Forestry Technician (Apprentice)

These positions are located with USDA Forest Service Intermountain Region 4 wildland fire units. The purpose of the position is wildland fire suppression/management/control as a specialized firefighter on an engine, helitack module, or hand crew with responsibility for the operation and maintenance of specialized tools or equipment.

For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact - Matt Nielsen, matthew.nielsen@usda.gov

• Duties listed are at full performance grade GS-05 level.
• Serve as an experienced firefighter on a hand crew or other related fire suppression crews performing fire suppression and/or fuels management duties under the most adverse conditions of climate, fuels, and terrain.
• Perform the duties of a fully qualified chain saw operator and chainsaw repair technician.
• Perform all aspects of wildland and prescribed fire operations including preparation, ignition, monitoring, holding, and mop-up. Collects fire weather data, fuel and/or soil moisture samples, maps projects, and maintains records.
• Perform and may direct others in starting pump engine, priming pump, adjusting engine speed and pump valves, laying hose, and using appropriate nozzles and nozzle adjustment in effective use of water and additives.
• Load helicopter personnel and cargo considering methods, weight distribution, necessity for securing, total weight, etc. and completes manifests of personnel and equipment being transported to the fire or other work site.
• Perform project work such as road and trail maintenance, habitat manipulation, and miscellaneous equipment and facilities maintenance.

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel overnight for fire suppression or fire related assignments for this position.

No

5

• Job family (Series)

  0462 Forestry Technician

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• Requirements

  RequirementsConditions of Employment
  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service or exempt.
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.
  • Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify.
  • Must be 18 years of age.
  • Initial appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of training.
  • This is a Test Designated Position. You will be tested for illegal drugs prior to appointment and randomly thereafter. Appointment and continued employment is conditional on negative results.
  • Must pass the Work Capacity Test for certain Interagency Fire Program Management or Fire Program Management positions.
  • Willing to live/work in remote locations (volatile/unpredictable).
  • Some Fire positions may have Conditions of Employment such as: a valid state driver's license; a commercial driver's license (CDL); pre-appointment and random drug testing; or a physical or medical examination.
  • There may be additional Conditions of Employment not listed here, however applicants will be notified of any specific requirements at the time a tentative job offer is made.
  • Under age 37; less than age 37 after subtracting the months of Permanent Federal Service in a primary or secondary firefighter/law enforcement position or a veteran preference eligible, older than age 37 and is requesting a waiver to the requirement.
  QualificationsIn order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards.
  
  Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide course descriptions as necessary.
  
  General/Specialized Experience Requirement:
  
  For the GS-03: You must have six (6) months of general experience. Examples of General Experience include: Performed farm/ranch labor, such as feeding and tending livestock or general maintenance of farm/ranch facilities and/or Worked in a greenhouse or nursery moving, watering, and tending plants and performing other general labor tasks and/or Fed and watered animals, such as in a laboratory, pet store, or zoo and/or Any work experience, paid or unpaid. Unpaid experience, for example, may be regular volunteer work, such as at a park, community sports league facilities, etc.
  
  OR
  
  Successful completion of 1 year of study 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 experience and education above high school as described above. The education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university and include courses that are related to the occupation of the position.
  
  For the GS-04: You must have six (6) months of general experience (any type of work that demonstrated the ability to perform the work of the position, or experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupation) AND six (6) months of specialized experience that is directly related to the work of the position. Examples of qualifying general experience include: Performed farm/ranch labor, such as feeding and tending livestock or general maintenance of farm/ranch facilities; and/or worked in a greenhouse or nursery moving, watering, and tending plants and performing other general labor tasks; and/or fed and watered animals, such as in a laboratory, pet store, or zoo; and/or any work experience, paid or unpaid. Unpaid experience, for example, may be regular volunteer work, such as at a park, community sports league facilities, etc. Examples of specialized experience include: Fuels reduction work and suppression of wildland fires using a variety of hand and power tools to control spreading wildland fires and to prepare lines prior to prescribed burning; and/or Patrolled fire line to locate and extinguish sparks, flareups, and hot spots that could threaten developed fire lines, moved dirt, chopped brush or felled small trees to build fireline using various hand tools and power saws to control spreading wildland fires and to prepare lines prior to prescribed burning.
  
  OR
  
  Successful completion of 2 years of study that included at least 12 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. No more than 3 semester hours in mathematics is creditable.
  
  OR
  
  An appropriate combination of experience and education above high school as described above. The education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university and include courses that are related to the occupation of the position.
  
  For the GS-05: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-04 in the Federal service; OR Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree (a) with major study in forestry, range management, agriculture, or a subject-matter field directly related to the position, or (b) that included at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as those shown above for GS-4. No more than 6 semester hours in mathematics is creditable.
  
  Examples of specialized experience include: Patrolling areas of controlled fires to mop-up by searching out and extinguishing any remaining burning material and/or Serving on a specialty crew (hotshot, helitack, engines, etc.) to suppress the full range of difficult and complex fires and/or Operating specialized fire suppression equipment such as portable pumps or drip torches.

  Selective Placement Factors:

  To qualify at the GS-05 journey worker level the applicant must have successfully completed Firefighter Type 1 (FFT1).
  
  Primary firefighter positions include the following age requirements: Under age 37 -OR- less than age 37 after subtracting the months of Permanent Federal Service worked in a primary or secondary firefighter/law enforcement position -OR- a veteran preference eligible, older than age 37 and is requesting a waiver to the maximum age requirement.
  
  In order to be considered for this position, copies of your Incident Qualification and Certification System (IQCS) Master Record (or equivalent training documents) which contain documented proof of the certification or attainment of the IFPM Selective Placement Factor for this position MUST be attached to your application. Red cards are not acceptable documentation. Currency Requirement: Required to maintain currency once hired into the position. Currency of NWCG qualifications is not required for selection. If not currently qualified, the applicant must provide documented evidence that they have been fully qualified in the past, and are able to regain currency within one year of being hired. Failure to provide this documentation will result in disqualification.
  
  This position has been identified under the Interagency Fire Program Management (IFPM) or Forest Service Fire Program Management (FS-FPM) and is subject to selective placement factor requirements contained in the Interagency Fire Program Management (IFPM) Standard and Guide when filling this vacancy. IFPM or FS-FPM selective placement factors are made up of a primary and secondary National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) core Incident Management Qualifications and Required Training. The applicant must possess these qualifications at the applicable complexity level to be considered eligible for 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.
  
  FIREFIGHTER RETIREMENT COVERAGE: This is a primary/rigorous position covered under the special retirement provisions of 5 USC 8336(c) for the Civil Service Retirement System and of 5 USC 8412(d) for the Federal Employees Retirement System.
  
  WORK CAPACITY TEST (WCT) for Wildland Firefighters: This position participates in wildland firefighting activities. Based on the type of work performed, TAKING and PASSING the WCT at the ARDUOUS level is a condition of employment.
  
  To receive consideration for this position, you must provide updated required documents and meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Education

  See QUALIFICATIONS section for education requirements
  

  Additional information

  Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors.
  
  These are permanent positions with varying tours of duty and may include weekend work. Some positions may have irregular and protracted hours of work. Tours of duty include full-time or less than full time (guaranteed minimum 13 pay periods full-time employment).
  
  Availability of government housing, federal day care facilities, and telework may be available.
  
  Some positions filled via this announcement are bargaining unit positions represented by the National Federation of Federal Employees, IAMAW. This is dependent upon unit location.
  
  The duty station for this position will be at one of the duty locations listed in this announcement. Salary range as shown is the locality pay Rest of U.S. (RUS). Pay rates vary by location. Please visit the Office of Personnel Management's website for additional information on pay rates.
  
  Recruitment or Relocation Incentive may be authorized. Final determination to pay an incentive will be made by the hiring official at time of job offer.
  
  The Forest Service may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract highly qualified candidates. Additional information is available at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/pay-and-leave-flexibilities-for-recruitment-and-retention/
  
  PROMOTION POTENTIAL: If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied or guaranteed.

  
  How You Will Be Evaluated

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

  This is a Direct-Hire Authority position, all applicants who meet the minimum qualifications, to include any selective placement factor(s), if applicable, will be referred to the selecting official. Before a certificate is issued to the selecting official, the resume is reviewed to ensure that you meet all the qualification requirements. A rating will not be used; veteran's preference does not apply due to the existence of the Direct Hire authority for this position.
  
  Selections made under this authority will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Current civil service employees would be given a new appointment.
  
  Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.
  
  To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11206992
  

  Background checks and security clearanceSecurity clearance

  Other

  Drug test required

  Yes

  Position sensitivity and risk

  Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

  Trust determination process

  Credentialing, Suitability/Fitness

• Required Documents

  Required Documents

  The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in the mail service, your system failure, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.
  
  Resume that includes: 1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the responsibilities section including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) supervisor's phone number and whether or not the supervisor may be contacted for a reference check; 5) other qualifications.
  
  If education is required or you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
  
  If requesting maximum entry age (MEA) waiver, you must submit a DD214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. If currently on active duty you must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty service under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. For additional veteran information visit FEDSHIREVETS.
  
  Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.Incident Qualification and Certification System (IQCS) Master Record (or equivalent training documents) which contain documented proof of the certification or attainment of the IFPM Selective Placement Factor.
  
  Incident Qualification and Certification System (IQCS) Master Record (or equivalent training documents) which contain documented proof of the certification or attainment of the IFPM Selective Placement Factor.
  
  Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

  If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

  Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

  Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

• Benefits

  Benefits

  A career with the U.S. Government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time, or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

• Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

  Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.

• The public

  U.S. citizens, nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. citizen. Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position. Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy.