Wildland Firefighter (Fuels Management) - Direct Hiring Authority

Summary This is a Direct-Hire advertisement. Veterans preference is not applicable to this advertisement. Learn more about this authority at: Direct Hire Authority This Wildland Firefighter (Fuels Management) position is with the US Wildland Fire Service, GW-0456-8/9 working in the following location(s): Alturas, California Barstow, California Bishop, California Lee Vining, California Lone Pine, California Needles, California Ridgecrest, California Topaz, California Ukiah, California Responsibilities As a Wildland Firefighter (Fuels Management) - Direct Hiring Authority your duties will include but are not limited to the following: Operations & Preparedness: Supports prescribed fire and fuels treatment operations, including planning, ignition, holding, mop-up, rehabilitation, monitoring, and documentation while following safety standards and regulations. Fuels Management & Monitoring: Conducts field surveys, reconnaissance, and pre/post treatment monitoring to assess fuel conditions, fire behavior, treatment effectiveness, and progress toward management objectives. Planning & Analysis: Develops routine project plans and schedules, evaluates fuels and fire effects data, assists with treatment prescriptions and monitoring plans, and uses modeling tools to support project prioritization. Fire Management & Training: Participates in fire prevention, suppression, prescribed fire, post fire activities, equipment operations, and structured classroom/field training. Program Coordination: Assists with fuels program planning, budgeting, contract administration, smoke management, interagency coordination, and evaluation of treatment strategies and Fire Management Plan components. Requirements Conditions of Employment Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Suitability for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation. Direct Deposit Required. You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use. This position requires the incumbent to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of their official duties. Selectee must hold and maintain a valid state driver's license throughout their employment in this position. Official U.S. Wildland Fire Service uniform is required. A condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated. Individuals assigned male at birth after 12-31-59 must be registered for the Selective Service. To verify registration, visit SSS.gov. You must be 18 years of age or older to be assigned to a hazardous position. You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work. Subject to frequent extended travel particularly during fire season, and you must obtain a government charge card for travel. You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority. Qualifications In order to qualify for this position you must possess the Minimum Qualification requirements listed below. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected. 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. This is an administrative position in an organization having a firefighting mission, and is clearly in an established career path. Prior firefighting experience, as gained by substantial service in a primary firefighter position or equivalent experience outside the Federal government is a MANDATORY PREREQUISITE. Candidates must possess Primary/Rigorous wildland firefighting experience, gained through fire line work in containment, control, suppression or use of wildland fire. You must clearly demonstrate this experience in your resume, including the months, days, and hours per week at which the work was performed to be considered. Applicants must have documented prior primary firefighting experience, with substantial service defined as either: At least one full fire season working in a primary wildland firefighting role (e.g., Engine Crew, Fire Effects Crew, Prescribed Fire/Fuels Crew, Hand Crew, Helitack Crew, Hotshot Crew, Smokejumper, Wildland Fire Modules or Fire Suppression Crews, etc.) with a federal, state, tribal, local, or private-sector organization; - OR - At least 14 days of on-the-ground fireline experience (cumulative or consecutive). Prior primary wildland fire experience must be clearly documented in your resume. Note: an IQCS Master Record or equivalent document will not be used to determine or calculate prior primary wildland fire experience eligibility for this 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 (insert IFPM title and complexity level if appropriate) EXAMPLE: Prescribed Fire and Fuels Specialist - HIGH Complexity, 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 here: Interagency Fire Program Management (IFPM). To meet IFPM requirements, 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 at time of referral, but may be required to obtain and maintain currency if selected): For the GW-08 - (CURRENCY REQUIRED) Engine Boss (ENGB) or Crew Boss (CRWB) or Firing Boss (FIRB) or Helicopter Manager (HMGB) -AND- Incident Commander Type 4 (ICT4) For the GW-09 - (CURRENCY REQUIRED) Engine Boss (ENGB) or Crew Boss (CRWB) or Helicopter Manager (HMGB) -AND- Prescribed Fire Burn Boss Type 2 (RXB2) If selected at the GS-08, you must meet the IFPM training requirements above for the GS-09 as a condition of employment before being eligible for promotion to the GS-09 grade level. In addition to the requirements described above, the following additional experience is required. Only experience and education obtained by 11/09/2026 will be considered. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. Please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience. Minimum Qualifications For the GW-08 level: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GW-07 level, or higher, in the Federal service, or equivalent, which includes all of the following: Examples of specialized experience include: Assisted preparation and implementation of prescribed fire plans; Assisted evaluating treatments, monitoring methods and new technologies; Assisted with conducting fuels management surveys to document types of hazardous fuels. For the GW-09 level: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GW-08 level, or higher, in the Federal service, or equivalent, which includes all of the following; Examples of specialized experience include: Planned and/or implemented prescribed fire or managing wildfire to ensure resource objectives can be met from a fire management standpoint; Developed and/or implemented initial attack incident management strategies and tactics to meet the stated resource objectives; Implemented mitigation measures during wildland fire activities to protect sensitive habitats, endangered species, sensitive plants, or cultural values. *Applicants must meet all minimum qualification requirements for the position of interest by the closing date of the Job Announcement. Secondary Firefighter Retirement Coverage - Applicants for this secondary administrative fire fighter position under the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 8336 (c) (CSRS) and 5 U.S.C. 8412 (d), must possess knowledge of the principles, methods, and techniques of wildland firefighting as demonstrated by direct wildland firefighting experience. In order to receive credit, you must provide a written description of your experience in wildland firefighting. Education without hands-on wildland firefighting experience does not meet this requirement. Periods of wildland firefighting experience, gained through militia and rural fire departments, can also be credited. 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 fires as follows: Wildfire: Unplanned ignitions or prescribed fires that are declared wildfires. Prescribed Fires: 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. Physical Demands: Work in the office is primarily sedentary. Field work does require frequent physical exertion, involving walking over rough terrain sometimes for extended periods, ad working under occasionally inclement (hot, cold, snow, wind, etc.) weather conditions. The incumbent must be in good physical condition in order to safely perform field activities. The incumbent must be able to perform duties in areas of uncontrolled wildfire where hazardous conditions exist. The incumbent must be able to fly as a passenger in helicopters and single engines fixed wing aircraft Working Conditions: Work is performed in both an office and field setting with field work. Field work involves exposure to temperature extremes, both from weather and fire conditions where falling trees and the presence of smoke and/or dust conditions create hazardous conditions. The nature of fire management work requires that protective clothing (boots, hard hats, etc.) be worn. The incumbent must exercise a varier of safety practices and precautions for the well-being of self and of others. Education IMPORTANT - There is no education substitute for experience at the GW-0456-08 or GW-0456-09 grade levels. Position Information: **PLEASE NOTE - these positions are covered under the new GW pay table specific to Wildland Firefighters. The salary listed in the announcement is for the RUS pay table: GW RUS Pay Table. *BLM Alturas Field Office, Alturas, CA, covered under the GW RUS Pay Table. *BLM Barstow Field Office, Barstow, CA, covered under the Los Angeles- Long Beach, CA Pay Table. *BLM Bishop Field Office, Bishop, CA, covered under the GW RUS Pay Table. *USFS Mono Ranger Station, Lee Vining, CA, covered under the GW RUS Pay Table. *USFS Mt Whitney Rager Station, Lone Pine, CA, covered under the GW RUS Pay Table. *BLM Needles Field Office, Needles, CA, covered under the Los Angeles- Long Beach, CA Pay Table. *BLM Ridgecrest Field Office, Ridgecrest CA, covered under the Los Angeles- Long Beach, CA Pay Table. *BLM Topaz Interagency Fire Station, Topaz, CA, covered under the GW RUS Pay Table. *BLM Ukiah Field Office, Ukiah, CA, covered under the GW RUS Pay Table. *Agencies and Offices listed above indicate where the position will be stationed - All selections will be employed by US Wildland Fire Service. In order to be considered for any duty location, ensure desired locations are selected. Applicants will not be considered for locations not selected. PCS entitlements authorized for positions at Alturas and Ukiah only. If eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. One or more positions may be filled from applications received under this announcement in the advertised office or other U.S. Wildland Fire Service offices in the local commuting area. Additional Information Department of Interior (DOI) Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) procedures apply in filling this vacancy. 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 for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements) for the position with a score of 85 or above on the assessment questionnaire, and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with their application. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee\_guides/career\_transition.asp. This position is considered a career ladder opportunity, with a full performance level of GW-09. If selected at a lower grade level, you may be non-competitively promoted to the next grade level at the discretion of your supervisor and is contingent upon meeting regulatory and legal requirements for promotion, satisfactory performance, and the availability of higher-level work. Promotion is not guaranteed, and no promise of promotion is implied. 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 an RPL, you may be given priority consideration. This position is suitable for telework only in an emergency or natural disaster at the following locations Barstow, Bishop, Lee Vining, Lone Pine, Needles, and Topaz The probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: - your performance and conduct; - the needs and interests of the agency; - whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and - whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your [probationary period -OR- trial period] your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.