Wildland Firefighter - Prevention Job

Vacancy No. 26-FIRE-P1R5-PREV2-67DH Department Forest Service
Salary $57,098.00 to $80,541.00 Grade 6 to 7
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 8/22/2025 Close Date 9/23/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Acton, CAAdin, CAAlpine, CAAlturas, CA


Summary

These positions will be located at USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region, Region 5.

Primary responsibilities of these positions are fire prevention. These positions also function in initial attack fire suppression.

For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact Brian Grabowski - brian.grabowski@usda.gov

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. citizen. Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position. Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy.

Duties

  • Duties listed are at full performance grade GW-07 level.
  • This position is responsible for development, implementation and administration of the unit’s Fire Prevention Program.
  • Provides technical expertise on fire protection and prevention issues. Analyzes, coordinates, organizes and develops comprehensive Wildfire Prevention Analysis Plans for the unit.
  • Responsible for updating fire occurrence map and large fire history annually. Plans, organizes, supervises, schedules and directs group prevention/education contacts with external entities.
  • Establishes and maintains liaison with local law enforcement personnel for violations of State Law, fire-setter contacts and other violations.
  • Recommends issuing burning or campfire permits for the Unit with regards to Fire Danger Levels, monitors for compliance/non-compliance and manages records.
  • Performs suppression operations on fire management unit. Responsible for updating fire occurrence map and large fire history annually. Manages the unit's fire detection program as required.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service or exempt.
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.
  • Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify.
  • Must be 18 years of age.
  • This is a drug testing designated position. You will be subject to pre-employment and random drug testing. Appointment is based on a negative result. This announcement constitutes 30 days advance notice.
  • Secondary Coverage: Prior wildland firefighting experience is required.
  • Willing to live/work in remote locations (volatile/unpredictable).
  • Some Fire positions may have Conditions of Employment such as: a valid state driver's license; a commercial driver's license (CDL); pre-appointment and random drug testing; or a physical or medical examination.
  • There may be additional Conditions of Employment not listed here, however applicants will be notified of any specific requirements at the time a tentative job offer is made.

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.

Specialized Experience Requirement:

For the GW-06: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GW-05 in the Federal service.
Specialized experience is defined as examples of the following: Performed suppression operations and instructed others during initial attack or assisting with prescribed burns; Gave formal talks and informally provided information on fire prevention laws, rules, and regulations; and Issued various permits and ensured users were in compliance with rules and regulations.

For the GW-07: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GW-06 in the Federal service.
Specialized experience is defined as examples of the following: Assisted in development and presentation of educational programs; performed extensive public contact work in providing information on fire prevention/protection issues; Issued burning or campfire permits with regards to fire danger levels, and monitoring them for compliance/non-compliance. Assisted in gathering, processing, analyzing fire risks, hazards and values needed to prepare prevention plans; Performed initial attack on fires and serving as an incident commander or implementing prescribed burn plans.

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.

FIREFIGHTER RETIREMENT COVERAGE: This is a secondary position covered under the special retirement provisions of 5 USC 8336(c) for the Civil Service Retirement System and of 5 USC 8412(d) for the Federal Employees Retirement System. Prior wildland firefighting experience is required. There is no age limit for entry into secondary positions. Firefighter retirement coverage of the incumbent depends upon his or her individual work history.

To receive consideration for this position, you must provide updated required documents and meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors.

These are permanent positions with varying tours of duty and may include weekend work. Some positions may have irregular and protracted hours of work. Tours of duty include full-time or less than full time (guaranteed minimum 13 pay periods full-time employment).

The duty station for this position will be at one of the duty locations listed in this announcement. Salary range as shown is the locality pay Rest of U.S. (RUS). Pay rates vary by location. Please visit the Office of Personnel Management's website for additional information on pay rates.

Recruitment or Relocation Incentive may be authorized. Final determination to pay an incentive will be made by the hiring official at time of job offer.

The Forest Service may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract highly qualified candidates. Additional Information is available on the OPM Website.

Selectee will be responsible for tax obligations related to payments for moving expenses - 2017 Tax Cuts and Job Act, Public Law 115-97. Questions should be directed to the Travel Help Desk, 877-372-7248, Option 1, or email SM.FS.asc_tos@usda.gov

PROMOTION POTENTIAL: 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 neither implied or guaranteed.

Positions filled from this announcement may be a bargaining or a non-bargaining unit position represented by either NFFE, AFGE or NAGE.

Forest Service daycare facilities may be available.

Government Housing may be available.

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.

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.

This is a Direct-Hire Authority position, all applicants who meet the minimum qualifications, to include any selective placement factor(s), if applicable, will be referred to the selecting official. Before a certificate is issued to the selecting official, the resume is reviewed to ensure that you meet all the qualification requirements. A rating will not be used; veteran's preference does not apply due to the existence of the Direct Hire authority for this position.

Selections made under this authority will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Current civil service employees would be given a new appointment.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12780759

Required Documents

The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in the mail service, your system failure, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.

Resume that includes: 1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the responsibilities section including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) other qualifications.


Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.

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

Please view Tips for Applicants - a guide to the Forest Service application process.

Read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m. Mountain Time Zone, Monday - Friday. If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be returned to Human Resources no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement in order for it to be entered into the system prior to the closing date.

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Contact the Agency Contact to request this.

To begin, in USAJOBS click "Apply" and follow the instructions to attach your resume and supporting documents, complete the assessment questionnaire, and submit your application.

NOTE: Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBS transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded documents must be less than 5MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, TXT or Word (DOC or DOCX). Do not upload Adobe Portfolio documents because they are not viewable.

Agency contact information

HRM Contact Center
Address
USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center
DO NOT MAIL IN APPLICATIONS, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT
Albuquerque, NM 87109
US

Next steps

Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS to check your application status.

We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.

Under the Fair Chance Act, agencies are not allowed to request information about an applicant's criminal history until a conditional offer of employment has been made, except as allowed for access to classified information; assignment to national security duties or positions; acceptance or retention in the armed forces; or recruitment of a Federal law enforcement officer. An applicant may submit a complaint, or any other information related to an organization's alleged noncompliance with the Fair Chance Act. The complaint must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged noncompliance. To make a Fair Chance Act inquiry or complaint, send an email with the appropriate information to sm.fs.hrm_elr@usda.gov, subject line: Fair Chance Act.

Additional Locations

  • Beckwourth, CA
  • Big Sur, CA
  • Bishop, CA
  • Blairsden, CA
  • California Hot Springs, CA
  • Camino, CA
  • Camptonville, CA
  • Carpinteria, CA
  • Chester, CA
  • Chico, CA
  • Corona, CA
  • Covelo, CA
  • Downieville, CA
  • Doyle, CA
  • Eureka, CA
  • Fawnskin, CA
  • Forest Ranch, CA
  • Foresthill, CA
  • Fort Jones, CA
  • Frazier Park, CA
  • Gasquet, CA
  • Georgetown, CA
  • Glendora, CA
  • Greenfield, CA
  • Greenville, CA
  • Groveland, CA
  • Happy Camp, CA
  • Hat Creek, CA
  • Hathaway Pines, CA
  • Havilah, CA
  • Hayfork, CA
  • Idyllwild, CA
  • Johnsondale, CA
  • Kernville, CA
  • Klamath River, CA
  • Lake Isabella, CA
  • Lee Vining, CA
  • Lone Pine, CA
  • Los Olivos, CA
  • Lytle Creek, CA
  • Macdoel, CA
  • Mad River, CA
  • Mammoth Lakes, CA
  • Mariposa, CA
  • McCloud, CA
  • Mi-Wuk Village, CA
  • Mount Shasta, CA
  • Nevada City, CA
  • North Fork, CA
  • Oakhurst, CA
  • Ojai, CA
  • Orleans, CA
  • Oroville, CA
  • Paskenta, CA
  • Pinecrest, CA
  • Pinehurst, CA
  • Pioneer, CA
  • Piru, CA
  • Pollock Pines, CA
  • Prather, CA
  • Quincy, CA
  • Ramona, CA
  • Red Bluff, CA
  • Redding, CA
  • San Fernando, CA
  • Santa Barbara, CA
  • Santa Margarita, CA
  • Santa Maria, CA
  • Sierraville, CA
  • Soda Springs, CA
  • South Lake Tahoe, CA
  • Springville, CA
  • Stonyford, CA
  • Susanville, CA
  • Trimmer, CA
  • Truckee, CA
  • Tulelake, CA
  • Upper Lake, CA
  • Weaverville, CA
  • Willow Creek, CA
  • Glenbrook, NV


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


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