Arguments for having a Wildland Firefighter Series

from theysaid 12/15/04
Mellie, thanks for an excellent overview of the current conditions in your post.

I just finished reading Jack Ward Thomas' "The Journals of a Forest Service Chief". I would recommend it to all for reading.

Even back in 1994, Jack Ward Thomas noticed that wildland firefighters were beginning to identify themselves more with the fire community than with the Forest Service community. In his book, Jack said, "This has led, in turn, to a segment of the Forest Service workforce who more and more identify themselves with the firefighter contingent than with the Forest Service per se."

Jack was correct in seeing that many wildland firefighters viewed themselves as more correctly associated with firefighters than as forestry technicians. What Jack Ward Thomas didn't address was the fact that wildland firefighters were recognizing their changing roles and the changing roles of the agencies.... not their disengagement with the Forest Service workforce.

Now, ten years later, people are still increasingly identifying more and more with the fire community. Jack Ward Thomas' observations of Southern California are now found in Flagstaff, Albuquerque, Boise, Asheville, Chuk, Florence, Long Island, and countless other areas across the United States. There are currently three schools of thought:

1) Have a wildland firefighter series..... GS-2 through GS-15
2) Include the wildland firefighters within the GS-0081 series (Bad choice)
2) Have a mixed bag of series (over 20 approved for firefighter retirement) and a single series (0401) for fire managers (Current Plan) (Really bad choice for safety)

Now a comparison of the primary series (From the OPM website):

GS-0081 - Fire Protection and Prevention Series
This series covers positions that supervise or perform work to control and extinguish fires, rescue people endangered by fire, and reduce or eliminate potential fire hazards. It also covers fire service positions that control hazardous materials incidents; train personnel in fire protection and prevention; operate fire communications equipment; develop and implement fire protection and prevention plans, procedures, and standards; and advise on improvements to structures for better fire prevention. Positions in this series require a knowledge of firefighting and fire prevention theory and techniques, a knowledge of fixed and mobile firefighting equipment operation; and/or the ability to plan, direct, or carry out fire protection and prevention programs and operations.

GS-0462 - Forestry Technician Series
This series includes all positions that primarily require a practical knowledge of the methods and techniques of forestry and other biologically based resource management fields. Forestry technicians provide practical technical support in forestry research efforts; in the marketing of forest resources; or in the scientific management, protection, and development of forest resources.

GS-0455 - Range Technician Series
This series includes all positions that primarily require a practical knowledge of the methods and techniques of range conservation and related resource management fields. Range technicians provide practical technical support in range research efforts; in the marketing of the range resource; and in the scientific management, protection, and development of grasslands and other range resources.

GS-0401 - General Biological Science Series
This series includes positions that involve professional work in biology, agriculture, or related natural resource management when there is no other more appropriate series. Thus included in this series are positions that involve: (1) a combination of several professional fields with none predominant; or (2) a specialized professional field not readily identified with other existing series.

GS-0000 - Misc. Occupations Group
This group includes all classes of positions the duties of which are to administer, supervise, or perform work that cannot be included in other occupational groups either because the duties are unique, or because they are complex and come in part under various groups.

When I think of wildland firefighting, it takes many forms of the above classifications. In particular, a wildland firefighter administers, supervises, or performs work that cannot be included in other occupational groups either because the duties are unique, or because they are complex and come in part under various groups (over 20 different series have received wildland firefighter retirement by the USDA or OPM).

Mellie, I hope that if the Federal Agencies consider a new series, maybe the wildland firefighters may start regaining their roots.... and recognizing that wildland firefighters are equally important in Forest Management and for providing a safe and efficient wildland fire program. Botanists, foresters, entomologists, archaeologists, hydrologists, engineers, biologists, plant pathologists, and the other many professions in natural resources management all have their own series. As of now, wildland firefighters are the only profession that does not have its own series.............

Lobotomy