Wildland Firefighter (Aviation)

Forest Service (DOA); Chester (CA); On-site; USD 29,000 - 41,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Forest Service in Chester, CA is seeking a crewmember for airtanker base support on a fire crew. The role involves maintaining airtanker base facilities, ramp, vehicles and equipment in a National Forest setting.

The position is a temporary appointment within the wildland fire management occupation, with duties including aircraft parking/launch, loading support, and data preparation for routine reports. Work is full-time at a fire base location.

Qualifications

• GW-05: one year of specialized experience equivalent to GW-04 or higher; or a 4-year degree in Fire Science or related field; or a mix of education and experience.
• Experience related to wildland fire suppression, readiness, and equipment servicing.
• Volunteer work and educational transcripts may contribute to qualifications.

Responsibilities

• Operates complex airtanker equipment systems with synchronized components.
• Performs aviation and ground support tasks such as servicing pumps, tanks, reels, hoses.
• Mixes, stores, inspects and delivers fire retardants to specifications.
• Duties include parking and launching firefighting aircraft to/from base.
• Assist in airtanker loading operations and prepare Forest Service reports.

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.

This position is established on a Forest unit to serve as an Airtanker Base Support.

The incumbent maintains airtanker base, aircraft ramp, facilities, vehicles and equipment.

Learn more about this agency

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.

This position is established on a Forest unit to serve as an Airtanker Base Support.

The incumbent maintains airtanker base, aircraft ramp, facilities, vehicles and equipment.

Learn more about this agency

Overview

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Location
Many vacancies in the following locations:
Chester, CA
Fresno, CA
Lancaster, CA
Porterville, CA
San Bernardino, CA
Santa Maria, CA
Location Negotiable After Selection
No matching locations found.
Work site options

Telework eligible: No

Remote job: No

Relocation expenses reimbursed: No

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

Learn more about pay scale and grade

Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.

Work schedule: Full-time

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

Appointment type: Temporary

Occupations and job series: 0456 Wildland Fire Management

Supervisory status: No

Federal service type: This job is in the Competitive Service

Represented by a union: No

Drug test: Yes

Security clearance: Other

Position sensitivity and risk: Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

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

Position sensitivity and risk: Background check type: Suitability/Fitness

Financial disclosure required: No

Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.

Announcement number: 27-TEMPF3-R5-2SC045-5DH

Control number: 890775900

This job is open to

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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.

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Duties

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• Operates complex airtanker equipment systems with numerous components that must be carefully synchronized or calibrated.


• Performs various aviation and ground support activities, such as servicing and operating batch mixers, tanks, and related components including pumps, valves, and hoses.


• Mixes, stores, inspects, tests, and delivers fire retardants to various specifications.


• Performs duties of parking and launching firefighting aircraft to/from base.


• Assists in airtanker “Hot Loading and Simultaneous Loading” operations. Computes, compiles, and summarizes data for preparation of recurring and special Forest Service reports and records.

Requirements

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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.

GW-05: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GW-4 grade level in federal service or equivalent; OR Successful completion of a 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university with major study in Fire Science, Fire Training, Fire Technology or other related fields of study is qualifying for GW-5; OR a combination of education and experience.

Examples of specialized experience include: Performed work directly related to wildland fire suppression and control activities including suppression, preparedness, prevention, monitoring, and hazardous fuels reduction and serviced and made minor repairs to airtanker equipment or inspected, checked and serviced accessories such as pump, water lines, tanks, reels, or pump power plant to keeps in fire readiness.

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.
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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 window Learn 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.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

This is a Direct-Hire Authority position, all applicants who meet the minimum qualifications, to include any selective placement factor(s), if applicable, will be referred to the selecting official. Before a certificate is issued to the selecting official, the resume is reviewed to ensure that you meet all the qualification requirements. A rating will not be used; veteran’s preference does not apply due to the existence of the Direct Hire authority for this position.

Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements established for the position will be referred to the selecting official.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

Required documents

Required Documents

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• 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.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

Agency contact information

HRM Contact Center

Phone: [phone] X2

Email: [e-mail]

Address: USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center
DO NOT MAIL IN APPLICATIONS, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT
Albuquerque, NM 87109
US

Next steps

Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account to check your application status.

You must choose to turn on email notifications in your USAJOBS profile if you want to receive important email notifications that may impact your applicant experience (e.g. If you start an application and do not submit it prior to the closing date, USAJOBS will send an email reminder that the closing date is approaching and your application is in an incomplete status).

Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.

Under the Fair Chance Act, agencies are not allowed to request information about an applicant’s criminal history until a conditional offer of employment has been made, except as allowed for access to classified information; assignment to national security duties or positions; acceptance or retention in the armed forces; or recruitment of a Federal law enforcement officer. An applicant may submit a complaint, or any other information related to