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General Information
GS-03 wildland firefighting positions is the entry level grade. Typically, only require 6 months of general experience and/or education (information is in the “Qualifications” section of DOI announcements). Please click this link https://www.nwcg.gov/faq to find out more information on "How to Become a Wildland Firefighter".
Most college placement offices, job search agencies, unemployment offices, public libraries and some civic centers have computers and Internet access available to use for free.
The majority of temporary fire and fire support positions advertised through the DOI FIRES Program Office are posted during October through March in order for the locations to hire and prepare their crews for the upcoming fire season. However, depending on the location and agency, announcement can be advertised anytime during the year.
Applicants can contact the location(s) regarding their hiring process as well as possible start dates. Contact information can be found here under "Fire Contacts" on the top menu bar, then select the state. There is a list of Contacts and Phone Numbers by agency.
There are several Internet Service Providers that offer free email accounts. Hotmail, Google and Yahoo are just a few of these. Through these or other companies, you can obtain a free email address that you can use to sign up for a USAjobs account.
DOI FIRES positions close at midnight Eastern Standard Time on the closing date of the announcement.
If you are a non-citizen, you are not eligible to apply to positions within DOI FIRES.
Call the point of contact listed on the vacancy announcement for assistance in applying.
Passwords, ID's, and Logging In
No. You are identified in My Account on USAJOBS by your e-mail, Social Security Number, your USAJOBS user ID and your password which you entered in the registration. USAJOBS will not allow you to create more than one account using the same email address or Social Security Number.
Have you updated your e-mail address recently; it may be an older e-mail address that you used in the past. Select Forgot your Username and/or Password, then follow the steps to receive your account login information.
Select Forgot your Username and/or Password, then follow the steps to received your account login information.
Finding Jobs
Yes, login to My Account, select Saved Searches, then select Create New Saved Search, select the search criteria you are interested in and Save Search. You now will receive e-mails matching your specific criteria. You can create up to 10 Saved Searches. Please click here for more information.
Login to My Account, select Saved Searches. Click the + next to a Saved Search. Click Edit Notification Settings. Select Never in the Notification Frequency dropdown and Save. Please click here for more information.
Reason 1: Your e-mail is incorrect. Login to My Account, select Edit Profile, verify your e-mail is correct, change it if needed and then confirm your password at the bottom and click Submit. It may take a few hours after you change your e-mail to take affect.
Reason 2: You selected to receive notification e-mails or Saved Searches, but it did not get saved. Login to My Account, select Saved Searches to view your job searches. (Note: you will only get new job posting meeting YOUR specified criteria). It may take a few hours after you change your preferences to take affect.
Reason 3: The e-mail went into your Junk Mail Inbox. Check your Junk Mail Inbox to see if it is in your Junk Mail.
Resume Instructions
If you are using the Resume Builder, you will be guided through the Resume Builder (online process) on what to put in your resume. For step-by-step instructions on how to apply, go to How to Apply and select Resume Builder Information for more information. If you are uploading a resume, make sure to include the following information:
- From and To dates (month/year to month/year) for each season and position held. (Ex: 05/2018 - 11/2018).
- Work schedule (number of hours worked per week) for all seasons and positions held. One year of experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hour per week (full-time). Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for a position listed that does not indicate hours per week.
- Grade level for each season and positions that were in the federal service.
- Duties for each of the seasons and positions held.
- References - personal and professional.
Do not include the following types of information in your profile or resume:
- Classified or government sensitive information
- Social Security Number (SSN)
- Photos of yourself
- Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc.
- Encrypted and digitally signed documents
Yes, uploaded resumes are accepted.
You may edit your personal information and resume at anytime during the open period of the announcement. After you edit/update either your personal information or your resume in My Account you then must reapply to the open vacancy announcement and complete the application process to overwrite the previously submitted information.
Applying for Jobs
In order to apply for seasonal Wildland Firefighter position, login and register on the USAJOBS website.
You can Upload your supporting documentation; refer to Uploading Instructions for further information. We do not accept emailed documentation.
If you are qualifying using your education, you must upload either Official or Unofficial transcripts; refer to Uploading Instructions.
Yes, you must answer Personal information questions and Vacancy specific questions.
- Information Questions: These questions cover your basic information and include your name, resume, and demographic information. You only have to answer these questions one time, although you can change your answers at any time.
- Vacancy-Specific Questions: These are the questions that are in the vacancy announcement itself and are used to establish your qualifications for a particular announcement. You must answer these questions for every vacancy you are applying for.
If the announcement closes and you have not provided answers to the vacancy specific questions, you will have not completed the application for the announcement.
Yes, you can verify you have applied to a vacancy and check the status of your application by logging in to My Account on USAJobs and go to your Applications located on your Home page. Click Track this application to view your application status. Please click here for further instructions.
During the open announcement, click Edit my Application. In the Agency section click on the assessment questions to view. You can also click View and Print at the end of the application process.
You can apply to 7 locations per announcement.
To withdraw your application from USAJOBS please contact us at Blm_fa_fires@blm.gov and provide us with the announcement number(s), locations(s), and all GS-level(s), and we will remove your application from consideration.
If your name was referred to the selecting officials, you can contact the location(s) directly and let them know you would like to withdraw your application or wait to see if you are contacted and decline at that time.
Contact information can be found here at “Fire Contacts” on the top menu bar and then click on the state you are wanting information on.
Uploading
Follow the Uploading Instructions for uploading Required Documents requested in the Vacancy Announcement.
Qualifications
Our office reviews applications and determines qualifications typically within 15 business days after the close date of an announcement. However, during our peak season, some announcements can take longer to review. Once qualifications are completed applicants will receive a Notice of Results and Referral e-mail stating whether they qualified or did not qualify for the position(s) they applied for.
Your qualifications are based on your responses to the specific questions in the vacancy announcement and the information in your resume. More information regarding qualifications for federal jobs can be found at the Office of Personnel Management website here.
The announcement provides specific information regarding what is needed to qualify for the position announced for each grade level.
A combination of things is used to determine the grade you would qualify for. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) establishes the minimum standards for each grade and occupation.
The minimum or basic qualification information in addition to any applicable selective placement factors is defined in the vacancy announcement for each grade being recruited.
Selective factors are basic skills and abilities that are required for the position in addition to the basic qualifications requirements.
The system qualifies you based on the responses to the vacancy-specific questions. Your resume and responses to the questions will be used to verify your answers to the vacancy-specific questions, as well as providing additional information.
Login to My Account and select Application Status, then find the vacancy you applied to, select Track this Application which will take you to another screen that shows your application progress. Once you go out on a referral list, you will receive an e-mail notification.
Wildland fire experience is defined as any non-structure fire that occurs in the wildland. Wildland firefighting experience is gained through work on the fire line in containment, control, suppression or use of wildland fire. This experience can be met by serving in a temporary, seasonal or equivalent private sector fire position. Periods of wildland firefighting experience gained through militia and rural fire departments can also be credited.
Structure fire and wildland firefighting must be broken out by dates in order to be given proper credit for your experience.
