Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens - No previous federal service is required. This position is being advertised under an OPM government-wide Direct Hire authority. CTAP and ICTAP candidates in the local commuting area.

• Parachutes into rugged terrain and performs fire suppression and related duties.
• Maintains smokejumper and firefighting equipment, tools and supplies.
• Repairs, packs and maintains parachutes and related equipment.
• Utilizes fire behavior knowledge and firefighting experience to perform wildland fire suppression and prescribed fire operations safely and effectively in accordance with identified appropriate management response.
• May direct fire line activities and tactics for firefighters, equipment, aircraft and other resources.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Be sure to read the How to Apply and Required Documents Sections.
• You cannot hold an active real estate license: nor can you have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Lands.
• Direct Deposit Required.
• Appointment will be subject to a favorably adjudicated background/suitability investigation/determination.
• Your resume must contain enough information to show that you meet the qualification requirements as defined in the announcement. In addition, your responses to the questions must adequately reflect in your resume.
• An applicant appointed to this position must possess (or obtain within 30 days of entrance on duty) and maintain a valid state driver's license while employed in this position.
• Passage of a pre-employment physical is required. You must also pass the work capacity test for arduous positions.
• This is a Drug Testing Designated Position. You will be required to submit to screening for illegal drug use and pass prior to appointment. This position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use.
• You must be 18 years of age or older to be assigned to a hazardous position.
• May be required to complete a probationary period.

Qualifications

Selective Placement Factors (SPFs):
This position is a Primary Firefighter position and is subject to a maximum entry age (MEA). Applicants must not have reached age 37 at the time of appointment, unless proof is provided for prior Federal service in another primary covered position, OR proof of land management workforce flexibility act (LMWFA) eligibility (see required documents section for more information on proof for LMWFA), OR you are a preference eligible veteran, OR between the ages of 37 and 40 and willing to submit a request for an MEA waiver. If you meet any of the previous exemptions to MEA you must provide the required documents.

1. Firefighter Type 1 (FFT1) - You must provide the required document as instructed in the 'Required Documents' section of this announcement.

1. Firefighter Type 1 (FFT1) - You must provide the required document as instructed in the 'Required Documents' section of this announcement.
2. Prior smokejumping experience - This experience must be documented with specific dates in the resume.

1. Firefighter Type 1 (FFT1) - You must provide the required document as instructed in the 'Required Documents' section of this announcement.
2. Prior smokejumping experience - This experience must be documented with specific dates in the resume.
3. Incident Commander Type 4 (ICT4) - You must provide the required document as instructed in the 'Required Documents' section of this announcement.

In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the minimum qualification requirements - please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience.

To qualify for the GW-05 grade level, you must have one (1) full year of creditable specialized experience equivalent to the GW-04. Examples may include the following: Experience in forest and range land fire suppression and fuels mitigation as a member of a hand crew, helitack crew, engine crew, or fire use module; instructing or leading firefighters with both fire and non-fire assignments.
-OR-
Education: Successful completion of a 4-year course study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree, from an accredited college or university, in Fire Science, Fire Training, Fire Technology or other related fields.
- OR-
Combination of Education and Experience: You may meet qualifications requirement for this position with an equivalent combination of specialized experience and appropriate undergraduate education.

To qualify for the GW-06 grade level, you must have one (1) full year of creditable specialized experience equivalent to the GW-05. Examples may include the following: Experience in forest and range land fire suppression and fuels mitigation as a member of a hand crew, helitack crew, engine crew or fire use module; instructing or leading firefighters with both fire and non-fire assignments; experience as a qualified smokejumper using Ram-Air parachutes.

To qualify for the GW-07 grade level, you must have one (1) full year of creditable specialized experience equivalent to the GW-06. Examples may include the following: Experience in forest and range land fire suppression as an initial attack incident commander; experience in Smokejumper operations including parachuting into rugged terrain, parachute rigging and repair, and the use of smokejumper specific firefighting tools and equipment; instructing or leading firefighters in both fire and non-fire assignments

Substitution of education is not applicable at the GW-6 level or above.

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.

You must meet all qualification requirements by closing date of the announcement.

This position is considered a career ladder opportunity, with a full performance level of GW-07. 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.

Medical Requirements:
Please see the U.S. Office of Personnel Management website for the Medical Standards for Smokejumper Positions, please note this link is for the 0462 series and some of the information does not apply to the 0456 series: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0400/forestry-technician-series-0462/

Please see the Department of Interior Medical Standards Program website for the Federal Interagency Wildland Firefighter Medical Standards for your position: http://www.nifc.gov/medical_standards/index.html.

Physical Requirements:
Employment in this position is conditional upon your successful completion of the following BLM smokejumper physical fitness performance tests:

When you report for duty, you will be given a physical condition test. The test is given in one time period with a 5-minute break between exercises. The test consists of performing the following exercises:

• 30 push-ups
• 6 pull-ups
• Run 1.5 miles in 10.47 minutes or less and backpacking a 110 pound load three miles in less than 65 minutes.

Work Capacity Test at the Arduous Level: All arduous wildland firefighters must backpack a 45 pound load for three miles in 45 minutes or less.

Physical Demands:
The incumbent must be able to work under extreme physical exertion regularly working 16 hour shifts or longer on the fireline. Work on the fireline requires considerable strenuous physical exertion.

Work Environment:
The majority of the work is performed out of doors in a wide variety of weather and terrain conditions or in a crowded airplane.

Firefighter Special Retirement (Primary Coverage): This is a primary fire position under the special retirement provisions of 5 U.S.C. 8336(c) (CSRS) and 5 U.S.C. 8412(d) (FERS). The position is subject to maximum entry age (MEA) requirements.

The MEA for this position shall not exceed age 37; unless you have sufficient prior Federal civilian firefighter or you are a preference eligible veteran. If you are a preference eligible veteran, you may be eligible for this position on or 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 will result in loss of eligibility to receive a waiver of the maximum entry age 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.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you meet the qualifications your resume and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. Note: If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, your score may be lowered, or you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating.

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 qualification requirements of this position. Once the application process is complete, HR will review your application to ensure you meet eligibility and minimum qualifications. To determine if you are minimally qualified for this position, HR will complete a review of your resume, supporting documentation and responses to the online questionnaire.

The critical competencies and/or job elements listed below that are required to successfully perform in the position.

• Fire Management: Knowledge of the concepts, principles, and theories of fire management, including the characteristics, behavior, and ecology of fire; methodologies, strategies, and equipment used in prescribed fires; fire detection, prevention, and suppression strategies; and integration of fire with natural resource management.
• Technical Competence: Knowledge of how to do one's job. Refers to specialized knowledge that is acquired through formal training or on-the-job experience.
• Leadership: Influences, motivates, and challenges others; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations.

You are welcome to submit an optional cover letter.

In addition to the online application (i.e. resume and responses to the questionnaire), you are required to submit the following forms:

Resume: At a minimum, your resume MUST contain job title (include job series and grade, if Federal), duties, starting and ending dates (month and year MM/YYYY), hours worked per week, and salary for each position held (optional). USAJOBS has a template to ensure a complete resume.

Failure to provide required information will result in loss of eligibility. For more information, visit OPM Resume Writing Tips and/or visit the USAJOBs Help Center for more information on What should I include in my federal resume?

Transcripts:
If using education to qualify, submit a copy of ALL your college transcripts or a list of ALL your college transcripts or a list of ALL college courses that include hours and grades from an accredited U.S. college/university. Upon selection, official transcripts must be received prior to appointment. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. You may also refer to OPM's website at Foreign Education.

Incident Qualification and Certification System (IQCS) Master Record:
IQCS or other equivalent documentation which verifies you meet the required NWCG qualifications for this position. Failure to provide this documentation by the closing date of the announcement will result in you being rated as not qualified.

Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or lnteragency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) eligibles:
Submit documentation verifying your CTAP/ICTAP eligibility - this includes a copy of the agency notice and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level and duty location.

USAJOBs documents: Please note that documents selected for transfer from your USAJOBS profile are NOT automatically added do your application. You need to transfer your document(s) in the "Documents" step during the application process.

Next steps