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Wildland Firefighter (Fire Program Specialist) - Direct Hire Authority

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
BLM Fire - Oregon and Washington State

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Summary

This is a Direct-Hire advertisement. Veterans preference is not applicable to this advertisement. Learn more about this authority at: Direct Hire Authority

Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our most precious resource.

At management's discretion this position may be physically located within any BLM Oregon/Washington State, District, or Field office. Negotiable after selection.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
08/25/2025 to 09/08/2025
Salary
$96,598 to - $125,582 per year

Salary may vary based on location. See "Additional Information" for further salary details.

Pay scale & grade
GW 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Within OR/WA
Location Negotiable After Selection
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—Travel and relocation expenses will be paid consistent with the Federal Travel Regulation, Chapter 302, and Departmental policy. Please Note: The selectee will be responsible for tax obligations related to payments for moving expenses - 2017 Tax Cuts and Job Act, Public Law 115-97. Refer to the "Additional Information" section for Information on 2017 Tax Cuts as related to PCS.
Appointment type
Permanent - This is a permanent appointment.
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
FADHA-25-12787078-LE
Control number
844264600

This job is open to

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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.

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Duties

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  • Ensures the fire safety program is implemented according to fire and non-fire safety regulations, training, and findings.
  • Manages the medical standards program and provides guidance and program direction for the emergency medical services (EMS) program.
  • Coordinates with the districts on line of duty death and serious incident or fatality (SIOF) plans.
  • As a member of interagency committees, acts as a bureau representative to complete studies, reviews, and investigations of wildland fire and aviation management issues.
  • Facilitates and/or provides guidance with reviews of preparedness, fire and aviation safety teams, aviation safety/ technical assistance teams, significant and individual fires, lessons learned, rapid lesson sharing, and accident investigations.
  • Coordinates with state and district safety managers as well as Federal and Occupational Safety and Health Administrations on prevention, reporting and mitigating measures.
  • Administers and/or coordinates wildland fire preparedness programs for health and wellness, safety and risk management.
  • Administers and/or coordinates Wildland fire physical fitness and medical standards program.
  • Analyzes and assesses data related to wildfire hazards and risk.
  • Coordinates and manages critical incident stress management (CISM) program, mental health related discussion, trainings and awareness.

Requirements

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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 Land.
  • Direct Deposit Required.
  • Background Investigation Required.
  • Appointment will be subject to a favorably adjudicated background/suitability investigation/determination. Failure to possess or obtain a favorable determination will result in the cancellation of the offer or will be grounds for termination.
  • You must meet specified levels on annual physical fitness tests, and pass periodic medical exams for wildland fire personnel, commensurate with current incident management qualification.
  • Applicant(s) tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use and to pass the test prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use.
  • This position may require regular and recurring overtime and shift work during peak fire season.
  • May require completion of a one year probationary period.

Qualifications

Specialized Experience Requirements:
In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the specialized experience requirement(s); please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade of the position to be filled.

To qualify for the GW-12 grade level, 1 year (12 months) of specialized experience equivalent to GS/GW-11 is required. Examples include, but are not limited to: providing input on developing and implementing risk management plans, policies, programs and guidelines for wildland fire safety and health programs; assisting in analyzing and reviewing accident/fatality reports, injuries and illnesses resulting from fire operations; assisting in conducting fire safety training.

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.

Substitution of Education for Experience:
There is no substitution of education for experience for this grade level.

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

Physical Demands: The work is primarily sedentary; however, some physical exertion on fire line site visit assignments is required. Walking on rough, uneven terrain, long periods of standing, and exposure to extreme heat, smoke, and temperatures is required.

Work Environment: Work is normally performed in an office setting. During the wildland fire season, field work may involve high risk exposure to potentially dangerous situating or stress; work environment involves occasional exposure to moderate risks and discomforts which usually require protective equipment to be worn. Exposure to risks such as wildfire, heat, smoke, falling rocks and trees, etc., are a part of the job during wildland fire season. Work may require flying in small fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.

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). While secondary positions are not subject to the maximum entry age policy, the selectee must have prior service in a primary position (3 years of service in primary/rigorous position(s)) and meet the transfer requirement for movement from a primary to secondary position to be eligible for special retirement coverage. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure this office has enough information to determine your retirement status to ensure you do not lose benefits (normally through submission of your SF-50). YOU MUST LET US KNOW IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY IN A PRIMARY POSITION.

FACT SHEET for Fire Positions: Information on Special Retirement.

Education

See Qualifications Section.

Additional information

The new Special Base Rate (SBR) Salary Table for Federal wildland firefighters, General Wildland Firefighter (GW) pay plan effective March 23, 2025 was used to indicate the salary in this announcement. Salaries may vary dependent upon location selected. You can access the new pay schedule here.

DOI uses E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/e-verify.

Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service.

Tax Law Impact for PCS: Moving expenses reimbursement is a taxable benefit. However, the Federal Travel Regulation18-05 issued by the General Services Administration has authorized agencies to use the Withholding Tax Allowance and Relocation Income Tax Allowance to pay for "substantially all" of the increased tax liability resulting from the "2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" for certain eligible individual

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. Information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is available from OPM's Career Transition Resources website at CTAP or ICTAP. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration or that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) This vacancy is within your CTAP/ICTAP eligibility; 2) You apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) You are found well-qualified for this vacancy. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, or a copy of your separation personnel action form.

CTAP and ICTAP eligibles will be considered well qualified if they meet minimum qualifications for this position.

Reemployment Priority List (RPL): The RPL is the mechanism agencies use to give reemployment consideration to their former competitive service employees separated by a RIF or who have fully recovered from a compensable injury after more than one year. If you are currently on a RPL, you may be given priority consideration.

Certain incentives, such as, Recruitment, Relocation, or Student Loan Repayment, may be authorized to eligible selectees. If eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis, and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information visit: Recruitment Incentives (OPM.gov), or Relocation Incentives (OPM.gov), or Student Loan Repayment (OPM.gov)

Government facilities are required to provide a smoke free environment for their employees. Smoking will be permitted only in designated areas.

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.

How you will be evaluated

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

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 will be evaluated based on how your application materials reflect the minimum qualification requirements of this position. Once the job opportunity announcement closes, your resume and all supporting documents will be reviewed by HR to determine if you are minimally qualified for the position. Due to this vacancy being filled through OPM's Direct Hire Authority, Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to positions filled under this announcement. Applications received as a result of job fairs, recruitment events, and emergency hiring mechanisms in support of this hiring initiative will also be accepted during the duration of the announcement. All minimally qualified candidates will be referred for consideration. Please note that the hiring office may conduct interviews at their discretion. Interviews may be conducted on a pass/fail basis.

The competencies or job elements below provide an overview of what this position entails once encumbered:

  • 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 - Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on-the- job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues.
  • Risk Management - Knowledge of methods and tools used for risk assessment and mitigation of risk.

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