U.S. Department of the Interior

Wildland Firefighter


Pay$17.01 - $24.65 / hour
LocationJordan/Montana
Employment typeFull-Time

This job is now closed

  • Job Description

      Req#: 821614900

      This position will be filled under the Office of Personnel Management's Direct Hire Authority and is open to all United States citizens and U.S. nationals. Veteran's preference and traditional rating and ranking of applications do not apply. All qualified applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration for this position. To learn more about Direct-Hire authority, go to: OPM.GOV Hiring Information: Direct Hire Fact Sheet

      Duties


      This is an entry level position that works on a wildland fire module or crew as a Wildland Firefighter (firefighter) executing fire management activities in fire preparedness, fuels management and prevention, and fire suppression, monitoring, and post-fire. Work may also include all hazard and emergency response activities. Fire modules or crews include Hand Crews, Engine Crews, and Helitack Crews. Specific specialty areas of work within fire modules or crews include aviation, fire engine operation, fire management planning, fuels management, helitack, and prevention.

      A Wildland Firefighter (GS-03) performs assignments as an entry level wildland firefighter crew member in developing a working knowledge of fire suppression and fuels management techniques, practices, and terminology; may assist in more specialized assignments such as backfire and burnout, mobile and stationary engine attack. May be required to operate light vehicles and 4X4s.

      A Wildland Firefighter (GS-04) is a trained wildland firefighter. May be assigned to carry out specialized assignments such as tree falling, backfire, and burnout operations; utilizes a variety of specialized tools, equipment and techniques while actively managing wildfires. May be required to operate light vehicles and 4X4s.

      A Wildland Firefighter (GS-05 ) is a trained and experienced wildland firefighter performing all aspects of wildland and prescribed fire operations including preparation, ignition, monitoring, holding and mop-up. Gathers and considers information on weather data, topography, fuel types and fire behavior in responding to wildland fire incidents. May be required to operate light vehicles and 4X4s.

      Locations for these positions are: National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) or Wetland Management District (WMD)

      Burbank, WA (Mid-Columbia NWRC) - Housing Available
      Cheney, WA (Turnbull NWR) - Housing Available
      Colville, WA (Little Pend Oreille NWR) - Housing Available
      Commerce City, CO (Rocky Mountain NWRC)
      Fort Peck, MT (Charles M. Russell NWR) - Housing Available
      Jordan, MT(Charles M. Russell NWR) - Housing Available
      Lakeview, OR (Sheldon-Hart NWRC) - Housing Available
      Las Vegas, NV (Desert NWR) - Housing Available
      Los Banos, CA (San Luis NWRC) - Housing Available
      Othello, WA (Mid-Columbia NWRC) - Housing Available
      Princeton, OR (Malheur NWR) - Housing Available
      Roswell, NM (Bitter Lake, NWR) - Housing Available
      Roy, MT (Charles M. Russell NWR) - Housing Available
      Sasbe, AZ (Buenos Aires NWR) - Housing Available
      Willows, CA (Sacramento NWRC) - Housing Available
      Yuma, AZ (Buenos Aires NWR) - Housing Available


      Requirements


      • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
      • Suitability for employment, as determined by background investigation
      • Drug testing position
      • Medical Requirements
      • Official U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uniform required
      • May be required to successfully complete a probationary period
      • Must meet the minimum/maximum age requirement
      • Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position
      • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
      • Driver’s License: 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.

      Qualifications


      ***Your resume MUST include BEGINNING and END DATES specified in MONTH/YEAR to MONTH/YEAR format. In addition, your resume MUST reflect FULL-TIME/PART-TIME or total number of HOURS worked per week***

      Only experience and education obtained by 12/13/2024 will be considered.

      To Qualify for the GS-0456-03
      6 full months of general experience which consisted of: (1) Work that demonstrates the ability to perform the work of the position (fire prevention, suppression, monitoring), or (2) Experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter (fire prevention, suppression, monitoring).
      OR
      Successful completion of 1 year of study above high school in an accredited college or university that included at least 6 semester hours in a combination of courses such as range management or conservation, agriculture, forestry, wildlife management, engineering, biology, mathematics, or other natural or physical sciences.
      OR
      An appropriate combination of education and experience that equals 100%.

      To Qualify for the GS-0456-04
      6 months general experience AND 6 months specialized experience. 6 full months of general experience which consisted of: farming or ranching work that involved application of cultural, soil and water conservation practices, including safety and use of equipment, and that provided a basic understanding of land use; or forest or range fire control, prevention, or suppression work; AND 6 full months of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-3 level in the Federal Service. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: forestry aid or technician work; range, or soil conservation technician work that involved application of cultural, resource conservation, or land management practices; farming or ranching work that provided a basic understanding of land use and involved the application of cultural and soil and water conservation practices; forest or range fire control, prevention, or suppression work.
      OR
      Successfully completed two years or more of education above high school (60 semester hour or 90 quarter hours) that included at least twelve semester hours in any combination of courses such as forestry, agriculture, crop or plant science, range management or conservation, wildlife management, watershed management, soil science, natural resources (except marine fisheries and oceanography), outdoor recreation management, civil or forest engineering, or wildland fire science.
      OR
      A combination of the education and work experience described above. For example, I have three months of general experience and three months of specialized experience (50% of the experience requirement), and 45 semester hours or 68 quarter hours of college study that included at least 9 semester hours courses as described above (50% of the education requirement).

      To Qualify for the GS-0456-05
      1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-4 level in the Federal Service demonstrated by performing range or forest fire control, prevention, or suppression work. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include leading firefighting crews in prescribed burning and wildfire suppression field operations and performing wildland fire suppression, preparedness, prevention, monitoring, hazardous fuels reduction and prescribed fire as wildland firefighter crewmember
      OR
      Completed least a full 4-year course of study above high school (120 semester hour or 180 quarter hours) leading to a bachelor's degree with major study in forestry, range management, agriculture or a subject-matter field directly related to the position (e.g., fire science, suppression and prevention), or that included at least 24 semester hours of course work in any combination of courses such as forestry, agriculture, crop or plant science, range management or conservation, wildlife management, watershed management, soil science, natural resources (except marine fisheries and oceanography), outdoor recreation management, civil or forest engineering, or wildland fire science. No more than 6 semester hours in mathematics is creditable toward the 24 hours.
      OR
      Combination of education and experience that when combined meet 100% of the qualification requirements. For example, I have 6 months of the specialized experience described in A above (50% of the experience requirement), and three years of college study from an accredited institution, which included at least 12 semester hours of related coursework as specified in B above (50% of the qualifying education). NOTE: Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements.

      IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTE: If you are using education to qualify you must submit a legible copy of your transcripts (A copy of your official transcripts will be required before entrance on duty, if selected).

      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.

      Temporary Benefits: Most Federal employees earn both annual and sick leave. For additional information, visit Leave Administration. Effective January 2015, employees on temporary appointments may be eligible for health benefits through the Federal Employees Health Benefits program and, if eligible, will receive the same government contribution as full-time permanent employees. To be eligible for consideration, temporary employees working full-time or part-time must be on appointments expected to last at least 90 days, or be on an intermittent work schedule and expected to work 130 hours per month for at least 90 days. Employees electing to participate in the FEHB will be responsible for the employee share of the premium while on the official agency roles, which is deducted from bi-weekly earnings. After separating from federal employment, employees will be offered to continue participation in FEHB under the Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC) option. Employees electing to continue coverage under the TCC provision will be responsible for the full premium amount plus a 2% administration fee.
  • About the company

      The United States Department of the Interior is a federal executive department of the U.S. government. It is responsible for the management and conservation of most federal lands and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, territorial affairs, and insular areas of the United States, as well as programs related to historic preservation. About 75% of federal public land is managed by the department, with most of the remainder managed by the United States Department of Agriculture's United States Forest Service. The department was created on March 3, 1849.

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