Wildland Firefighter

US Office of the Secretary of the Interior; Ochopee (FL); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The US Office of the Secretary of the Interior is hiring a Wildland Firefighter in Ochopee, Florida, under a Direct-Hire authority for a Senior Firefighter role (GW-0456-6). The selectee must meet IFPM standards (FFT1 and S-290) and show one year of specialized experience at GW-05 or higher, with MEA age restrictions and required documentation.

Applicants should prepare a documented resume showing full-time/40 hours per week credit and military service documentation if applicable.

Qualifications

• One year of specialized experience equivalent to GW-05 in the federal service.
• Experience leading firefighting crews in prescribed burning and wildfire suppression and performing wildland fire suppression, preparedness, prevention, monitoring, hazardous fuels reduction and prescribed fire as a crewmember.
• IFPM requirements: FFT1 and S-290 Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior Training.
• MEA age requirement: must be under 37 at appointment unless special circumstances or prior service; veterans may have eligibility.
• Experience/education through 09/10/2026 will be considered.
• Documentation such as DD-214 / SF-15 may be required per vacancy instructions.

Job description

This is a Direct-Hire advertisement. Veterans preference is not applicable to this advertisement. Learn more about this authority at: Direct Hire Authority

This Wildland Firefighter position is with the US Wildland Fire Service, GW-0456-6 working in the following location:

• Ochopee, Florida

In order to qualify for this position you must possess the Minimum Qualification requirements listed below.
To receive credit for experience, 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.

Selective Placement Factor(s): This position requires a special qualification that has been determined to be essential to perform the duties and will be used as a screen out element. Those who do not provide evidence they possess the following selective factor(s) will be rated not qualified.

1.) This position is a Primary Firefighter position and is subject to a maximum entry age (MEA). The MEA is the date immediately preceding your 37th birthday. Applicants must not have reached age 37 at the time of appointment, unless proof is provided of prior Federal service in another primary covered position, or you are a preference eligible veteran. If you are a preference eligible veteran, you may be eligible for this position after your 37th birthday. You must supply a copy of your Defense Department Form 214 (DD-214) along with Standard Form 15 (if applicable) and any associated documentation in accordance with the instructions in this vacancy announcement. Failure to provide this documentation with your application may result in loss of consideration. Please refer to the Required Documents section for further guidance on what documentation is required to meet this requirement. If over the MEA and you are not a veteran, proof of prior covered service must be submitted prior to employment. Acceptable proof consists of SF-50s showing beginning and ending dates of covered/creditable appointments and copies of approved letters based on individual claims.

2.) 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 Senior Firefighter and requires selectee to meet the minimum qualification standards for IFPM prior to being placed into the position. Detailed information regarding IFPM positions can be found here: Interagency Fire Program Management (IFPM). To meet IFPM requirements, you 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 (currency not required at time of referral, but may be required to obtain and maintain currency if selected):

A.) Firefighter Type 1 (FFT1)
AND
B.) S-290, Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior Training

In addition to the requirements described above, the following additional experience is required.

Only experience and education obtained by 09/10/2026 will be considered.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. Please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience.

Minimum Qualification GW-06:

One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GW-05 level in the federal service. Examples of specialized experience include: leading firefighting crews in prescribed burning and wildfire suppression field operations and performing wildland fire suppression, preparedness, prevention, monitoring, hazardous fuels reduction and prescribed fire as wildland firefighter crewmember.

IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTE There is not an option to qualify for the 0456 series