Fire Management Specialist (Prevention & Mitigation)

The Bureau of Indian Affairs is the lead agency for the United States in
carrying on a government-to-government relationship with the tribal nations. A
challenging and dynamic place to work, it enhances the quality of life,
promotes economic opportunity, and carries out the responsibility to protect
and improve the trust assets of American Indians, Indian Tribes and Alaska
Natives.

Vacancy
Identification Number (VIN): 1954273

Applicants for
this position must pass a pre-employment medical examination and is subject to
physical fitness testing

Drug Testing Designated Position: This is a Drug Testing
Designated position.

Copy
of current
state driver’s license
is required. Failure to provide proof of current
valid driver’s license will result in loss of consideration

This is a
SECONDARY
FIREFIGHTER
position under
the special retirement provisions of 5 U.S.C. 8336 (c) (CSRS) and 5 U.S.C. 8412
(d) (FERS). It requires firefighting experience. Firefighter retirement
coverage of the incumbent depends on his or her individual work history.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), in accordance with the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 (25 USC 472), gives priority in selection to eligible Indian Preference candidates. The BIA is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Who May Apply:

• Merit Promotion Plan (MPP) – Current and former career-conditional or status employees.
• Excepted Service (ESEP) – Indian Preference applicants.
• Veterans Preference – Includes Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) applicants.
• Special Hiring Authorities – Common authorities include Schedule A, Peace Corps, Foreign Service employees, etc.

For additional information see the “Other Information” section.

Duties

This position is
organizationally located within the Department of the Interior, Bureau of
Indian Affairs, Rocky Mountian Region, Crow Agency Branch of Forestry & Fire. This
position reports to the FMO of the Crow Agency.
This position
serves as a Fire Management Specialist. Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Implements a wildland fire prevention and
  mitigation program.
• Coordinates and integrates the wildland
  fire and mitigation plans with affected unit personnel.
• Reviews programs and plans, and makes
  recommendations concerning the inclusion of wildland fire prevention and
  mitigation principles, practices, and policies into local land management
  programs
• Provides wildland fire prevention and
  mitigation expertise by representing the unit at the local, state, and
  regional/national/tribal forums.
• Educates the public about the ecology of
  wildland fire and its relationship to the mission of the organization.
• Works with local homeowners, community
  stakeholders, tribal, state, and federal agencies in an effort to educate
  and mitigate potential threats to communities from wildland fire.

Travel Required

• Occasional Travel
• Travel to field offices and various meetings and conferences is required.

Relocation Authorized

• No

Job Requirements
Job Requirements
Key Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship is requried.
• Be sure to read the “How to Apply” and “Requried Documents” section.
• Indian Preference applies.
• Vacancy ID Number: 1954273
• Current Valid Drivers License
• Testing Designated Position DOI drug-free workplace program
• Subject to medical screening and physical fitness testing

Qualifications

Applicants must meet both of the following requirements in order to be considered for this position.

Degree
: biological sciences, agriculture, natural
resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the
position -OR-
Combination of education and experience
: Courses
equivalent to a major plus appropriate experience or additional education.

————————————————–
AND
————————————————–

Firefighting
Experience:
Applicants must have prior wildland firefighting experience (90 days) on the
fireline, as gained by substantial service in a primary/rigorous firefighter
position, or equivalent experience outside the Federal government. Wildland
firefighting experience is defined as on-the-line wildland firefighting
experience gained through containment, control, suppression, or use of wildland
fire. Two
distinct types of wildland fire have been defined and include Wildfires –
Unplanned ignitions or prescribed fires that are declared wildfires, and
Prescribed Fire – includes only fireline experience on a prescribed fire and
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. This is a
MANDATORY
qualification prerequisite to qualify for this
position.

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE
REQUIRED
:
In addition to meeting the basic entry
level qualification requirements, applicants must have the following:

GS-09
:
1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the
GS-7 grade level
OR
2 years of progressively higher
level graduate education leading to a master’s degree
or
master’s
or equivalent graduate degree.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE
: Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA’s) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and is typically in or related to the position to be filled. Possession of the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities can be evidenced by:

· Participating in implementing prescribed fire or fire use plans to ensure resource objectives can be met from a fire management standpoint.

· Assisting with the development of initial attack incident management strategies and tactics to meet the stated resource objectives.

· Assisting higher graded specialists in: providing technical assistance as well as on-the-ground advice and assistance to field offices in fuels and fire management, fire rehabilitation, or vegetation manipulation.

· Coordinating study efforts with field office staff specialists for both wild and prescribed fires to ensure that management objectives are being met.

· Assisting with investigations of fire trespass.

· Developing plans for prescribed fire and wildfire.

· Coordinating the use of fire for fuel hazard reduction.

GS-07
:
1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5
grade level
OR
1 years of graduate education or
Superior Academic Achievement.

Incumbent will be closely supervised until full performance level is attained.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE
: Experience that equipped the applicant with
the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA’s) to perform successfully
the duties of the position, and is typically in or related to the position to
be filled. Possession of the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities can be
evidenced by:

·
Participating in
implementing prescribed fire or fire use plans to ensure resource objectives
can be met from a fire management standpoint.

·
Assisting with the
development of initial attack incident management strategies and tactics to
meet the stated resource objectives.

·
Assisting higher graded
specialists in: providing technical assistance as well as on-the-ground advice
and assistance to field offices in fuels and fire management, fire
rehabilitation, or vegetation manipulation.

·
Coordinating study
efforts with field office staff specialists for both wild and prescribed fires
to ensure that management objectives are being met.

·
Assisting with
investigations of fire trespass.

·
Developing plans for
prescribed fire and wildfire.

·
Coordinating the use of
fire for fuel hazard reduction.

————————————————–OR————————————————–

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

For GS-9:
Successful
completion of 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading
to a master’s degree
or
master’s or equivalent
graduate degree in biological sciences,
agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines
appropriate to the position.

For GS-7:
Successful
completion of 1 year (18 credits)
of graduate education in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management,
chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position
OR:

SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
:
Superior Academic
Achievement (S.A.A.) must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying
for the position to be filled. S.A.A.
is based on (1) Class standing-applicants must be in the upper third of the
graduating class, based on completed courses; or (2) Grade-Point
Average-applicants must have a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher out of a
possible 4.0 based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses
completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a
possible 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in the
major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (3)
Election to membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society

– membership in a
freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this
provision.
————————————————–OR————————————————–

COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

For GS-9:
Only graduate education as described
above is credible towards meeting the specialized experience requirements.
Convert the education to a percentage by dividing the amount of credits by 36.
Convert the experience to a percentage by taking the total months and dividing
them by 12. Combine both the percentages and it must equal at least 100%.

For GS-7:
Only graduate
education as described above is credible towards meeting the specialized experience
requirements. Convert the education to a percentage by dividing the amount of
credits by 18. Convert the experience to a percentage by taking the total
months and dividing them by 12. Combine both the percentages and it must equal
at least 100%.

NOTE:
If you are not in the series for which applying, your application package must show evidence of meeting the OPM Qualification Standards; i.e., required course work (transcript/listing of courses); specialized experience; etc.

Part-Time or Unpaid Experience
: Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience regardless of whether compensation was received or whether the experience was gained in a part-time or full-time occupation. Full-time work is generally considered to be 35 to 40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts with your name, school name, credit hours, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. If transcripts are not included in your application package, education will not be credited. Transcripts do not need to be official but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify then you will need to provide official transcripts before you enter on duty.

Evaluation of Foreign Education
: Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation upon request. Failure to provide such documentation when requested will result in lost consideration.

Conditions of Employment

• Selectee may be subject to a 1-year trial period.
• Males born after 12/31/59 will be required to complete a certification document to confirm their
  Selective Service registration
  if selected for appointment.
• Selectee must have a safe driving record within the 3-year period immediately preceding submittal of the GSA Form 3607 and be able to meet the safe driving requirements of the Agency.
• Former Federal employees who received a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment(VSIP) buy out in their previous Federal Employment are required to submit a copy of the application Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) regarding the VSIP. The majority of individuals who accept reemployment with the Federal government within 5 years of receiving the VSIP amount, must repay the gross amount of the separation payment prior to re-employment.

Background Check

• Selectee must undergo a fingerprint check; results must be cleared prior to hire.
• This position requires a background investigation. Continued employment is contingent upon the outcome of a complete background investigation. If found not suitable, you may be terminated after you begin work.

Security Clearance
Public Trust – Background Investigation