Forestry Technician (Lookout)

Forest Service•Riggins, ID

3d•Onsite

About The Position

This position is located within a National Forest and provides fire detection services to district fire suppression personnel. The Forestry Technician uses fire-detection and communications equipment to locate smoke and fires, assess conditions, relay information to dispatch and response personnel, and monitor developing incidents. The role also includes recording weather and fire observations, maintaining lookout equipment and station grounds, supporting fire prevention, and processing records and reports. The technician operates a radio communications center connecting lookout stations, agencies, and interagency dispatch centers. The position is temporary for the FY2027 hiring season, with an expected start date between April 18, 2027 and June 13, 2027. It may last up to six months or up to one year under a not-to-exceed appointment, and may end earlier due to lack of work or funds. The position is not eligible for telework and requires willingness to live and work in remote, volatile or unpredictable locations.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. national.
Must be at least 18 years of age.
Males born after December 31, 1959, must be registered with Selective Service or exempt.
Must pass the required background investigation and/or fingerprint check, as applicable.
Must successfully pass E-Verify employment verification.
Must use direct deposit for federal payments.
Must be willing to live and work in remote locations that may be volatile or unpredictable.
For GS-05, must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-04; or qualifying education; or a combination of qualifying education and specialized experience.
Qualifying education may include a bachelor's degree or four years of post-high-school education in a relevant field, or at least 24 semester hours in specified natural-resource-related subjects, subject to the stated limits on mathematics credit.
Qualifying education must be from an accredited college or university; transcripts must be provided when qualifying based on education, and course descriptions may be required.
The application and resume must clearly document required experience; applicants must meet all qualification requirements and provide required documents by the announcement closing date.

Responsibilities

Use fire finders, compasses, binoculars, protractors, geographic maps, and specialized equipment to locate smoke and plot fires.
Estimate the distance to smoke and the probable size and characteristics of fires.
Report fire azimuth, distance, location, smoke volume, color, behavior, and other pertinent information by radio.
Continue observing fire areas and report significant changes, including changes in smoke, wind conditions, color, and volume, to dispatch.
Use weather instruments to interpret fire-weather data and advise fire suppression personnel about changing conditions.
Use radio communications to warn personnel responding to fires about changes that may affect them.
Observe ground lightning strikes, report resultant fires, and record storm paths to help identify holdover fires.
Record and report daily weather observations; maintain photo records and log books identifying smoke-plume sources and duration.
Make minor adjustments to and maintain lookout equipment; keep the station and grounds neat and orderly.
Operate a radio communications center connecting lookout stations, lookouts, agencies, and two interagency dispatch centers.
Receive and relay information about weather forecasts, fire hazards, fire emergencies, accidents, and the locations of work crews and personnel.
Communicate known lightning-strike and fire locations to aircraft during reconnaissance activities.
Serve as a key contact at a lookout station visited by large numbers of people during fire season.
Promote fire prevention by explaining applicable state and federal laws, policies, regulations, prevention methods, procedures, and fire-hazard conditions.
Patrol the district one day per week, maintain prevention signs, replace signs as needed, and issue campfire permits.
Explain state and federal laws to visitors during patrols.
Review documents and reports for completeness, enter relevant information into an automated tracking system, conduct database searches independently, and process documents and reports under established procedures.