Wildland Firefighter

Summary

This is a Direct-Hire advertisement. Veterans preference is not applicable to this advertisement. Learn more about this authority at: Direct Hire Authority This Wildland Firefighter position is with the US Wildland Fire Service, GW-0456-3/4/5 working in the listed locations. In order to be considered for any location, ensure desired locations are selected. Applicants will not be considered for locations not selected.

Duties

This announcement is being advertised to fill positions for the following crew types: Wildland Fire Module, Engine, Hotshot, Helitack, Handcrew, and Fuels. As a Wildland Firefighter your duties will include but are not limited to the following: Serves as an experienced wildland firefighter and member of one of the following crews: fuels, handcrew, hotshot, engine, helitack or wildland fire module. Performs fireline activities such as line construction, hose layout, operations of pumps and accessories, and mop-up operations. Gathers information on weather data, topography, fuel types, and fire behavior in responding to wildland fire incidents. Participates in fuels management projects and prescribed fires. Performs wildland fire suppression/management/control functions. Responsible for operation and maintenance of specialized equipment used to respond to wildland and prescribed fire situations. Duties listed are at the GW-05 full performance level. INDIAN PREFERENCE will be applied to candidates that are interested in applying for the positions in the following locations ONLY: Crow Agency, MT Harlem, MT Poplar, MT Zortman, MT Dulce, NM Mescalero, NM San Juan Pueblo, NM (Ohkay Owingeh) Zuni, NM Umatilla, OR Fort Washakie, WY Indian Preference will NOT be applied to those candidates interested in applying to locations not listed above.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Suitability for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation. Direct Deposit Required. 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. Selectees must pass a pre-employment medical examination and may be subject to post-employment medical examinations to determine if they are maintaining the fitness standards for this position. You must also pass the work capacity test for arduous positions. 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. Position may require the incumbent to obtain and maintain a commercial driver's license (CDL), depending on location. A condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated. Under completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Individuals assigned male at birth after 12-31-59 must be registered for the Selective Service. To verify registration visit SSS.gov. You must be 18 years of age or older to be assigned to a hazardous position. Must meet the maximum age requirement. See qualifications section for more information. You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work. You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 50% of the time per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes. You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.

Qualifications

In order to qualify for this position you must possess the Minimum Qualification requirements listed below. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement. Selective Placement Factor(s): This position requires a special qualification that has been determined to be essential to perform the duties and will be used as a screen out element. Those who do not provide evidence they possess the following selective factor(s) will be rated not qualified. 1. This position is a Primary Firefighter position and is subject to a maximum entry age (MEA). The MEA is the date immediately preceding your 37th birthday. Applicants must not have reached age 37 at the time of appointment, unless proof is provided of prior Federal service in another primary covered position, or you are a preference eligible veteran. If you are a preference eligible veteran, you may be eligible for this position after your 37th birthday. You must supply a copy of your Defense Department Form 214 (DD-214) along with Standard Form 15 (if applicable) and any associated documentation in accordance with the instructions in this vacancy announcement. Failure to provide this documentation with your application may result in loss of consideration. Please refer to the Required Documents section for further guidance on what documentation is required to meet this requirement. If over the MEA and you are not a veteran, proof of prior covered service must be submitted prior to employment. Acceptable proof consists of SF-50s showing beginning and ending dates of covered/creditable appointments and copies of approved letters based on individual claims. In addition to the requirements described above, the following additional experience is required. Only experience and education obtained by 10/30/2026 will be considered. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. Please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience. Minimum Qualification For the GW-03 level: Must have 6 months of general work experience or 6 months of Firefighter training obtained as part of a high school curriculum (any firefighter training at the high school level and above), may be substituted for experience on a month-for-month basis. General Experience can include: Any work experience or military service that demonstrates the ability to follow directions and to read, understand, and retain a variety of instructions, regulations, and procedures and that otherwise demonstrates the ability to perform, or learn to perform, the duties of the position. -OR- Successful completion of one year of education or training above high school related to the work of the position.Transcripts must be attached to application package if qualifying based on education. -OR- An equivalent combination of experience and education. Transcripts must be attached to application package. For the GW-04 level: Six months of general experience, which can be any work experience AND six months of specialized experience equivalent to the GW-03 level in the federal service; Examples of specialized experience include the following: controlling or extinguishing fires as a member of an organized military, industrial, volunteer, or governmental fire department or brigade forest fire control, prevention, or suppression work rescue operations detection, reduction, or elimination of potential fire hazards operation of fire communications equipment when it requires specialized knowledge of firefighting techniques, equipment, and procedures to prevent and manage fires controlling hazardous materials incidents developing, implementing, or providing training in fire protection and prevention -OR- Successfully completed 2 years of study above high school in an accredited college or university in Fire Training, Fire Science, Fire Technology or in other related fields. Transcripts must be attached to application package. -OR- An equivalent combination of experience and education. Transcripts must be attached to application package. For the GW-05 level: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GW-04 level, or higher, in the Federal service, or equivalent, is required. Examples of specialized experience include: on-the-line wildland fire experience in forest/range fire control, prevention, or suppression work as a skilled wildland firefighter, utilizing a variety of specialized wildland fire tools and equipment. -OR- Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study (120 semester hour or 180 quarter hours) leading to a bachelor's degree with a major study in Fire Science, Fire Technology or other related fields of study (e.g.: Forestry, Range Management, Agriculture, Fire suppression and Prevention). Transcripts must be attached to application package. -OR- An equivalent combination of experience and education. Transcripts must be attached to application package. 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. *Applicants must meet all of the requirements above for the position by the closing date of the announcement. This position is covered by the special retirement provisions of 5 U.S.C. 8336 (c) and 5 U.S.C. 8412 (d) as a Primary/Rigorous Firefighter. Applicants must be 18 years of age but not have reached their 37th birthday by the closing date of this announcement. These positions are covered by the special enhanced annuity retirement provisions for Federal Firefighters and Law Enforcement officers and have a mandatory retirement age of 57. Two exceptions are allowed: 1) an applicant has prior Federal service in documented special retirement covered position(s) sufficient to count toward 20 years of covered service on or before the mandatory retirement age of 57; or 2) an applicant is a qualified veterans' preference eligible, in which case the MEA is waived and their corresponding retirement age may be higher than 57 after completing 20 years of service. Applicants must submit proof of their previous and/or current status in the Fire Fighter or Law Enforcement special enhanced annuity retirement system. Physical Demands: The work of this position requires arduous exertion for protracted periods of time such as, but not limited to, extensive running, walking, climbing, kneeling, stooping, pulling hoses, jumping and twisting, prolonged standing, walking over uneven ground, and recurring bending, reaching, lifting and carrying of items weighing over 50 pounds. Working Conditions: This position is expected to work in forest, range, and desert environments in steep terrain where surfaces may be extremely uneven, rocky, covered with thick tangled vegetation, smoky conditions, etc. Temperatures commonly exceed 100 degrees F and may fall below freezing. Risks include smoke inhalation, fire entrapment, snake or insect bites and stings, exposure to excessive machinery noise, and falling and rolling material. Firefighters may be required to live in backcountry camps for extended periods of time.

Evaluations

Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text. Headers may be slightly larger but must remain legible. All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression. Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications. You will be evaluated based on how your application materials reflect the minimum qualification requirements of this position. Once the job opportunity announcement closes, your resume and all supporting documents will be reviewed by HR to determine if you are minimally qualified for the position. If an applicant's resume is incomplete or does not support the requirements for minimum qualifications or specialized experience a rating of "ineligible" or "not qualified" will be applied and no consideration for employment will be granted. Due to this vacancy being filled through OPM's Direct Hire Authority, Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to positions filled under this announcement. Applications received as a result of job fairs, recruitment events, and emergency hiring mechanisms in support of this hiring initiative will also be accepted during the duration of the announcement. All minimally qualified candidates will be referred for consideration. Please note that the hiring office may conduct interviews at their discretion. Interviews may be conducted on a pass/fail basis.

How to apply Review the appointment eligibility criteria in the application preview linked below. The eligibility section of the application allows you to choose how you wish to be considered for this vacancy announcement. You will ONLY be considered for the eligibilities that you select "yes" to and submit the required supporting documentation, as listed in the Required Documents section or the application text. You may qualify for more than one eligibility, so please choose carefully. If you respond that you do not meet any of the eligibility criteria, you will not be considered for this position under this announcement. To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package. See required documents section. Click 'Apply' to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account. Follow the prompts to complete the assessment questionnaire and upload required documents. To preview the assessment questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13085066. Please ensure you check the acknowledgement checkbox then click the Submit Application button to submit your application. Applications must be received by 10/30/2026, 11:59pm ET to receive consideration. Check application status by logging into your USAJOBS account, in Applications tab, click the position title you applied to for the status. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which is available from the Human Resources Office. Please refer to the contact information listed at the bottom of the announcement. Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies within the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s), including within the same metro/commuting area. Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration.

Other information Career-Seasonal employees must work a Tour-of-Duty of at least six months and no more than eleven and a half months each year; for the remainder of the year you will be placed into non-pay status. Hiring managers will provide applicants with tour-of-duty information specific to each duty location during the hiring process. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Department of Interior (DOI) Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) procedures apply in filling this vacancy. These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements) for the position and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with their application. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp. This position is considered a career ladder opportunity, with a full performance level of GW-05. If selected at a lower grade level, you may be non-competitively promoted to the next grade level at the discretion of your supervisor and is contingent upon meeting regulatory and legal requirements for promotion, satisfactory performance, and the availability of higher-level work. Promotion is not guaranteed, and no promise of promotion is implied. Reemployment Priority List (RPL): The RPL is the mechanism agencies use to give reemployment consideration to their former competitive service employees separated by a RIF or who have fully recovered from a compensable injury after more than one year. If you are currently on an RPL, you may be given priority consideration. PCS Information: -Yes, depending on location, entitlements for payment of basic moving expenses, as required and to the extent allowed by the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) 302-3.101, are authorized for eligible applicants changing duty station when the change meets the distance tests as provided in FTR 302-1.1 and 302-2.6. All moving expenses are taxable. Incentives: If eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. Additional Vacancies: One or more positions may be filled from applications received under this announcement in the advertised office or other U.S. Wildland Fire Service offices in the local commuting area.