Forestry Technician (Fire Dispatcher) Information Technology (IT) - Fort Collins, CO at Geebo

Forestry Technician (Fire Dispatcher)

Company Name:
Department Of Agriculture
US Citizens and Nationals; no prior Federal experience is required. Temporary Multiple Schedules
A career with the Forest Service will challenge you to manage and care for more than 193 million acres of our nation's most magnificent lands, conduct research through a network of forest and range experiment stations and the Forest Products Laboratory, and provide assistance to State and private forestry agencies.
It's an awesome responsibility - but the rewards are as limitless as the views.
This position is temporary and has a Not-to-Exceed date. However, an extension of the appointment may be possible without further competition. The appointment may also end early due to lack of work or funds.
This vacancy announcement is for one or more locations throughout Region 2. The number and location of positions to be filled will be dependent upon individual unit needs.
This position serves as a Fire Dispatcher located in a dispatch center. This may be a single agency dispatch office or interagency dispatch center located in a fire management organization.
TEMPORARY APPOINTMENT: Some positions will have varying work schedules. Some positions may have irregular and protracted hours of work. Tours of duty include full-time or less than full-time and will involve working weekends or irregular work hours. Considerable travel may be required. Some positions involve work that requires travel away from the official duty location to remote worksites within commuting distance (49 miles).
Positions will be filled as a temporary appointment up to 6 months or as a not to exceed (NTE) 1 year which can be extended 1 additional year.
Hourly wage as shown is Rest of U.S. (RUS). Specific wage rate will vary by location and may be higher or lower than the amount shown on the vacancy announcement. /
The USDA Forest Service has legislative authority to recruit and fill Permanent (Career/Career- Conditional), Temporary, and Term Appointments under the USDA Demonstration Project. Under this authority, any U.S. citizen may apply.
Must be a U.S.Citizen/National to apply. Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with the Selective Service.
Serves as a dispatcher performing the full range of standardized support duties commonly found in the work area, such as receiving, filling, and tracking resource requests for fire and other emergency incidents. Follows detailed procedures in initiating requests to higher organizational levels for additional resources as needed. Maintains resource status and tracking systems and operates telecommunications systems. Collects, processes, collates and submits incident information to support fire operations (e.g. fire reports, smoke permits, spot weather forecasts, prescribed fire burn requests). Organizes and reviews completed records of all orders placed and actions taken to ensure adherence to established operating procedures. Processes weather information (e.g., spot weather forecasts, weather station observations, current and forecasted weather, lightning detection, and fuel moisture levels). This information is used to determine burning indices, preparedness levels and staffing levels for suppression and aviation resources. Inputs data into a number of fire-related computer applications (e.g., incident qualification records, fire reporting systems, and automated dispatch systems) and makes the initial assessment of outputs. Assists in providing critical logistical support information to supervisor. Records and maintains communication logs. Gathers information for the development and maintenance of the dispatch mobilization guide and internal dispatch operating guides. Shares information with cooperators and other interested entities.
No Additional Requirements.
You will be evaluated in accordance with the category rating procedure as defined in the USDA Demonstration Project Plan. Applicants who meet the basic minimum qualification requirements established for the position will be placed in the Eligible category. Eligible applicants will be further evaluated against criteria for placement in the Quality category. This evaluation is based on the level of your experience, education, and/or training as determined by your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire. Applicants with veterans' preference are listed ahead of applicants who do not have veterans' preference within each category.
Clicking the link below will present a preview of the application form; i.e. the online questionnaire. The application form link below will only provide a preview and does not initiate the application process. To initiate the online application process, click the Apply Online button to the right.
To view the application form, visit:
You must possess the Basic Requirements identified below to be considered eligible for this position. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Your application or resume must clearly show that you possess the appropriate experience requirements.
GS-04: Six months of general experience and six months of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-03. General experience is defined as one or more of the following:General maintenance of farm/ranch facilities; worked in a greenhouse, nursery or landscaping e.g., planting, moving, watering, and tending plants; animal caretaker in a laboratory, zoo or pet store; volunteer work at a park, hospital, community sports league, local fire department, etc. And specialized experience is defined as one or more of the following fuels reduction work and suppression of wildland fires using a variety of hand and power tools to control spreading wildland fires and to prepare lines prior to prescribed burning; Patrolled fire line to locate and extinguished sparks, flare-ups, and hot spots that could have threaten developed fire lines, moved dirt, chopped brush; or Worked in wildland fire suppression observing fire behavior and weather conditions to effectively dispatch fire management resources. -OR
Successful completion of 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours in any combination of courses such as forestry, agriculture, crop or plant science, range management or conservation, wildlife management, watershed management, soil science, natural resources (except marine fisheries and oceanography), outdoor recreation management, civil or forest engineering, or wildland fire science. No more than 3 semester hours in mathematics is creditable-OR
A combination of education and experience listed above.
APPLICANTS PLEASE NOTE: 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 (particularly positions with a positive education requirement.) Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: . All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly.
If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education.
To receive consideration for this position, you must meet all qualification requirements on the closing date of this announcement.
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.
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin. The following instructions outline our application process.

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

We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday). Applying online is highly encouraged. If applying online poses a hardship, please contact our office during business hours well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages with supporting documents must be submitted no later than noon on the closing date of the announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing.

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.
Step 1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not already have one) at . It is recommended that as part of your profile you set up automatic email notification to be informed when the status of your application changes. If you choose not to set up this automatic notification, then you will have to log into your USAJOBS account to check on the status of your application.
Step 2: Create a Resume with USAJOBS or upload a Resume into your USAJOBS account. You may want to customize your resume to ensure it documents duties and accomplishments you have gained that are directly related to this position in order to verify that qualifications are met. In addition, your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire (you may preview the online questionnaire by clicking on the link at the end of the How You Will Be Evaluated section of the job announcement).
Step 3: Click Apply Online and follow the prompts to complete the Occupational Questionnaire and attach any additional documents that may be required.
You can update your application or documents anytime while the announcement is open. Simply log into your USAJOBS account and click on Application Status. Click on the position title, and then select Update Application to continue.
You must submit a complete Application Package, prior to 11:59, ET, on the closing date of this announcement. The following documents must be submitted for your application package to be considered complete. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents are received within the required timeframes. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in the mail service, system failure or downtime, etc. Failure to submit required, legible documents will result in loss of consideration, eligibility, or priority consideration.

Resume that includes the following information: 1) job information for which you are applying; 2) personal information; 3) education; 4) work experience including the work schedule and hours worked per week as well as dates of employment; and title, series and grade if applicable; 5) supervisors phone number and e-mail address for each work period listed and whether or not we may contact them for reference checks; and, 6) other qualifications.

College Transcripts if education is required for meeting basic qualifications and/or you are substituting education for specialized experience and/or if you are using education to meet the criteria for the quality category. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application; however, if selected, an official college transcript will be required prior to entering on duty.

DD-214 (Member 4 copy or statement of service) if claiming Veterans' Preference. Veterans claiming 10 point preference must also submit an SF-15 Application for 10-point Veteran Preference and all supporting documentation (such as letter of compensable disability from the Veterans Administration). Current Active Duty members must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions dated within the last 120 days.
Other required documents may include:
CTAP/ICTAP Required Documentation Reduction-In-Force: Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; AND most recent performance evaluation; AND SF-50 demonstrating your separation or the position you will be separated from.
Worker's Compensation Separation: Agency certification of inability to place employee AND Notification of Separation OR Separation SF-50.
Disability Annuity Termination: Notification from OPM of disability annuity termination AND Separation SF-50 of the last position held. Military Reserve or National Guard Technician Special Disability Retirement Annuity under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456: Certification of special disability retirement annuity from a military department or National Guard Bureau AND Separation SF-50 of the last position held.
NOTE: If a document is resubmitted, it replaces the previous submission, which means the previous document is no longer available to the Human Resources Office. If you are adding to, rather than replacing a previous submission, you must upload both the old document and the new document. 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 resumes must be less than 3MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, or Word (DOC or DOCX).
If you set up your USAJOBS account to send automatic email notifications, you will receive an acknowledgement email that the submission of your online Occupational Questionnaire and resume was successful, if you were referred to the selecting official for consideration, and if you were selected or not selected. If you choose not to set up automatic email notifications, you must check your USAJOBS account for the latest status of your application. Your application may be reviewed to verify that you meet the qualifications and eligibility requirements for the position prior to issuing lists to a selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Normally, a final job offer to the selected candidate is made within 30-60 days after the issuance of the certificate.
As a temporary employee you may be eligible for health benefits. To be eligible for health coverage as a temporary employee, you must be scheduled to work at least 130 hours per month (30 hours/week) and be expected to work at least 90 days or more. If you meet these requirements, you will receive the government contribution towards the cost of the insurance and pay the same rate as permanent, full time employees.
For the list of health plans available and the employee costs for the health plans please
You have 60 days to enroll from the date hired. To enroll, you must complete the Health Benefits Election Form, SF-2809 and fax it to the Benefits Unit at .
Relocation expenses are not authorized.
Bargaining Unit Status: Eligible - Coverage is dependent upon unit location.
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, provide proof of eligibility. CTAP/ICTAP eligible must meet the agencys definition for a quality candidate to be considered. Information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is on OPMs Career Transition Resources website at .
BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION AND FINGERPRINT CHECK: Selection and retention in this position is contingent on a successfully adjudicated FBI National Criminal History Check (fingerprint check) and a background investigation.
If you are retired from the Federal Government and are selected for this vacancy, your retirement annuity may be offset from your pay.
Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
If you are newly hired, the documentation you present for purposes of completing the Department Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 on your entry-on-duty date will be verified through the DHS E-VERIFY system. Federal law requires the use of E-VERIFY to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires. Under this system, the new hire is required to resolve any identified discrepancies as a condition of continued employment.
Availability of government housing is limited by location. All government housing is co-ed.
Federal day care facilities will vary by location.
Applications received become the property of the USDA Forest Service and will not be returned.
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.
It is the policy of the Government not to deny employment simply because an individual has been unemployed or has had financial difficulties that have arisen through no fault of the individual. See more informationEstimated Salary: $20 to $28 per hour based on qualifications.

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