Assistant Fire Management Officer (AFMO), Wildland Fire Management Specialist (WFMSpec)

State of Washington•Stevens County – Colville, WA

12d•Onsite

About The Position

The North Columbia Unit of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking an Assistant Fire Management Officer (Wildland Fire Management Specialist) within the Northeast Region. This position will be based out of our regional compound in Colville, WA. The North Columbia District is responsible for wildfire suppression, prevention, and regulation in three counties (Stevens, Ferry, and Pend Oreille). This position plays a leadership role in fire suppression activities and will be supervising up to 16 employees during fire season. The North Columbia District conducts suppression actions on approximately 125 fire starts annually and provides training courses to our local cooperators. Under the direction of the Fire Management Officer, the Assistant Fire Management Officer has great influence on the quality, image, and message delivered to the general public of Washington State. This position works closely with DNR staff, other agencies, as well as the general public. Interagency cooperation occurs on the majority of the wildland fires and in most fire training courses. Interagency cooperation includes working with local fire districts, state and federal partners, and is a key function of the position.

Requirements

NWCG Qualifications: Single Resource Boss
Incident Commander Type 5
Supervisory experience.
Experience in agreement and contract negotiations.
Commitment to continual learning and adaptation to technology advances.
Team effectiveness- understanding and ability to increase team effectiveness by focusing on situational awareness, communication skills, teamwork, task allocation, and decision-making within a framework of standard operating procedures.
Skills in employee empowerment.
Efficient organizational skills.
Commitment to fostering and supporting an environment that honors diversity, equity, inclusion, and environmental justice practices.
Perform assigned duties in a manner consistent with applicable laws, regulations, and public records retention, and ensure requests are followed.
Personal Accountability
Value Others
Compassionate Communication
Inspire Others
Commitment to Excellence
Position's assigned duty station is the district work center.
The large majority (60%) of work is performed alone in isolated unimproved natural areas.
Incumbent must be able to traverse uneven terrain in all weather conditions.
Position requires a large majority (60%) of time in the field traveling alone between fires, work centers, and burn permit locations. This includes driving in icy and snow-covered roads, during low visibility conditions, and in stormy weather.
Must annually pass the Work Capacity Test at the arduous level.
A current, valid driver’s license and two years of driving experience.
Additionally, DNR requires state drivers to possess a license that is not suspended, revoked, or restricted (for example, Occupational/Restricted Driver Licenses or requiring ignition interlock devices).
This position requires driving as an essential function.
Finalists and/or interview candidates will be asked to provide a driving record from all states in which they have held a license during the past three years.

Nice To Haves

A bachelor’s degree in Fire Science, Natural Resource Management, or a closely related field.
NWCG Qualifications: NWCG Task Force Leader
Prescribed Fire Burn Boss Type 2 (RXB2)
Skills in evaluating others’ abilities and assessing training needs.
Facilitative skills to work with groups of people to solve issues.
Experience in wildland fire investigation and cause determination, including investigative report writing.

Responsibilities

Plans and implements wildland fire training for seasonal crews and interagency cooperators.
Assists with developing the Unit’s annual preparedness review.
Plans and provides drills and training exercises on a regular basis to the seasonal staff.
Ensures safe working practices are followed.
Tracks crew training and ensures position task books are completed accurately.
Assists in developing an operations plan for the fire unit based on fire suppression and preparedness program deliverables.
Recommends seasonal fire staffing levels, analyzes training needs required to meet Incident Command System and appropriate NWCG position qualification and readiness levels.
Acts periodically in rotation as Duty Officer for the unit.
As Duty Officer, ensures staffing plan is adequate based on fire danger, and recommends changes to the Fire Management Officer or District Manager.
Develops and implements annual project work plans for staff.
Coordinates work plan activities with other program managers and specialists.
Suppression duties in the local unit can vary from acting as initial attack Incident Commander (IC), generating transition plans to incoming IC’s or teams, attending Agency Representative meetings, or drafting and inspecting turnback standards.
Establishes Unified Command and works cooperatively with other fire protection authorities when working on joint jurisdiction fires.
Works closely with other agencies and/or management teams in coordinating fire suppression activities in and adjacent to the district.
Reviews and authors initial incident reports, fire situation narratives, investigation, and accomplishment reports.
Often required to work long, irregular hours on workdays, weekends, day or night.
These duties may involve fieldwork requiring physical performance calling for above-average endurance and superior conditioning.
Participates in statewide fire suppression activities.
Assist with providing supervision and oversight for staff in fire suppression at the unit level.

Benefits

Commitment to organizational health and wellness
Work/life balance
DNR Employee Resource Groups (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council, Women’s Employee Resource Group, Veterans Employee Resource Group, etc.)
Statewide Employee Business Resource Groups
Leadership that empowers and supports employees
Professional development opportunities
Educational and career development aid
Public Service Loan Forgiveness Eligibility
Opportunities to participate in wildland fire suppression assignments
A comprehensive benefits package includes employer contributions toward health insurance, paid holidays, retirement plans, sick leave, and vacation days.