Forestry Technician (Fire Dispatch)

Summary

You will serve as a Forestry Technician (Fire Dispatch) in Durango, CO with the U.S. Wildland Fire Service. The incumbent independently performs and coordinates complex wildland fire dispatch operations, providing advanced technical and operational expertise. This is a temporary promotion not to exceed one year and can be extended up to five years. This temporary promotion may be made permanent without further competition.

Duties

• Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Establishes priorities, allocates resources and supervises the mobilization, demobilization, and reassignment of wildland fire suppression resources within the local, geographic, and national area. Manages fuels, weather, and intelligence data. Coordinates aircraft flight following and ensures safe and efficient practices are followed. Develops, implements, and updates Dispatch Operations Guide, Expanded Dispatch Plans, etc. Provides day-to-day operations technical direction. Plans work, assigns work, provides employee performance input.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 11/06/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 for each federal position listed as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of qualifying experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected. This position has been identified as one of the key fire management positions under the Interagency Fire Program management (IFPM) Standard. This position has been categorized as a Forestry Technician (Fire Dispatch) GW-0462-09 and requires the selectee to meet the minimum qualification standards for IFPM prior to moving into the position. For more information on IFPM, click here. Selective Factors: The applicant must have possessed all of the following National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) incident management qualifications and training requirements to be considered eligible for this position: Expanded Dispatch Support Dispatcher (EDSD) -AND- This is an administrative position in an organization having a firefighting mission, and is clearly in an established career path. Prior firefighting experience, as gained by substantial service in a primary firefighter position or equivalent experience outside the Federal government is a MANDATORY PREREQUISITE. Candidates must possess Primary/Rigorous wildland firefighting experience, gained through fire line work in containment, control, suppression or use of wildland fire. You must clearly demonstrate this experience in your resume, including the months, days, and hours per week at which the work was performed to be considered. Applicants must have documented prior primary firefighting experience, with substantial service defined as either: At least one full fire season working in a primary wildland firefighting role (e.g., Engine Crew, Fire Effects Crew, Prescribed Fire/Fuels Crew, Hand Crew, Helitack Crew, Hotshot Crew, Smokejumper, Wildland Fire Modules or Fire Suppression Crews, etc.) with a federal, state, tribal, local, or private-sector organization; - OR - At least 14 days of on-the-ground fireline experience (cumulative or consecutive). Prior primary wildland fire experience must be clearly documented in your resume. Note: an IQCS Master Record or equivalent document will not be used to determine or calculate prior primary wildland fire experience eligibility for this requirement. -AND- Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications for the GW-09 level: Experience: At least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GW-07 level. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience in the following: performing wildland fire dispatch operations; processing resource orders; mobilizing and demobilizing personnel, equipment, supplies, and aviation resources; maintaining incident information and resource status; collecting and disseminating weather and intelligence inf…

Education

You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications