Fire Management Specialist (Prevention & Mitigation)

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.

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.

Education

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.