SUPPLEMENTAL QUALIFICATION STANDARD FOR THE

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE - FOREST SERVICE

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR - BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS,

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE,

AND NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

GS-401 FIRE MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST

This document supplements the requirements outlined in the Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions Operating Manual published by the Office of Personnel Management and must be used in conjunction with those requirements. Additional or clarifying information can be obtained from the Operating Manual.

 Basic Requirements:

A.  Degree:  biological sciences, agriculture, natural resources management, or related discipline appropriate to the position being filled.

-OR-

B.  Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in biological sciences, agriculture or natural resources management, or at least 24 semester hours in biological sciences, natural resources, wildland fire management, forestry, or agriculture equivalent to a major field of study, plus appropriate experience or additional education that is comparable to that normally  acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in the biological sciences, agriculture, or natural resources.

Applicants who meet the criteria for Superior Academic Achievement qualify for

positions at the GS-7 level.

Specialized Experience:

For positions at GS-7 and above, one year of specialized experience at the next lower grade level is required in addition to meeting the basic requirements. 

For GS-7:  Experience that demonstrated an understanding of fire behavior relative to fuels, weather, and topography and how fire affects natural and cultural resources.  Typical assignments include:

·        Participating in implementing prescribed fire or fire use plans to ensure resource objectives can be met from a fire management standpoint.

·        Developing initial attack incident management strategies and tactics to meet the stated resource objectives.

 For GS-9:  Experience in at least two of the following three categories:

1.  Experience that demonstrated understanding of fire effects on cultural and natural resources.  The assignments must have shown participation in activities such as:

·        Developing fire management plans to ensure resource objectives can be met from a fire

management standpoint; or

·        Conducting field inspections before and/or after prescribed fires or wildland fires to determine if defined resource objectives have been met.

2.  Prescribed fire/fuels management - experience in activities such as:

·        Professional forest or range inventory methods and procedures (e.g., Brown's planar intercept for dead and down fuels; live fuel loading assessments), or

·        Analysis of fuel loadings and determination of appropriate fuel treatment methods and programming, or

·        Evaluating prescribed fire plans or fire management plans to ensure fire containment is possible and identify appropriate suppression contingencies if containment is not obtained.

 3.  Fire management operations - analyzing and applying fire management strategies, plus experience in at least four of the following activities:

·        Mobilization and dispatch coordination

·        Fire prevention

·        Training

·        Logistics

·        Equipment development and deployment

·        Fire communications systems

·        Suppression and preparedness

For GS-11 and above:  Experience must have included all of the fire program management elements as described below:

·        Reviewing and evaluating fire management plans for ecological soundness and technical adequacy;

·        Conducting field inspections before and after prescribed or wildland fires to determine if resource objectives were achieved and/or to evaluate the effectiveness of actions taken; and

·        Developing analyses on the ecological role of fire and its use and/or exclusion, and smoke management.

In addition to fire program management, appropriate experience must have included either prescribed fire/fuels management - OR - fire management operations as described below:

Prescribed fire/fuels management - experience in a broad range of activities such as:

·        Professional forest or range inventory methods and procedures (e.g., Brown's  planar intercept for dead and down fuels; live fuel loading assessments); 

·        Analysis of fuel loadings and determination of appropriate fuel treatment methods and programming;

·        Land use planning and environmental coordination;

·        Evaluation of prescribed burn plans or fire management plans to ensure fire containment is possible and identification of appropriate suppression contingencies if containment is not obtained.

Fire management operations - analyzing and applying fire management strategies, plus experience in at least five of the following activities:

·        Mobilization and dispatch coordination

·        Fire prevention and education

·        Training

·        Logistics

·        Equipment development and deployment

·        Fire communication systems

·        Suppression and preparedness

·        Aviation

Medical and Physical Requirements

Medical and physical requirements must be met for positions that have duties that are of an arduous or hazardous nature.