Park Fire Chief Job

Vacancy No. 25-NPSFIRE12769972-DE Department National Park Service
Salary $105,383.00 to $137,000.00 Grade 13 to 13
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 7/29/2025 Close Date 8/12/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Grand Canyon, AZYellowstone National Park, WY


Summary

Incumbent serves as Park Fire Chief within a structural fire program at either Grand Canyon National Park or Yellowstone National Park within the National Park Service (NPS).

For additional information regarding this position, please see "Position Information".

Please ensure you read the announcement fully prior to submitting application package.

Duties

  • Oversees and/or manages the structural fire programs for the assigned park(s). Submits yearly structural fire budget requirements for projects, equipment acquisition, travel and training, and service contracts.
  • May direct the activities of collateral duty firefighters from all divisions of the park and/or concession employed firefighters on the fire ground and in trainings scenarios.
  • Manages the park's fire prevention program, including staff training, educational campaigns, coordination with supervisors, Fire Prevention Week activities, routine fire safety duties, and facility inspections by occupancy type.
  • Arranges mutual aid agreements with local fire departments ensuring the frequent updates and reassessments necessary to support particularly fluid mutual aid requirements occur.
  • Develops, reviews, and recommends policies, guidelines, procedures, and regulations to implement DO-58, RM-58, and other structural fire program requirements.
  • Oversees and/or manages the search and rescue (SAR) program for the assigned park(s).
  • Oversees and/or manages the emergency medical services (EMS) program for the assigned park(s).
  • Oversees and/or manages the training program for structure fire, SAR, EMS programs for the assigned park(s).

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service or exempt.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
  • Must be 18 years of age at time of close date of announcement.
  • This is a Drug Test Designated Position. 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.
  • Prior primary/rigorous structure firefighting experience is required.
  • Willing to live/work in remote locations (volatile/unpredictable).
  • You will be required to operate a government motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required.
  • You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service fire uniform standards.
  • You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
  • If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
  • Incumbent will be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.
  • You will also be required to complete periodic medical examinations throughout employment.
  • Subject to frequent extended travel up to 14 nights a month particularly during fire season, and you must obtain a government charge card for travel.
  • This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. Your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year to month/year), and must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If an applicant's resume is incomplete a rating of "ineligible" will be applied and no consideration for employment will be granted.

**NOTE - Please limit your resume to no more than 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications. You can only submit one resume; Only the resume submitted under the "Resume" "Document Type" will be used to determine your qualifications and for rating purposes.

In order to be considered for this position, copies of any required certifications MUST be attached to you application package. To receive consideration for this position, you must provide updated required documents and meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Basic Qualification Requirements:
For the GS-13 level: Applicants must have at least one year of specialized work experience in a related field at the GS-12 or equivalent. Examples of specialized experience are: Managed an all-hazard structural fire program encompassing fire prevention, suppression, training, search and rescue, and emergency medical services response in a high-complexity park or similar operational environment. Developed and implemented comprehensive fire safety programs, including facility inspections and oversight of pre-incident planning and emergency response operations. Prepared, managed, and executed fire program budgets; maintained compliance with mandatory training requirements; and ensured the overall operational readiness of fire response teams. Led emergency response activities, conducted fire origin and cause investigations, and coordinated mutual aid agreements with external emergency services. Developed and implemented a comprehensive search and rescue program, including management of training, training requirements, certification, and operations. Developed and implemented a comprehensive emergency medical services program, including management of training, training requirements, certification, and operations.

In addition to the requirements described above, the following certifications and experience is required.

SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTORS:

Successful completion and have currency in the following from the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) or National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications (NPQS/Pro Board):
  • Driver/Operator Pumper AND
  • Fire Inspector II, AND
  • Fire Instructor II, AND
  • Fire Officer IV AND
  • Firefighter II, AND
  • Hazmat Awareness, AND
  • Operations AND
  • Current Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification AND
  • Must have Search and Rescue (SAR) training, and also identify SAR training in resume.
**Must achieve Fire Investigator within one year of employment.

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 prior structural firefighting experience. Experience that may be credited: volunteer firefighter, paid call firefighter, and/or structural firefighter with the Federal government or in an equivalent position outside the Federal government; suppressing fires that occur within buildings, ships, vehicles, airstrips and aircrafts, and other non-wildland firefighting. You must clearly demonstrate this experience in your resume in order to be considered.

Structural Fire: The Department of the Interior defines structural firefighting experience as any firefighting experience except wildland firefighting. Structural experience may be gained though work in suppressing fires such as those in buildings, ships, vehicles, airstrips and aircraft, and other non-wildland firefighting. This experience may be gained by serving in a structural firefighting position within the federal government or in an equivalent position outside the Federal government. Periods of structural firefighting gained as a volunteer or paid call firefighter can also be credited. In some instances, candidates may be hired in a dual wildland and structural firefighting role. Candidates must meet the qualifications required for either the wildland or structural fire function.

Secondary Firefighter Retirement Coverage - Applicants for this secondary administrative fire fighter position under the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 8336 (c) (CSRS) and 5 U.S.C. 8412 (d), must possess knowledge of the principles, methods, and techniques of wildland firefighting as demonstrated by direct wildland firefighting experience. In order to receive credit, you must provide a written description of your experience in wildland firefighting. Education without hands-on wildland firefighting experience does not meet this requirement. Periods of wildland firefighting experience, gained through militia and rural fire departments, can also be credited. Wildland fire is defined as any non-structure fire that occurs in the wildland. Two distinct types of wildland fire have been defined and include wildfire and prescribed fires as follows: Wildfire: Unplanned ignitions or prescribed fires that are declared wildfires. Prescribed Fires: Planned ignitions. This description includes only fireline experience on a Prescribed Fire; it 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 secondary-administrative firefighter position under the special retirement provisions of 5 U.S. C. 8336 (c) (CSRS) and 5 U. S. C. 8412 (d) (FERS). PLEASE NOTE: Applicants may meet qualification requirements but may not be eligible for special retirement coverage. If such an applicant is selected, they will be placed in the regular retirement system. FERS TRANSITION REQUIREMENT: To be eligible for Secondary retirement coverage under FERS, an employee must: 1) transfer directly (without a break in service exceeding 3 days) from a primary position to a secondary position, AND 2) complete 3 years of service in a primary rigorous position including any such service during which no FERS deductions were withheld, AND 3) must be continuously employed in a secondary position(s) since moving from a primary rigorous position, except for any break in employment from a secondary position that began with involuntary separation (not for cause). It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure this office has enough information to determine your special retirement status to ensure you do not lose benefits (normally through submission of your work history or other documentation that demonstrates work history of approved covered positions). You must let this office know if you are in a Primary coverage position.

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.

Education

There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level(s) of this announcement. For more information regarding this, please visit OPM Qualification Standards - 0081.

Position Information:

There are two positions being filled at this time:

One position is being filled at Grand Canyon National Park; duty location Grand Canyon NP, AZ. For additional questions about the position at this location, please contact Justin Cully at Justin_Cully@nps.gov. Please note - this position is required occupancy.

One position is being filled at Yellowstone National Park; duty location Yellowstone NP, WY. For additional questions about the position at this location, please contact Katy Anderson-Wilkinson at Katy_AndersonWilkinson@nps.gov.

In order to be considered for any duty location, ensure desired locations are selected. Applicants will not be considered for locations not selected.

Additional information

A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay.The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster or other ad-hoc situations.A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR §575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive.

A Relocation Incentive May Be Authorized for a Federal employee when the employee must move, as directed by the National Park Service (NPS) either through a management directed reassignment or selection for employment, to a different location at least 50 miles away from the one where his/her position of record held at time of selection is currently located, due to a need of the NPS. A relocation incentive is not the same as a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move and, as such, may be granted in conjunction with one another.

Physical Demands: Most work Is accomplished in an office setting, such as sitting for long periods, requiring intense concentration, attention to detail, and short deadlines. Presenting and instructing others or participating in large and small groups, task forces, committees, training sessions or workshops. Fire inspections or program reviews may entail hiking or climbing. The incumbent is expected to maintain incident qualifications, they may undergo periods of high intensity arduous work in an outdoor and often hazardous setting. The incumbent is expected to maintain a fitness level and meet the NFPA medical standard appropriate to the incident qualifications requirement for positions certified. All Risk Emergency Incident Management Team assignments and other field assignments may require an extensive amount of walking, bending, and climbing, and subject the Incumbent to hazardous environmental conditions. As an instructor for fire suppression classes is exposed to hazardous conditions inherent with fire suppression classes which include Instruction to students Inside a structure under live fire conditions. The incumbent is required to operate large structural firefighting apparatus as well as drive and operate light duty command vehicles while responding emergencies as well as normal operations in non-emergency events.

Working Conditions: Much of the work is performed in an office setting; however, the incumbent is expected to be able to teach components of any one of the NPS training classes. Travel may be required to the Washington office, regional offices, and field areas for meetings, training, on-site inspections, and policy implementation.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position. A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories:

Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position
Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job
Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.

You will be evaluated on the following competencies:

  • Compliance
  • Education and Training
  • Lead/Supervisory Responsibility
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Program Management


In order 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 successful completion of additional assessments, including a structured resume review. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

Required Documents

The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 08/12/2025:

  • Resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year to month/year), and must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If an applicant's resume is incomplete a rating of "ineligible" will be applied and no consideration for employment will be granted.
    • **NOTE -Please limit your resume to no more than 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications. You can only submit one resume; Only the resume submitted under the "Resume" "Document Type" will be used to determine your qualifications and for rating purposes
  • Complete All Required Assessments (if applicable).
  • Other Supporting Documents, if applicable, such as:
    • Veterans Preference Documentation:
      • If you are a Discharged, Non-Disabled Veteran, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing character of discharge (Member 4 copy), or other Documentation of Service and Separation under Honorable Conditions, as listed on the SF15. If you don't have your DD-214, you may request it after discharge from the National Archives.
      • If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge, you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement from active duty, 2) under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, & 6) dated within 120 days of your separation.
      • If you are a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Mother or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF15, and if applicable, a completed SF15. You may request a copy of your Department of Veterans Affairs letter from www.ebenefits.va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000 to establish proof of disability.
  • International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) or National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications (NPQS/Pro Board) transcript or other certification(s).
  • Documentation for Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan consideration if you are a displaced Federal employee within the local commuting area. You must include: 1) Proof you are a displaced Federal employee, e.g., RIF Separation Notice, Notice of Proposed Removal, etc.; 2) SF-50s (Notifications of Personnel Action) showing career/conditional tenure competitive status, promotion potential and duty location; and 3) your most recent performance appraisal. To exercise selection priority, displaced or surplus Federal employees must be rated well-qualified or above 85 on the rating criteria for this position.
Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.

Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency's staffing offices.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

To apply for this position: You must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. To receive consideration, the complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 08/12/2025. You must provide documentation to support your claim for each eligibility selected. Please review the required documentation listed in the eligibilities language to ensure you submit the appropriate information. Note: You will only be marked eligible for those eligibilities that you selected and provided the appropriate supporting documentation.

Please limit your resume to no more than 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications. You can only submit one resume; Only the resume submitted under the "Resume" "Document Type" will be used to determine your qualifications and for rating purposes.

WE DO NOT ACCEPT HARD-COPY OR E-MAIL APPLICATION PACKAGES.

  1. Select Apply. If you are not logged in, you will be prompted to login or create an account.
  2. Prompted to Start the Application Process by selecting "Start Application."
  3. Select or add the resume you want to use for this application. Click here on how to build a resume in USAJOBS.
  4. Select documents you want included in this application.
  5. Review package to acknowledge your documents were reviewed.
  6. Select if you want to include your demographic information.
  7. After reading and certifying the application is true and submitted in good faith, select "Continue to Agency Site."
  8. Follow onscreen prompts and instructions to complete your application.
  9. Add the supporting documents by indexing your documents with the dropdown.
    • Upload any missing required documents or optional documents.
  10. Review and Submit Application.
  11. While logged in, you can check the status of your application by selecting "+" next to the job title for this position.
  12. You can review or revise your application at any point during the open period of the announcement.
    • To update an application, you should log into your USAJOBS account and select "+" next to the job title for this position. Select "Update Application" for this job.
    • Note: When you click Update Application, you will be prompted to re-select your documents from USAJOBS. Documents submitted with the first application will no longer be associated with the applicant record. So it is important that you select all documents you want to use in the re-application.

Agency contact information

Lisa Salazar
Address
Intermountain Fire and Aviation-SPARK
1 Denver Federal Center
Building 50
Denver, CO 80225
US

Next steps

Once the Occupational Questionnaire is received you will receive acknowledgement that your submission was successful. If you are among the most qualified candidates and your name is referred to the hiring official, you may be contacted directly for a possible interview. You will be notified of the status of your Application Package at the time candidates are referred for consideration, and when the selection process is complete.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.