Summary The National Park Service is looking to fill positions in the following locations: Yosemite National Park - Fire and Aviation, 2 positions available. Redwood National and State Parks - Wildland Fire, 1 position available. Crater Lake National Park - Wildland Fire, 1 position available. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park - Fire and Aviation and Arrowhead IHC. 2 position available Olympic National Park - Fire and Aviation, 1 position available Responsibilities Serves as wildland firefighter on a wildland engine, hotshot/hand Crew, helitak or prescribed fire crew. locates fireline, directs and participates in fire line construction, backfiring and burnout operations, engine operations, tree falling and holding/patrol mop-up operations. May drive engine to fire locations over unimproved roads. Gathers and considers information on weather data, topography, fuel types, and fire behavior in responding to wildland fire incidents. When positioning and deploying personnel and equipment, recommends best approaches and practices to use in protection of the values at risk. Responsible for operation and maintenance of specialized equipment used to respond to wildland and prescribed fire situations. Performs or instructs others in preventative maintenance inspections and basic repairs of vehicles and equipment. Accomplishes emergency repairs as necessary to permit continued use of equipment. In those instances when the apparatus cannot be used effectively in suppressing the fire, the incumbent takes appropriate control action in attacking the fire. Career-Seasonal appointments are full-time, permanent positions and include the same benefits as Career appointments, but do not provide work on a year-round basis. Work schedule and periods of non-pay status are contingent upon funding and operational needs. On an annual basis, employee signs a "career-seasonal" agreement with the supervisor which defines the work schedule for that year. Yosemite National Park: Selectee is guaranteed to work at least 22 Bi-Weekly pay periods and be placed into non-pay time of 4 Bi-Weekly pay periods per year, with the work schedule determined upon appointment. You will be expected to go into non pay status from November through February each year. Crater Lake National Park: Selectee is guaranteed to work at least 20 Bi-Weekly pay periods and be placed into non-pay time of 6 Bi-Weekly pay periods per year, with the work schedule determined upon appointment. You will be expected to go into non pay status from Mid-November through Mid-February each year. Redwood National and State Parks: Selectee is guaranteed to work at least 22 Bi-Weekly pay periods and be placed into non-pay time of 4 Bi-Weekly pay periods per year, with the work schedule determined upon appointment. You will be expected to go into non pay status from December through February each year. Sequioa and Kings Canyon National Park - Selectee is guaranteed to work at least 22 Bi-Weekly pay periods and be placed into non-pay time of 4 Bi-Weekly pay periods per year, with the work schedule determined upon appointment. You will be expected to go into non pay status from December through February each year. Olympic National Park - Selectee is guaranteed to work at least 22 Bi-Weekly pay periods and be placed into non-pay time of 4 Bi-Weekly pay periods per year, with the work schedule determined upon appointment. You will be expected to go into non pay status from December through February each year. *NOTE: The pay in this vacancy announcement represents the 2024 General Schedule Res of US Scale. Position at Olympic National Park will fall under the Clallam, WA (Seattle locality pay of 30.81%). To learn more about the GS Pay Tables: General Schedule (opm.gov) Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship required. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males. Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program. You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use. You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You must also submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. You may be required to complete training and operate a four-wheel drive vehicle. Work may require travel by fixed-wing or rotorwing aircraft. You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided. You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work. National Park units may have housing available on a bid system basis. YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK: occupancy of government quarters is required for the duration of your appointment. If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period. Subject to frequent extended travel up to 14 or more nights per month particularly during fire season, and you must obtain a government charge card for travel. You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority. Qualifications All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement02/16/2024 unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount qualified specialized experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected. NOTE - Firefighter Type 1 (FFT1) and S-290 (Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior) Interagency Fire Management Program (IFPM) Standards are no longer required for the GS-0456-5 Grade Level. You may load a copy of your Master Record with your application package; however, it is not a required document. To Qualify for the GS-456-05 Grade Level: NOTE: If your firefighting experience includes both structural and wildland, it is essential that your application materials clearly separate and document your wildland experience One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-04 level in the Federal service Examples of qualifying specialized for this position is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Experience must have included work in or directly related to forest or range fire control, prevention or suppression. Work such as: personally performing and/or leading others in one or more of the following wildland fire-fighting functions: serving as a member of a fire suppression hand-crew, serving as a member of a prescribed fire crew; serving as a member of a wildland fire engine crew; serving as a member of a wildland fire helitack crew; senior forestry technician or comparable position performing wildland firefighting or other related work. (NOTE: Seasonal experience as a wildland firefighter may also be creditable. A total of 12 months of full time seasonal experience at the GS-04 level or higher is considered qualifying). NOTE: If your firefighting experience includes both structural and wildland, it is essential that your application materials clearly separate and document your wildland experience. -OR- At least a full 4-year course of study above high school (120 semester hour or 180 quarter hours) leading to a bachelor's degree with major study in forestry, range management, agriculture or a subject-matter field directly related to the position (e.g., fire science, suppression and prevention), or that included at least 24 semester hours of course work 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 6 semester hours in mathematics is creditable toward the 24 hours. Related course work are subjects such as forestry, fire science, suppression and prevention or other closely related subjects pertinent to the fire management and protection of forest and range resources. The two full academic years of study, or 60 semester hours, beyond the second year is equivalent to l year of specialized experience. -OR- Equivalent combination of education and experience. For example, I have six months of the specialized experience described in A above (50% of the experience requirement), and three years of college study from an accredited institution, which included at least 12 semester hours of related coursework as specified in B above (50% of the qualifying education). NOTE: Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTE: If you are using education to qualify you must submit a legible copy of your transcripts (A copy of your official transcripts will be required before entrance on duty, if selected). -AND- This position is covered by the special retirement provisions of 5 U.S.C. 8336 (c) and 5 U.S.C. 8412 (d) as a Primary/Rigorous Firefighter. Applicants must be 18 years of age, but not have reached their 37th birthday by the closing date of this announcement. These positions are covered by the special enhanced annuity retirement provisions for Federal Firefighters and Law Enforcement officers and have a mandatory retirement age of 57. Two exceptions are allowed: 1) an applicant has prior Federal service in documented special retirement covered position(s) sufficient to count toward 20 years of covered service on or before the mandatory retirement age of 57; or 2) an applicant is a qualified veterans' preference eligible, in which case the MEA is waived and their corresponding retirement age may be higher than 57 after completing 20 years of service. Applicants must submit proof of their previous and/or current status in the Fire Fighter or Law Enforcement special enhanced annuity retirement system. ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT, Continued Prior to appointment, you must be determined physically fit by an authorized government physician to perform strenuous and physically demanding duties; and also pass a medical examination(which includes vision, hearing, cardiovascular, and mobility of extremities)given by an authorized government physician. You will also be required to periodic medical examinations throughout employment. The Work Capacity Test (WCT-Pack Test) as a method for assessing an employee's fitness levels for fire qualifications in the positions covered by this recruitment notice. Arduous fitness (WCT-Pack Test) will consist of completing a three-mile hike, within 45 minutes, while carrying a 45 pound pack. NOTE: Arduous Work Capacity Test Education When submitting college transcripts, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. 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. Additional Information This notice is being issued to recruit personnel to occupations for which a critical hiring need has been identified. To assist in filling these positions, OPM has granted the Department of the Interior "Direct Hire Authority". A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay. A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR §575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive. A Relocation Incentive May Be Authorized for a Federal employee when the employee must move, as directed by the National Park Service (NPS) either through a management directed reassignment or selection for employment, to a different location at least 50 miles away from the one where his/her position of record held at time of selection is currently located, due to a need of the NPS. A relocation incentive is not the same as a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move and, as such, may be granted in conjunction with one another. This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. Physical Demands: Arduous exertion for protracted periods of time such as, but not limited to, extensive running, walking, climbing, kneeling, stooping, pulling hoses, jumping and twisting, prolonged standing, walking over uneven ground, and recurring bending, reaching, lifting and carrying of items weighing over 50 pounds and shared lifting and carrying of heavier items, and similar activities requiring at least average agility and dexterity. Working Conditions: Forest, range, and desert environments in steep terrain where surfaces may be extremely uneven, rocky, covered with thick tangled vegetation, smoky conditions, etc. Temperatures commonly exceed 100 degrees F and may fall below freezing. Risks include smoke inhalation, fire entrapment, snake or insect bites and stings, exposure to excessive machinery noise, and falling and rolling material. Employee must adjust and cope with exposure to weather elements, dust and smoke, poor bivouac and eating situations under an unpredictable set of circumstances. Firefighters may be required to live in backcountry camps for extended periods of time. The hazardous nature of the work requires that personal protective equipment be worn (e.g., boots, hard hat, gloves, flame resistant clothing). Work may require travel by fixed-wing or rotor-wing aircraft.