Safety Officer 1 - Safety and Training Officer

State of Montana • Missoula, MT

27d

About The Position

Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation's mission is to help ensure that Montana's land and water resources provide benefits for present and future generations.
The DNRC believes employees are their most important asset. The DNRC empowers employees to exercise professional judgment in carrying out their duties. Employees are provided with the training and tools necessary to achieve the mission. Both team effort and individual employee expertise are supported and sustained.
Core Values:
The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation’s Forestry and Trust Land Division recognizes that building a collaborative, professional, and inclusive work environment is critical to fulfilling our mission of managing, protecting, and promoting stewardship of Montana’s forests and lands for the benefit of current and future generations and our trust beneficiaries. We hold ourselves to these high standards as we are accountable to the people of Montana.
We value and respect each other.
We create collaborative work environments.
We build and maintain strong relationships.
We practice accountability.
We celebrate our successes and take pride in our work.
This position is with the DNRC Fire Protection Bureau which carries out a statewide fire protection mission and as such, the agency may consider alternate work locations within the State that support the operation and needs of the fire program.
Job Overview:
This position is Safety & Training Specialist. The position is responsible for ensuring the implementation of wildland fire training and direction; performing or overseeing risk management, hazard mitigation, hazard analysis, safety operations, and accident investigations; ensuring operational safety; and providing safety oversight during active fires (escape routes, safety zones, hazards, transportation, medical care, and evacuation, etc.). The position reports to the Training and Safety Program Manager (position #57660360) and does not supervise other agency personnel outside of those that may be required while functioning within the incident command system. However, the position is frequently responsible for directing and reviewing the work of temporary staff and contractors, including selection, training/instructing, and monitoring performance.

Requirements

• This position requires education and/or experience equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in occupational health and safety or a related scientific field, plus Two years of work-related experience or three years of progressively responsible wildland fire and aviation management experience, including incident command, prevention, suppression, prescribed fire, and aviation management.
• Other combinations of education and experience may be substituted (e.g., Secondary or Adult education, bachelor’s degree in forestry).
• This position requires advanced professional and technical knowledge of wildland fire and aviation management principles. These principles include fire prevention, aerial and fixed-wing aviation wildfire operations, dispatching, planned or emergency incident management/command, ground, and aerial suppression strategies and tactics, prescribed fire application/use, and fire and aviation safety.
• Expert professional and technical knowledge of fire service training theories, education methodology, course development, group dynamics, student and instructor motivation, training in context, live fire training safety, training evaluations, testing principles, validations, and adult learning processes. Work also requires knowledge of program management, budgeting, and strategic planning.
• This position requires the ability to administer a comprehensive training program and activities directly impacting the safety of DNRC personnel and other agency staff.
• The position requires skill in public speaking and the operation of various kinds of audiovisual equipment.
• The position requires effective written and verbal communication skills, program planning, assessing complex and rapidly changing fire prevention and suppression issues and national trends, directing training activities, and adult learning and education.
• Must have the ability to attain or work towards NWCG wildland fire qualifications as a Safety Officer, Line (SOFF).
• The work requires clearly and concisely communicating an extensive knowledge of current federal, state, local city/county government, and private industry wildland fire and aviation management policies, procedures, organizational structures, strategies, tactics, and safety into effective performance-based training curricula.
• The position must attain and maintain PMS 901 Field Manager’s Course Guide Instructor Criteria for 300-600 Level NWCG Courses.
• Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States.
• A valid driver's license is required with less than 12 conviction points in the most recent completed 36 months.
• In accordance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act, the person selected must produce within three days of hire documents that show authorization to work in the United States. Examples of such documentation include a birth certificate or Social Security card along with a driver’s license or other picture I.D., or a U.S. passport, or a "green card".

Nice To Haves

• Wildland Fire or emergency services course instruction and experience are preferred.
• While the safety officer qualification is a primary function of this position, and the ability to obtain this qualification is paramount, other unit leader-level positions will be considered for application purposes.

Responsibilities

• Perform and oversee safety operations to prevent accidents in wildland fire operations through organized, comprehensive, and systematic risk management, allowing the department to provide for safety and to minimize the number of injuries or fatalities experienced by wildland firefighters, yet still achieve fire operations objectives.
• Utilizing a variety of methods (e.g. IQS, data capture, readiness reviews, NWCG standards, etc.) to research, develop, and administer the DNRC Fire Training Program to ensure efficient and effective program operations that comply with all applicable standards and meet DNRC’s fire and aviation management objectives.

Benefits

• Paid Vacation, Sick Leave and Holidays
• Health, Dental, Prescription, and Vision Coverage
• Retirement Plans
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) – Employment with the State of Montana may qualify you to receive student loan forgiveness under the PSLF. Look here, https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service to learn more and see if you may qualify!

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level