Forestry Technician (Fire Dispatch)

Office of the Secretary of the Interior•Durango, CO

10d•Onsite

About The Position

The Forestry Technician (Fire Dispatch) serves in Durango, Colorado, with the U.S. Wildland Fire Service. The incumbent independently performs and coordinates complex wildland fire dispatch operations, providing advanced technical and operational expertise. This is a temporary promotion not to exceed one year, which may be extended up to five years and may be made permanent without further competition. The position is a key fire management role under the Interagency Fire Program Management Standard and is categorized as Forestry Technician (Fire Dispatch), GW-0462-09. It is an administrative position in an organization with a firefighting mission and an established career path. Applicants must meet the minimum IFPM qualifications before moving into the position, including the required dispatch qualification and prior primary/rigorous wildland firefighting experience. Work is performed primarily in an office, where peak activity can bring high noise levels from radio traffic, phones, and conversations. The position involves long periods of sitting and intense concentration, often with irregular breaks and mealtimes. The employee must remain calm and accurate under pressure and changing priorities. Vehicle or aircraft travel for field visits and other administrative travel may be required. Telework is suitable only during an emergency or natural disaster.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment.
Must complete a background investigation and receive favorable adjudication.
Males born after December 31, 1959, must be registered for Selective Service.
Must participate in Direct Deposit and successfully pass E-Verify employment verification.
Pre-employment and random drug testing is required; a verified positive drug test prevents appointment.
Must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements if a current Federal employee.
Must possess the NWCG Expanded Dispatch Support Dispatcher (EDSD) qualification.
Must have prior primary/rigorous wildland firefighting experience, demonstrated through substantial service in a primary firefighter position or equivalent non-Federal experience. This means at least one full fire season in a primary wildland firefighting role or at least 14 days of cumulative or consecutive on-the-ground fireline experience; the experience must be documented in the resume.
Must meet one of the GW-09 minimum qualification paths: at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to GW-07; two full years of graduate-level education or a related master's degree; or an equivalent combination of specialized experience and education.
Specialized experience includes wildland fire dispatch operations; processing resource orders; mobilizing and demobilizing personnel, equipment, supplies, and aviation resources; maintaining incident information and resource status; collecting and disseminating weather and intelligence information; supporting wildland fire, prescribed fire, aviation, and all-hazard incidents; using dispatch and incident management systems; assisting with workforce scheduling and staffing coordination; and troubleshooting routine computer, telecommunications, software, and network connectivity problems affecting dispatch center operations.
Must provide required transcripts when using education to qualify; transcripts must meet the posting's documentation requirements.
May be required to complete training and obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and/or purchase authority.
May be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime, and/or shift work.
May be required to serve a one-year probationary period. Continued employment after the period requires written agency certification that continued employment advances the public interest.
Must be able to work long hours while sitting, concentrate intensely, maintain accuracy and peak proficiency with irregular breaks and mealtimes, cope with deadlines and changing priorities, and remain calm under urgent conditions.

Responsibilities

Establish priorities, allocate resources, and supervise the mobilization, demobilization, and reassignment of wildland fire suppression resources within local, geographic, and national areas.
Manage fuels, weather, and intelligence data.
Coordinate aircraft flight following and ensure safe and efficient practices are followed.
Develop, implement, and update the Dispatch Operations Guide, Expanded Dispatch Plans, and related materials.
Provide day-to-day operational technical direction.
Plan work, assign work, and provide employee performance input.