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NOTE: This announcement is being advertised concurrently under R2-18-10319796-DB-MP for current and former federal employees serving under a competitive service career or career-conditional appointment or reinstatement eligible. You must apply to each announcement separately if you wish to be considered under both recruitment methods.
09/26/2018 to 10/15/2018
$33,394 - $43,414 per year
GS 5
1 vacancy in the following location:
No
75% or less - Fuels projects and emergency travel
Yes—Limited moving benefits area authorized (no temporary quarters, no house-hunting trip, no contract for home sale)
Seasonal - / Permanent NTE 25 pay periods per year
Full-Time
Competitive
None
No
No
R4-18-10319260-DB-DEU
512177800
JOB SUMMARY: This position is part of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and is responsible for wildland fire suppression/management/control. This is a permanent Seasonal position. You will be on a full-time, seasonal work schedule and can anticipate to work at least 13 pay period per year but may work up to a maximum of 25 pay periods if budget allows.
MAJOR DUTIES: include, but are not limited to:
* Actively participates in fire prevention, suppression, and prescribed burning.
* Performs fire prevention activities such as patrolling to gauge fire potential and occurrence, distributing literature explaining the fire prevention program to the public, and preparing fire reports.
* Instructs and provides on-the-job training to personnel in the use of wildland fire control equipment, methods, and safety procedures.
* Operates wildland fire engines weighing up to 18,000 pounds gross vehicle weight (GVW). Operates engines over 18,000 pounds GVW in the absence of regularly assigned personnel.
* Assists in maintaining records of fire time and attendance work done by fire crews, and related activities.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
* Work often requires physical exertion overseeing fire suppression activities including walking over rough, steep, uneven terrain in all weather.
* Field work performed in steep terrain uneven surfaces, rocky, or covered in thick vegetation.
* Temperatures are frequently extreme, both from weather and fire conditions where the presence of smoke and/or dust conditions are frequently severe.
* The incumbent is faced with emergency situations at all hours, long shifts or multi-day assignments.
PROOF OF EDUCATION: All applicants who are using education or a combination of education and experience to qualify must submit copies of official or unofficial transcripts which include grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, institution name, and student name. If any required coursework is not easily recognizable on transcripts, or if you believe a portion of a particular course can be credited toward meeting an educational requirement, you must also provide a memorandum on letterhead from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official stating the percentage of the course that should be considered to meet the requirement and the equivalent number of units. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to produce the original official transcripts.
PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.
GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.
FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html
SELECTIVE SERVICE: To register or verify your registration go to the Selective Service System at https://www.sss.gov/RegVer/wfRegistration.aspx
TELEWORK: This position is not eligible for telework.
RELOCATION EXPENSES: Limited moving benefits area authorized (no temporary quarters, no house-hunting trip, no contract for home sale)
NOTE: We may use this announcement to fill additional vacancies within 90 days of 10/15/2018; OR More than one position may be filled from applications received under this announcement in the advertised office or other U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service offices in the local commuting area
IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO APPLY ONLINE: If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Alternate_Application_Information.
CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (CTAP) or INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (ICTAP): These programs apply ONLY to Federal employees who have been or may be involuntarily separated (e.g. reduction in force, declining to relocate/transfer outside their local commuting area) from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified for the position; and, (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility (e.g., Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal or Removal Notice; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; or Removal and most recent performance appraisal.). For more information visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/
VETERANS: If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and you are claiming 5-point veterans' preference, you must submit the Member Copy 4 copy of your DD-214 showing your military service that that you were honorably discharged. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must attach the Member Copy 4 copy of your DD-214 showing your military service and that you were honorably discharged as well as a SF-15," Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" along with your Department of Veterans Affairs letter stating % of disability.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT: Firefighting is extremely arduous and hazardous. The work requires strenuous physical exertion, including carrying heavy objects, walking, climbing, bending, stooping, hacking through underbrush and using heavy tools for long periods of time. Most work is performed outdoors ina forest and/or rangeland setting. Terrain ranges from flat and swampy to seep and rock and is often covered with thick, tangled vegetation or various trees and grasses. Temperature extremes, smoke, and dust are frequently severe. The hazardous nature of the work requires the u se of protective gear and closing (boots, hard hat, nomex closing, gloves, etc.). This work is typically performed in isolated locations, which are often away from roads and water sources; camping is necessary for extended periods of time.
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 transcripts will be used to determine whether you meet the Minimum Qualification Requirements listed on this announcement. If you meet the Minimum Qualification Requirements, your resume and transcripts will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. Therefore, your resume MUST support and clearly show your responses to the assessment questions. And your transcripts MUST show the coursework you have completed as well as the degree you were awarded and the date this degree was conferred (if applicable). A list of coursework without any identifiable college or degree information will be not accepted. If, after reviewing your resume and transcripts, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience which resulted in you being listed in the highest quality category, you may lose consideration, or be assigned to a lower quality category for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.
Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):
(1) Knowledge of fire behavior including causes of wildland fire, influence of temperature, humidity, wind, topography, slope and fuel moisture conditions, and fuels in order to know where to attack the fire, build fire line, where to be positioned to manage a wildland fire, and to identify hazards
(2) Knowledge of accepted fire practices and procedures to prevent injury and loss of life
(3) Skill in oral communication sufficient to effectively interact with people at all levels, internal and external to the organization, including the public
(4) Knowledge of policies and procedures concerning fire management, safety, vehicle and equipment utilization, procurement, communications, training, and personnel
(5) Skill in use of hand tools such as Pulaskis, shovels, McLeods; as well as power tools including chainsaws and portable pumps to build fire line, control wildland fire, and maintain specialized fire equipment
All qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies required for this position. The category ratings for this position are: Best Qualified, Well Qualified; Qualified. The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three" but protects the rights of Veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each quality category. This means that veterans with preference will be referred over non-veterans per rating category. Veterans' preference eligibles who meet the Minimum Qualification Requirements and Selective Factors and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent will be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-09 level or higher).
To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:
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.
Once you submit all the required documents and the online application in USAJOBS, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After the evaluation process is complete, you will be notified of your status and/or referral to the hiring official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted by the customer office.
You will be notified if this job is filled or canceled. Timelines for this process vary widely.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging in to your USAJobs Account as we will not be responding to inquiries about the status of applications as long as the system has been updated.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/512177800. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.