Forestry Aid

Duties Develops knowledge of fuels management and fire suppression techniques and practices, such as fireline construction, use of pumps and engines, hose lays, foam and retardant, working around aircraft, safety rules, and fire and fuels terminology.
Searches out and extinguishes burning materials by moving dirt, applying water by hose or backpack pump, etc.
Moves dirt, chops brush, or fells small trees to build fireline using various hand tools such as axe, shovel, Pulaski, McLeod and power saws to control spreading wildland fire and to prepare lines prior to prescribed burning.
Chops, carries and piles logging slash.
Patrols the fireline to locate and extinguish sparks, flareups, and hot spot fires that may threaten developed firelines.
Cleans, reconditions and stores fire tools and equipment.
May be assigned to other resource management activities such as recreation, timber, or reforestation when not performing fire suppression or fuels management duties.
Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a US Citizen or US National.
Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
Direct Deposit Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of your choosing.
Must be 18 years of age.
Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check.
To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-Verify.
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.
This is a Test 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.
Incumbent is subject to medical screening and must meet the Federal Wildland Firefighter Medical Standards for arduous duty wildland firefighting.
Willing to live/work in remote locations (volatile/unpredictable).
Occasional overnight travel may be required for fire suppression or fire related assignment.
Must pass the appropriate level of the Work Capacity Test for Wildland Firefighters.
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.
GS-03: Applicants must have six months of any type of work that demonstrated the ability to perform the work of the position or experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupation; OR successful completion of 1 year of study above high school that included at least 6 semester hours in a combination of courses such as range management or conservation, agriculture, forestry, wildlife management, engineering, biology, mathematics, or other natural or physical sciences; OR an appropriate combination of general experience and education above high school as described above; OR completion of an intensive, specialized course of study of less than one year at a technical school or through a military or government sponsored training program that was designed specifically as career preparation for the work of the position being filled.
The education must have been obtained in an accredited business, technical school, junior college, college or university.
Examples of General Experience includes: Performed farm/ranch labor, such as feeding and tending livestock or general maintenance of farm/ranch facilities; Worked in a greenhouse or nursery moving, watering, and tending plants and performing other general labor tasks; Fed and watered animals, such as in a laboratory, pet store, or zoo; Any work experience, paid or unpaid.
Unpaid experience, for example, may be regular volunteer work, such as at a park, community sports league facilities, etc.
Selective Placement Factors Incumbent is subject to medical screening and must meet the Federal Wildland Firefighter Medical Qualification Standards for arduous duty wildland firefighting.
This is a testing designated position which requires a negative test result for illegal drug use prior to appointment and randomly thereafter.
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.
WORK CAPACITY TEST (WCT) for Wildland Firefighters: This position participates in wildland firefighting activities.
Based on the type of work performed, TAKING and PASSING the WCT at the ARDUOUS level is a condition of employment, which means you must maintain the required level of physical fitness in order to remain in the position.
The Arduous fitness (Pack) Test requires completing a three (3) mile hike within forty-five (45) minutes, while carrying a forty-five (45) pound pack.
You are strongly encouraged to consult with your physician and begin training immediately if applying for this position.
This announcement constitutes the required 30 days advanced notice for testing requirements.
In accordance with USDA Department Regulation 4430-792-2, this position is a Testing Designated Position (TDP) under the USDA Drug Free Workplace Program and subject to pre-employment drug testing.
All applicants selected for this position will be required to submit to a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment.
Incumbents of this position will be required to submit to a urinalysis on an ongoing random basis, after appointment as directed.
To receive consideration for this position, you must provide updated required documents and meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Additional information PLEASE NOTE: This vacancy is being used to fill positions for FY2024 Temporary Employment Hiring season.
The expected start date for this position will be between June 30, 2024 to October 6 , 2024.
By selecting the "Location Negotiable" option during the application process, implies your willingness to be considered for any official duty location listed on this announcement and/or those duty locations not listed for this Regional announcement.
Pay rates vary depending on location.
The salary shown is for the Rest of the U.
S.
See OPM.
gov for additional information on pay rates.
This position is temporary, has a Not-to-Exceed date and will be filled for up to 6 months or as a not to exceed (NTE) 1 year, however an extension of the appointment may be possible without further competition.
The appointment may also end early due to lack of work or lack of funds.
Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other groups within the Region who have vacancies within the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in any of the geographic location(s) listed on the announcement.
Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration.
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.
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors.
CTAP/ICTAP eligible must meet the agency's definition for a quality candidate as provided in the How You Will Be Evaluated section of this announcement to be considered.
If you are retired from the Federal Government and are selected for this vacancy, your retirement annuity may be offset from your pay.
This position is not eligible for telework.
Availability of government housing and federal day care facilities will vary by location.
Positions filled from this announcement may be a bargaining or a non-bargaining unit position represented by either NFFE, AFGE or NAGE.
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.
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.
Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements established for the position will be referred to the selecting official.
Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or 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.
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.
Required Documents As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits.
Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee.
You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
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 (day/month/year); title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) supervisor's phone number and whether or not the supervisor may be contacted for a reference check; 5) other qualifications.
If education is required or you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts.
An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty.
Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university.
If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.
S.
Department of Education as equivalent to U.
S.
education standards.
There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service.
All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP 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.
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 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.
(MST), 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 Phone 1-877-372-7248 X2 Email HRM_Contact_Center@usda.
gov 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 account to check your application status.
You must choose to turn on email notifications in your USAJOBS profile if you want to receive important email notifications that may impact your applicant experience (e.
g.
If you start an application and do not submit it prior to the closing date, USAJOBS will send an email reminder that the closing date is approaching and your application is in an incomplete status).
Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
Fair and Transparent The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent.
Please read the following guidance.
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy Reasonable accommodation policy Financial suitability Selective Service New employee probationary period Signature and false statements Privacy Act Social security number request 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 (day/month/year); title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) supervisor's phone number and whether or not the supervisor may be contacted for a reference check; 5) other qualifications.
If education is required or you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts.
An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty.
Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university.
If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.
S.
Department of Education as equivalent to U.
S.
education standards.
There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service.
All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP 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.
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.
Help This job is open to The public U.
S.
Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.
S.
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.