Forestry Technician

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

You must be a US Citizen or US National.

Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.

Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.

Direct Deposit Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of your choosing.

Must be 18 years of age.

Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-Verify.

Some Fire positions may have Conditions of Employment such as: a valid state driver's license; a commercial driver's license (CDL); pre-appointment and random drug testing; or a physical or medical examination.

This is a Test Designated Position. You will be subject to pre-employment and random drug testing. Appointment is based on a negative result. This announcement constitutes 30 days advance notice.

Incumbent is subject to medical screening and must meet the Federal Wildland Firefighter Medical Standards for arduous duty wildland firefighting.

Willing to live/work in remote locations (volatile/unpredictable).

Occasional overnight travel may be required for fire suppression or fire related assignment.

Must pass the appropriate level of the Work Capacity Test for Wildland Firefighters.

This position requires initial and continuing qualifications in the use of firearms as outlined in the Gun Control Act of 1968, amended by the Lautenberg Amendment of 1996.

As a field going position working in brown or black bear habitat, this position is required to be firearm certified for personal and/or crew safety.

Executive Order 12564 requires employees designated to carry a firearm to be subject to random drug testing. This position will be subject to random drug testing and will be placed in the applicant testing pool.

The ability to obtain and maintain weapons certification is a condition of employment in this position.

Certification requires receipt of a negative pre-certification drug test result, passing a minimum background investigation, passing firearm classroom training, passing the shooting proficiency test and enrollment in the random drug testing pool.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards.

Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide course descriptions as necessary.

GS-04: Applicants must have six months of general experience (any type of work that demonstrated the ability to perform the work of the position, or experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupation) AND six months of specialized experience that is directly related to the work of the position; OR successful completion of 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours 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 3 semester hours in mathematics is creditable); OR an appropriate combination of experience and education above high school as described above. The education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university and include courses that are related to the occupation of the position.

Examples of General Experience includes: Performed farm/ranch labor, such as feeding/tending livestock or general maintenance of farm/ranch facilities and/or worked in a greenhouse, nursery or landscaping e.g., planting, moving, watering, and tending plants and/or animal caretaker in a laboratory, zoo or pet store and/or volunteer work at a park, hospital, community sports league, local fire department, etc.

Examples of specialized experience include: Used hand tools or power equipment to create a fire line and/or remove debris. Inventoried and/or restocked engines or fire caches to maintain fire readiness. Served on a crew to suppress the full range of fires.

Selective Placement Factors

Incumbent is subject to medical screening and must meet the Federal Wildland Firefighter Medical Qualification Standards for arduous duty wildland firefighting.

As a field going position working in brown or black bear habitat, this position is required to be firearm certified for personal and/or crew safety. Executive Order 12564 requires employees designated to carry a firearm to be subject to random drug testing. This position will be subject to random drug testing and will be placed in the applicant testing pool. The ability to obtain and maintain weapons certification is a condition of employment in this position, which involves receipt of a negative pre-certification drug test result, passing a minimum background investigation, passing firearm classroom training, passing the shooting proficiency test and enrollment in the random drug testing pool.

This is a testing designated position which requires a negative test result for illegal drug use prior to appointment and randomly thereafter.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

WORK CAPACITY TEST (WCT) for Wildland Firefighters: This position participates in wildland firefighting activities. Based on the type of work performed, TAKING and PASSING the WCT at the ARDUOUS level is a condition of employment, which means you must maintain the required level of physical fitness in order to remain in the position. The Arduous fitness (Pack) Test requires completing a three (3) mile hike within forty-five (45) minutes, while carrying a forty-five (45) pound pack. You are strongly encouraged to consult with your physician and begin training immediately if applying for this position. This announcement constitutes the required 30 days advanced notice for testing requirements.

To receive consideration for this position, you must provide updated required documents and meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

LAUTENBERG AMENDMENT: This position authorizes the incumbent to carry a firearm. Any person who has been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence cannot lawfully possess a firearm or ammunition {Title18, U.S.C., Section 922(g)(9)}. A "misdemeanor crime of domestic violence" is generally defined under the statute, as any offense involving the use or attempted use of physical force, or the threatened use of a deadly weapon, committed by the victim's current or former domestic partner, parent or guardian. The term "convicted," as defined in the statute, excludes any person whose conviction has been expunged, set-aside, or pardoned, or any person whose civil rights have been restored unless the pardon, expungement or restoration of civil rights expressly prohibits the possession of firearms or ammunition. Candidates who have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence within the meaning of the referenced statute are not qualified for this position. Candidates under consideration will be required to certify whether they have ever been convicted of such an offense. False or fraudulent information proved by candidates is criminally punishable by fine or imprisonment, [Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1001].

In accordance with USDA Department Regulation 4430-792-2, this position is a Testing Designated Position (TDP) under the USDA Drug Free Workplace Program and subject to pre-employment drug testing. All applicants selected for this position will be required to submit to a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Incumbents of this position will be required to submit to a urinalysis on an ongoing random basis, after appointment as directed.