Fire Management Specialist (Fuels Planner)

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Department of Agriculture

Job Summary

This position is located in Smelterville, Idaho. Incumbent serves in a key fire management position as a Fire Management Specialist (Fuels Planner) and conducts analysis for fuels treatment planning, vegetation analysis, smoke modeling, fire effects determinations, and integration of out-year planning. For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact Samuel Gibbons at samuel.gibbons@usda.gov or 208-769-3035.

Major Duties

  • Duties listed are at the full performance level.
  • Serves as a member of an interdisciplinary team planning, developing, and implementing land management plans, compliance documents, and agreements.
  • Provides input and recommends strategies for fuels and fire management.
  • Provides information on fuels management methods to enhance, restore and protect ecosystems. If qualified to do so, may prepare or review implementation plans such as prescribed fire plans or silvicultural prescriptions.
  • Participates in the development, review, and modification of the fire management plan. Develops, reviews and monitors fuels management plans.
  • Reviews environmental documents, and fire management plans of other agencies and stakeholders which will affect the unit.
  • Prepares wildland fire risk assessments incorporating wildland/urban interface considerations into all agreements, operating plans, and land and fire management plans, to ensure that all interface areas are covered.
  • Develops fuels treatment alternatives to support management decisions while adhering to applicable laws, regulations, policies, and guidelines.
  • Evaluates individual fuels treatments as well as the effectiveness of the assigned program and makes recommendations for improvement.
  • Maintains awareness of technological developments in wildland fire science and related disciplines. Collects information through a variety of methods, including field surveys, computer modeling, and specific literature searches.
  • Coordinates multi-disciplinary field studies related to fuels management program issues to determine effectiveness of treatments.
  • As qualified, supports prescribed fire activities, wildfire, and fuels management activities to ensure targets are achieved, management objectives are met and mitigation measures are adequate.
  • Designs and implements fuels management surveys to document presence, amount, and types of hazardous fuels. Utilizes the results of the surveys to prioritize prescribed fire and fuels management projects.
  • Evaluates post burn fire effects, identifies potential problems and makes appropriate recommendations.

Qualifications

In 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. Basic Requirement:

GS-0401:

For more information on the qualifications for this position, go to: http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/IORs/gs0400/0401.htmDegree: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree that included a major field of study in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

OR

Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in a major field of study that included 24 semester hours in course work in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. Related course work generally refers to courses that may be accepted as part of the program major.

OR

Combination of education and experience that included 24 semester hours in course work in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position, AND experience sufficient to demonstrate that I possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the occupation that is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study with a major in the appropriate field needed to perform the work of the occupation. In addition to meeting the basic requirement, you must also possess experience and/or directly related education in the amounts listed below. Specialized Experience Requirement: For the GS-07: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 in the Federal service that demonstrates an understanding of fire behavior relative to fuels, weather, and topography and how fire affects natural and cultural resources. Typical assignments include: Participating in implementing prescribed fire or fire use plans to ensure resource objectives can be met from a fire management standpoint; developing initial attack incident management strategies and tactics to meet the stated resource objectives. For the GS-09: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 in the Federal service.Experience in at least two of the following three categories: 1. Experience that demonstrates understanding of fire effects on cultural and natural resources. The assignments must have shown participation in activities such as: Developing fire management plans to ensure resource objectives can be met from a fire management standpoint; or Conducting field inspections before and/or after prescribed fires or wildland fires to determine if defined resource objectives have been met. 2. Prescribed fire/fuels management - experience in activities such as: Professional forest or range inventory methods and procedures (e.g., Brown's planar intercept for dead and down fuels; live fuel loading assessments), or Analysis of fuel loadings and determination of appropriate fuel treatment methods and programming, or Evaluating prescribed fire plans or fire management plans to ensure fire containment is possible and identify appropriate suppression contingencies if containment is not obtained. 3. Fire management operations - analyzing and applying fire management strategies, plus experience in at least four of the following activities: Mobilization and dispatch coordination; Fire prevention; Training; Logistics; Equipment development and deployment; Fire communications systems; Suppression and preparedness Selective Placement Factors A minimum 90 days experience performing on-the-line (Primary/Rigorous) wildland fire suppression duties as a member of an organized fire suppression crew or comparable unit that utilized knowledge of wildland fire suppression, containment or control techniques and practices under various conditions. This experience must be documented with specific dates in the online application or resume. 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. Positions may be filled as career ladders or could be filled at the full performance level dependent upon the individual units needs. 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 not guaranteed. FIREFIGHTER RETIREMENT COVERAGE: This is a covered secondary position description under the provisions of 5USC 8336 (c) and 8412 (d).

Pay Range

$43,251.00 - $68,777.00

More information...

End Date: 

Thursday, January 16, 2020