Supervisory Wildland Firefighter (AFMO) (Direct Hire Authority)

Summary This position is located in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in the Visitor and Resource Protection Division. This notice is being issued to recruit personnel to occupations for which a critical hiring need has been identified. To assist in filling these positions, OPM has granted the Department of the Interior “Direct Hire Authority”. Responsibilities Perform duties assigned from Fire Management Officer that will include, but not limited to, duty officer, training officer, and functions of current fire qualifications during planned and unplanned events. Assist in developing and maintaining fire management plans across the parks within the fire management zone. As subject matter expert, apply and interpret wildland fire policies for continuity of operations and ensuring a common operating picture of federal and other stat/local cooperators for planned and unplanned incidents. Apply and implement safety standards to subordinates and other staff that include the use of risk analysis or other job hazard analysis. Assist in managing fire certification systems, such as the Incident Qualification Certification System and Interagency Aviation Training. Manage supply cache through appropriate inventory process and assist management in ordering necessary fire supplies when needed. Assist fuels program with ecosystem management principles, land management plans, and air quality standards. Assist in prioritizing fire hazard reduction to protect high value resources and assets and maximize multiple resource benefits and ecosystem enhancements. Assist in writing, reviewing, and evaluating prescribed fire burn plans and prescription parameters. Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship required. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males. Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program. 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. Prior to appointment, you must be determined physically fit by an authorized government physician to perform strenuous and physically demanding duties; and also pass a medical examination (which includes vision, hearing, cardiovascular, and mobility of extremities) given by an authorized government physician. You will also be required to undergo periodic medical examinations throughout employment. The Work Capacity Test (WCT-Pack Test) as a method for assessing an employees fitness levels for fire qualifications in the positions covered by this recruitment notice. Employees required to pass a WCT-Pack Test as a “condition of employment”. You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid drivers license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operators License and Driving Record. You must also submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid drivers licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. You may be required to complete training and operate a four-wheel drive vehicle. You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided. You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work. If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period. Subject to frequent extended travel up to 15 nights a month 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 All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement 10/13/2024, unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40 hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount qualified specialized experience. Basic Qualification Requirements: 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 in order to be considered. In addition to the requirements described above, the following additional experience are required for the grade specified. For the GS-11 level: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level, or higher in the Federal service; Examples of specialized experience include: Reviewed and evaluated fire management plans for ecological soundness or consistency with land management goals and/or potentially adverse impacts to cultural and natural resources; Conducted field inspections before and after prescribed or wildland fires to determine if resource objectives were achieved and/or evaluating the effectiveness of actions taken; Analyzed the ecological role of fire and its use and/or exclusion, and smoke management; Analyzed and/or applied fire management strategies in mobilization and/or dispatch coordination, fire prevention and education, training, logistics, equipment development and deployment, fire communication systems, suppression and preparedness or aviation; Analyzed fuel loadings and determined appropriate fuel treatment methods (i.e. prescribed fire, mechanical, chemical, or biological treatments); Performed land use planning and environmental compliance; Evaluated prescribed burn plans or fire management plans to ensure fire containment is possible and identifying appropriate suppression contingencies if fire containment is not obtained; Implemented fire management planning, including evaluation of objective in resource management plans to develop strategies to accomplish these objectives; Developed evaluation measures to determine if fire management activities have accomplished objectives and adapted future activities based on findings; Developed agreements to support fire management activities across multiple units including inter- and intra-agency agreements; Participated in fire management review processes including program reviews, incident reviews, and/or fuels treatment reviews. -OR- One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-10 level, or higher, outside of the Federal service; Examples of specialized experience include: Provided direct leadership and supervision for fire management staff and cooperators during preparedness and incident response assignments; Involvement with all phases of the fire management program including planning, program direction, coordination and evaluation; assigning crews and wildland firefighters; Supervised administrative program functions such as planning, budget formulation/execution; Worked closely with partners, cooperators, and single land base area to develop inter- and intra-agency agreements; Coordinated operations on multi-jurisdictional wildland fires addressing risk to human safety and potential for damage to resources and improvements; Developed, reviewed and evaluated fire management plans for ecological soundness or consistency with land management goals and/or potentially adverse impacts to cultural and natural resources; Conducted field inspections before and after prescribed or wildland fires to determine if resource objectives were achieved and/or evaluating the effectiveness of actions taken; Analyzed the ecological role of fire and its use and/or exclusion, and smoke management; Analyzed and/or applied fire management strategies in mobilization and/or dispatch coordination, fire prevention and education, training, logistics, equipment development and deployment, fire communication systems, suppression and preparedness or aviation; Analyzed fuel conditions and determined appropriate fuel treatment methods (i.e. prescribed fire, mechanical, chemical, or biological treatments); Performed land use planning and environmental compliance; Evaluated prescribed burn plans or fire management plans to ensure fire containment is possible and identifying appropriate suppression contingencies if fire containment is not obtained; Implemented fire management planning, including evaluation of objective in resource management plans to develop strategies to accomplish these objectives; Developed evaluation measures to determine if fire management activities have accomplished objectives and adapted future activities based on findings. 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 fireline 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. 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. Education There is no educational qualifications for the GS-0456 Wildland Firefighter occupational series at the GS-11 grade level. Volunteer Experience: 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. A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected. The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay. This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. Additional Information Physical Demands: Normally the work is sedentary but often requires physical exertion while overseeing fire suppression activities including walking over rough, steep, uneven terrain in all types of weather. The incumbent is faced with emergency situations at all hours and must respond quickly. The position may require long shifts or multi-day assignments under primitive living conditions during emergencies. During the fire season, extended fire assignments away from the unit may be required under very stressful conditions. Working Conditions: Although work is generally performed in an office setting. Field work involves exposure to temperature extremes, both from weather and fire conditions where falling trees and the presence of smoke and/or dust create hazardous conditions. The nature of fire suppression work requires that protective clothing (boots, hard hats, etc.) be worn during fire assignments. The incumbent must exercise a variety of safety practices and precautions for the well-being of self and of others. This is a secondary-administrative firefighter position under the special retirement provisions of 5 U.S. C. 8336 (c) (CSRS) and 5 U. S. C. 8412 (d) (FERS). PLEASE NOTE: Applicants may meet qualification requirements but may not be eligible for special retirement coverage. If such an applicant is selected, they will be placed in the regular retirement system. FERS TRANSITION REQUIREMENT: To be eligible for Secondary retirement coverage under FERS, an employee must: 1) transfer directly (without a break in service exceeding 3 days) from a primary position to a secondary position, AND 2) complete 3 years of service in a primary rigorous position including any such service during which no FERS deductions were withheld, AND 3) must be continuously employed in a secondary position(s) since moving from a primary rigorous position, except for any break in employment from a secondary position that began with involuntary separation (not for cause). It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure this office has enough information to determine your special retirement status to ensure you do not lose benefits (normally through submission of your work history or other documentation that demonstrates work history of approved covered positions). You must let this office know if you are in a Primary coverage position. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) OR Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): CTAP/ICTAP provides placement assistance to permanent Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF50 noting position, grade level, duty location with their application. To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, applicants must be qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. For Information on CTAP and ICTAP visit: Career Transition (opm.gov)