Forestry Technician (Fire Dispatch)

Clarification from the agency

This is a Merit Promotion announcement for current DOI career and career conditional Federal employees and CTAP eligibles.

Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following:

• Establishes priorities, allocates resources and supervises the mobilization, demobilization, and reassignment of wildland fire suppression resources within the local, geographic, and national area.
• Manages fuels, weather, and intelligence data.
• Coordinates aircraft flight following and ensures safe and efficient practices are followed.
• Develops, implements, and updates Dispatch Operations Guide, Expanded Dispatch Plans, etc.
• Provides day-to-day operations technical direction. Plans work, assigns work, provides employee performance input.

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Direct Deposit participation required.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment.
• Pre-employment and random drug testing is required. You will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test is received.
• You may be required to complete training, obtain, and maintain a government credit card with travel and/or purchase authority.
• You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and/or shift work.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period to evaluate your fitness and whether your continuation of employment advances the public interest.

This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 11/06/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 for each federal position listed as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of qualifying experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, 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 as the service dates will be reflected.

This position has been identified as one of the key fire management positions under the Interagency Fire Program management (IFPM) Standard. This position has been categorized as a Forestry Technician (Fire Dispatch) GW-0462-09 and requires the selectee to meet the minimum qualification standards for IFPM prior to moving into the position. For more information on IFPM, click here.

Selective Factors: The applicant must have possessed all of the following National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) incident management qualifications and training requirements to be considered eligible for this position:

• Expanded Dispatch Support Dispatcher (EDSD)

-AND-

This is an administrative position in an organization having a firefighting mission, and is clearly in an established career path. Prior firefighting experience, as gained by substantial service in a primary firefighter position or equivalent experience outside the Federal government is a MANDATORY PREREQUISITE.

Candidates must possess Primary/Rigorous wildland firefighting experience, gained through fire line work in containment, control, suppression or use of wildland fire. You must clearly demonstrate this experience in your resume, including the months, days, and hours per week at which the work was performed to be considered.

Applicants must have documented prior primary firefighting experience, with substantial service defined as either:

• At least one full fire season working in a primary wildland firefighting role (e.g., Engine Crew, Fire Effects Crew, Prescribed Fire/Fuels Crew, Hand Crew, Helitack Crew, Hotshot Crew, Smokejumper, Wildland Fire Modules or Fire Suppression Crews, etc.) with a federal, state, tribal, local, or private-sector organization;
  
  - OR -

• At least 14 days of on-the-ground fireline experience (cumulative or consecutive).

Prior primary wildland fire experience must be clearly documented in your resume. Note: an IQCS Master Record or equivalent document will not be used to determine or calculate prior primary wildland fire experience eligibility for this requirement.

-AND-

Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications for the GW-09 level:

Experience: At least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GW-07 level. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience in the following: performing wildland fire dispatch operations; processing resource orders; mobilizing and demobilizing personnel, equipment, supplies, and aviation resources; maintaining incident information and resource status; collecting and disseminating weather and intelligence information; providing support to wildland fire, prescribed fire, aviation, and all-hazard incidents; using dispatch and incident management systems; assisting with workforce scheduling and staffing coordination; and troubleshooting routine computer, telecommunications, software, and network connectivity issues affecting dispatch center operations.

-OR-

Education: Two (2) full years of graduate-level college education or a master's degree in a field directly related to the work of the position.

-OR-

Combination of Education and Experience: An equivalent combination of specialized experience and education as described above to qualify for this position. You must provide a copy of your college transcripts.

Volunteer Experience: 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.

Physical Demands: The work involves long hours of sitting, intense concentration, and working at peak proficiency/intensity levels with irregular breaks and mealtimes. Must be able to cope with the pressure of meeting timeframes and changing priorities. Mental concentration and accuracy are required. Vehicle and aircraft travel associated with field visits and other administrative travel may be required. Ability to remain calm under urgent and frequently changing conditions.

Work Environment: Work is performed primarily in an office setting. During peak activity, increased radio traffic, numerous ringing phones, and conversations result in high noise levels, which require a high level of concentration to perform duties. The duties of this position create a highly stressful environment during peak activity, requiring the ability to keep calm in emergency situations.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g. resume, documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessment(s) required for this position.

Your resume must not exceed 2 pages. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed. You will be assessed in the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Communication
• Fire Management
• Problem Solving
• Stress Tolerance
• Telecommunications

To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires a structured resume review by subject matter experts. This structured resume review by subject matter experts measures the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

The structured resume review includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score. All qualified non-competitive applicants and the best-qualified Merit Promotion applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.

DUE WEIGHT: Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation dated within the last 18 months and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process. If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, you must submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration or your score may be lowered. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Providing false or misleading information on your resume or supporting documentation may result in removal from consideration or other action consistent with applicable federal hiring regulations. Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.

The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the 11/06/2026 of the announcement:

1. Resume: Must not exceed two single-sided pages. Resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. MUST clearly indicate duties and responsibilities for each position (by grade level, if federal experience), employment dates (month/year), and total hours worked (e.g., 40+ hours/week, full-time, part-time). Part-time hours must be listed to prorate qualifying specialized experience. If a resume is incomplete or does not support the minimum qualifications or specialized experience, a rating of "ineligible" or "not qualified" will be assigned and no further consideration given. If military or civilian, include your rank and/or grade.
   • Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions is prohibited and will not be reviewed.
2. A complete Occupational Questionnaire.
3. Merit Promotion Eligibility Documentation, such as:
   • Federal employees must submit their latest SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action," reflecting career or career-conditional tenure (initial hire, promotion, or reassignment), showing position title, series, grade, and tenure (do not submit an Award SF-50). If different, also submit the SF-50 showing the highest permanent grade held. Time in grade will be determined from your resume and SF-50s.
   • If your most recent SF-50 is effective within the past year and does not clearly show one year of time-in-grade, submit an additional SF-50 (such as a Within Grade Increase) that does.
4. Performance Appraisals and Awards:
   • Submit your most recent performance appraisal showing the official rating of record and supervisor's signature. If it is older than 18 months, submit a statement explaining why it is the most recent.
   • If no appraisal is available, submit a statement explaining why (including whether prior evaluations were at an acceptable level).
5. Documentation that you meet ALL Selective Factors (i.e. IQCS Master Record).
6. College Transcripts if you are qualifying by education or a combination of education and experience.
7. Other Supporting Documents, if applicable, such as:
   • Public Land Corps: Submit a signed Certificate of Non-Competitive Eligibility and clearly state in your resume your time served and duties performed on an appropriate conservation project.
   • Special Appointing Authorities: If applying under a special appointing authority (e.g., Schedule A, Peace Corps, Military Spouses), submit documentation verifying eligibility. Failure to do so will result in no consideration. If using another authority, submit the appropriate documentation.
   • Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan (I/CTAP): Submit proof of eligibility, including the agency notice, most recent performance rating, and SF-50 showing position, grade, and duty location. For more information, visit USAJOBS Help Center - Career Transition Programs (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL).
   • Veterans Preference Documentation:
     • If you are a Discharged, Non-Disabled Veteran, submit a DD-214 (Member 4 copy) showing character of discharge or other acceptable documentation listed on the SF-15. If unavailable, request it from the National Archives.
     • If within 120 days of discharge, submit signed Armed Forces documentation certifying: (1) expected release/retirement date, (2) honorable conditions, (3) pay grade/rank/rate, (4) active duty dates, (5) campaign or expeditionary medals received, and (6) documentation dated within 120 days of separation.
     • If you are a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Mother or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, submit all documentation required by the SF-15 and, if applicable, a completed SF-15. A VA disability letter may be requested through eBenefits or by calling 1-800-827-1000.

Failure to submit any required documents will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents are submitted. Do not submit photographs or Adobe portfolio documents with your application package.

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