accomplished by subordinates, sets and adjusts short-term priorities.
• Evaluates work performance of subordinates, setting standards, monitoring, and final evaluating of subordinate performance.
• May be assigned to other fireline supervisory positions for which qualified, or other incident command system or prescribed fire positions.
• Provides contracted pilots, mechanics and drivers with mission information, objectives, requirements, and parameters.
• Serves as a project inspector (PI) and is designated as the field Project Inspector for the helicopter service contract assigned to the unit.
• Serves as liaison between the contractor, the local fire staff and the COAR in ensuring that all contract requirements are being met and resolving conflict at the lowest level.
• Monitors, verifies, and documents aircraft use, completes day flight invoices and prepares cost summaries on a daily or project basis.
• Manages assigned property by procuring, maintaining, and inventorying tools and equipment, to ensure assigned personnel meet fire readiness standards daily.
• Assists in the development of fuels management projects and work plans (e.g., burn plan segments, mechanical fuel reduction), collects data and completes fuels inventories, assesses fire risks and hazards, and performs pre attack planning.

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 you to wear an officially-approved uniform while in a duty status.
• 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.
• May require a one year probationary period.
• 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.

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:

• ICT4 (Incident Command Type 4) and
• HMGB (Helicopter Manager) and
• HEBM(T) (Helibase Manager Trainee)
• 90 Day Prior 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.

Specialized Experience or Education: 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.

You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-07 level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: Serving at least one season as helicopter squad boss, directing the loading of helicopter personnel and cargo considering weight and balance, securing cargo, etc. Completing manifests of personnel and equipment. Hooking longline external loads and maintaining and operating other accessory equipment. Inspecting helicopter accessories, fire tools, and equipment. Assuring that needed tools and equipment are available. Serving as a Helispot and Dipsite Manager. Maintaining required documents (e.g., flight invoices, manifests, daily diaries, and load calculations). Serving as a rappeller or short hauler. - OR - Directly related graduate degree or two full years of directly related graduate level education leading to a master's degree or equivalent. - OR- An equivalent combination of specialized experience and appropriate graduate education. Graduate level education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position.

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.

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.

Physical Demands: Essential functions require arduous exertion for protracted periods of time such as, but not limited to, extensive running, walking, climbing, kneeling, stooping, pulling hoses, jumping, and twisting. Duties involve 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 and carrying of heavier items, and similar 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 employee during fire activities

Work Environment: The work is primarily performed at remote locations, airstrips, helibases, unimproved helispots, forest and range environments of extreme high and low temperatures, steep terrain, and uneven work surfaces. Due to the mission requirements of low-level flight in mountainous terrain, firefighting, and incident support, the position is subject to substantial hazards on a regular and recurring basis. The work involves exposure to potentially dangerous situations caused by uncontrolled wildfire, numerous aircraft being flown in proximity and mountainous terrain. Errors could be catastrophic and result in serious injury or death. The hazardous nature of the work requires that personal protective equipment be worn (boots, hardhat, gloves, flame resistant clothing, etc.). Other hazards include, the handling of hazardous materials, carbon monoxide, dust and debris and the use of other mechanical or motorized equipment.

How you will be evaluated

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

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.

Because this vacancy will be filled through OPM's Direct Hire Authority, Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do 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.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics). You do not have to respond to the competencies separately, but your resume should contain sufficient information to demonstrate possession of the following competencies:

• Fire Management
• Manages Human Resources
• Planning and Evaluating