Forestry Technician (Fire Dispatch)

Forest Service (DOA); Grand Junction (CO); On-site; USD 29,000 - 41,000; Full time

Job summary

Forest Service is seeking a Fire Dispatcher to support wildland fire suppression by receiving, filling, and tracking resource requests for incidents. You will follow predefined plans and coordinate with field units to mobilize personnel, equipment, aircraft, and supplies.

This is a temporary, full-time position under the GW-pay plan with duties centered on rapid, accurate dispatch and log records. The role requires background checks, drug testing, and the ability to work in remote locations.

Qualifications

• Experience in fielding and processing dispatch requests for firefighting resources.
• Familiar with procedures for incident support and resource ordering.
• Ability to interpret weather and fire behavior data for dispatch decisions.

Responsibilities

• Serves as a dispatcher, receiving, filling, and tracking resource requests for fire and other emergency incidents.
• Initiates requests to higher levels for additional resources as needed.
• Maintains resource status and tracking systems and operates telecommunications systems.
• Collects, processes, and submits incident information to support fire operations.

Skills

Fire dispatching

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Fire dispatch systems

Job description

Summary

This position is located within a National Forest. The position is located on a fire crew as a crewmember within the fire management organization. The primary purpose of this position is to serve as a fire dispatcher in support of fire suppression activities.

Location

Many vacancies in the following locations:
Grand Junction, CO
Rapid City, SD
Location Negotiable After Selection

Salary

$25.37 – $25.37 per hour. Salary is reflective of the new Special Base Rate (SBR) Salary Table for the General Wildland Firefighter (GW) pay plan effective 3/23/2025.

Pay scale & grade: GW 5

Promotion potential

None

Work schedule

Full-time

Travel Required

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

Appointment type

Temporary

Supervisory status

No

Federal service type

This job is in the Competitive Service

Represented by union

No

Drug test

Yes

Security clearance

Other

Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.

Background check type: Suitability/Fitness

Financial disclosure required

No

Announcement number

27-TEMPF3-R2-FS0936-5DH

Control number

890788000

Target audience

The position is open to The public: U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. citizen. Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position. Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy.

Duties

• Serves as a dispatcher, receiving, filling, and tracking resource requests for fire and other emergency incidents.
• Follows established procedures to perform a variety of technical duties common to the dispatch of personnel, equipment, aircraft and/or supplies according to pre-defined plans or in response to resource orders from the field.
• Initiates requests to higher organizational levels for additional resources as needed.
• Maintains resource status and tracking systems and operates telecommunications systems.
• Collects, processes, collates and submits incident information to support fire operations (e.g., fire reports, smoke permits, spot weather forecasts, prescribed fire burn requests).
• Organizes and reviews completed records of all orders placed and actions taken to ensure adherence to established operating procedures.
• Processes and interprets weather information (e.g., spot weather forecasts, weather station observations, current and forecasted weather, lightning detection, and fuel moisture levels).
• The information is used to determine burning indices, preparedness levels and staffing levels for suppression and aviation resources.
• Inputs data into a number of fire-related computer applications (e.g., incident qualification records, fire reporting systems, and automated dispatch systems) and makes the initial assessment of outputs.
• Provides critical logistical support information to supervisor and makes recommendations concerning the efficient uses of available resources.
• Records and maintains communication logs.
• Coordinates and may assist with fire and aviation operational-type training/simulations and orientation in addition to initial attack dispatch and aviation dispatch training.
• Gathers information for the development and maintenance of the dispatch mobilization guide and internal dispatch operating guides.
• Shares information with cooperators and other interested entities.

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.gov.
• 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.
• Willing to live/work in remote locations (volatile/unpredictable).
• Occasional overnight travel may be required for fire suppression or fire related assignment.
• This is a secondary firefighter position under 5 USC 8336© (CSRS) and 8412(d) (FERS). Prior wildland firefighting experience is required. There is no age limit for entry into secondary positions.

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.

Specialized Experience Requirement:

GW-05: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-4 grade level; OR a bachelor’s degree or 4 years of successfully completed education above high school (120 semester/180 quarter hours) with major study in forestry, range management, agriculture, or a subject-matter field directly related to the position, or that included at least 24 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, outdoor recreation management, civil or forest engineering, or wildland fire science (no more than 6 semester hours in mathematics is creditable); OR combinations of successfully completed post-high school education (in excess of the first 60 semester/90 quarter hours) and specialized experience. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university.

Examples of specialized experience include: Filed and retrieved documents in a dispatching office; assisted in preparing various maps, plans, guides, analyses, and special reports for dispatch use and /or; received and processed requests for equipment, personnel, and supplies in conjunction with wildland fire and emergency incidents.

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.

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.

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

Additional information

PLEASE NOTE: This vacancy is being used to fill positions for FY2027 Temporary Employment Hiring season. The expected start date for this position will be between April 18, 2027 to June 13, 2027.

By selecting the “Location Negotiable” option during the application process, implies your willingness to be considered for any official duty location listed on this announcement and/or those duty locations not listed for this Regional announcement. Pay rates vary depending on location. The salary shown is for the Rest of the U.S. See OPM.gov for additional information on pay rates.

This position is temporary, has a Not-to-Exceed date and will be filled for up to 6 months or as a not to exceed (NTE) 1 year, however an extension of the appointment may be possible without further competition. The appointment may also end early due to lack of work or lack of funds.

Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other groups within the Region who have vacancies within the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in any of the geographic location(s) listed on the announcement. Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration.

The duty station for this position will be at one of the duty locations listed in this announcement. Salary range as shown is the locality pay Rest of U.S. (RUS). Pay rates vary by location. Please visit the Office of Personnel Management’s website for additional information on pay rates.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP eligible must meet the agency’s definition for a quality candidate as provided in the How You Will Be Evaluated section of this announcement to be considered.

If you are retired from the Federal Government and are selected for this vacancy, your retirement annuity may be offset from your pay.

This position is not eligible for telework. Availability of government housing and federal day care facilities will vary by location.

Positions filled from this announcement may be a bargaining or a non-bargaining unit position represented by either NFFE, AFGE or NAGE.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

Required documents

• Resume that includes: Personal Information: name, address, contact information; Education ; Work Experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); other qualifications . Resume cannot exceed 2 pages.
• If education is required or you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application if it includes your name and the necessary course information; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit the NACES website. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
• Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), current performance appraisal with rating of at least "Fully Successful" or equivalent, and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.

Contact information

HRM Contact Center

Phone: [phone] X2

Email: [e-mail]

Address: USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center, Albuquerque, NM 87109, US

Fair and transparent

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance. Criminal history inquiries Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy Financial suitability New employee probationary period Privacy Act Reasonable accommodation policy Selective Service Signature and false statements Social security number request