Wildland Firefighter (Assistant Engine Captain)

About the role

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-0456-6/7 working in the following California location(s): Alturas, Apple Valley, Bakersfield, Banning, Cedarville, Doyle, Lee Vining, Onyx, Ridgecrest, Riverside, Susanville, Taft, Topaz, Yucca Valley,

What you will do

• Directs the operation of a wildland fire suppression, monitoring, and post-fire activities.
• Starts pump engine, primes pump, adjusts engine speed and pump valves, lays hose, uses appropriate nozzle.
• Conducts and participates in crew proficiency checks and drills, safety sessions, and fire critiques.
• May serve as Initial Attack Incident Commander on wildland fires and all risk incidents.
• Gather and consider information such as weather, topography, fuel types, and fire behavior to respond to wildland fire incidents.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Suitability for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
• You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment.
• In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use.
• Selectees must pass a pre-employment medical examination and may be subject to post-employment medical examinations to determine if they are maintaining the fitness standards for this position.
• You must also pass the work capacity test for arduous positions.
• This position requires the incumbent to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of their official duties.
• Selectee must hold and maintain a valid state driver's license throughout their employment in this position.
• You will be required to operate a fire engine and various motor vehicles as part of your official duties; a valid Commercial Driver's License may be required.
• If applicable, you will be required to obtain a Commercial Driver's License within 1 year of employment.
• You will be required to submit your Commercial Driver's License and Driving Record.
• You must also submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you.
• Official U.S. Wildland Fire Service uniform is required.
• A condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.
• Individuals assigned male at birth after 12-31-59 must be registered for the Selective Service.
• To verify registration visit SSS.gov.
• You must be 18 years of age or older to be assigned to a hazardous position.
• Must meet the maximum age requirement.
• See qualifications section for more information.
• You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
• You may be required to travel overnight away from home.
• You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
• You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.

Education

Education may not be used to qualify for this position.

How you will be evaluated

Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text. Headers may be slightly larger but must remain legible.

All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression. Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.

You will be evaluated based on how your application materials reflect the minimum qualification requirements of this position. Once the job opportunity announcement closes, your resume and all supporting documents will be reviewed by HR to determine if you are minimally qualified for the position.

If an applicant's resume is incomplete or does not support the requirements for minimum qualifications or specialized experience a rating of "ineligible" or "not qualified" will be applied and no consideration for employment will be granted.

Due to this vacancy being filled through OPM's Direct Hire Authority, Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to positions filled under this announcement.

Applications received as a result of job fairs, recruitment events, and emergency hiring mechanisms in support of this hiring initiative will also be accepted during the duration of the announcement. All minimally qualified candidates will be referred for consideration. Please note that the hiring office may conduct interviews at their discretion.

Interviews may be conducted on a pass/fail basis.

Documents you must provide

• You must submit a complete application package.
• The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on Resumes must show relevant experience and other information.
• Your resume MUST list your education and work experience including (1) the dates (mm/yy) of each employment, along with (2) the number of hours worked per week, and (3) work experience duties listed under each job entry.
• In addition, Civil Service employees must provide their current OPM title, series, and grade.
• If experience is for a career ladder position, please ensure to clearly show how long you were working in each grade level.
• Your resume will be used to validate your responses to the assessment tool(s).
• Failure to provide required information will result in loss of eligibility.
• No assumptions will be made about your experience and/or education.
• You are welcome to submit a cover letter.
• Resumes must also include name and how to best contact you, including email address and phone number.
• Do not include the following types of information in your 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.
• In describing your experience, please be clear and specific.
• Visit the USAJOBS Help Center for more information on What should I include in my federal resume and/or OPM Resume Writing Tips.
• In addition to the online application (resume and responses to the questionnaire), you are required to submit the following supplemental documentation as applicable: FPM Requirement - You must provide a copy of your Incident Qualification and Certification System (IQCS) Master Record or other equivalent documentation which verifies you meet the required NWCG minimum qualifications for this IFPM position.
• Failure to provide this documentation will result in you being rated as not qualified.
• CTAP/ICTAP Documentation: documentation verifying your CTAP/ICTAP eligibility - this includes a copy of the agency notice and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level and duty location.
• Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package.
• It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.
• Proof of Age: As this is a covered primary fire position, your application package MUST include official government issued documentation (SF-50, driver's license, etc) indicating your date of birth.
• If over the maximum entry age (MEA), and you are not a Veteran, proof of prior covered service must be submitted (i.e. initial primary covered SF-50, copies of approved coverage letters based on individual claims, and any additional SF-50s showing beginning and ending dates of covered/creditable appointments if a break occurred).
• If over the MEA and you are a Veteran, you must supply a copy of your Defense Department Form 214 (DD-214) along with Standard Form 15 (if applicable) and any associated documentation.
• Failure to submit required documentation may result in loss of consideration.

What to expect next

Once you submit all the required documents and the online application in USAJOBS, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After the evaluation process is complete, you will be notified of your status and/or referral to the hiring official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted by the hiring official.

You will be notified if this job is filled or canceled. Timelines for this process vary widely. You may check the status of your application at any time by logging in to your USAJOBS account as we will not be responding to inquiries about the status of applications as long as the system has been updated.

If you were not referred and/or have questions or concerns regarding your rating determination or referral status, in the interest of time, please submit your inquiry in writing within seven (7) calendar days of receiving a Notice of Results and Referral notification email. Inquiries may be submitted to contact listed on this announcement.

Be sure to include the announcement number to assist our team in reviewing your inquiry.

Additional information

IMPORTANT INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS OPEN CONTINUOUS VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT This is an open and continuous vacancy announcement that will be used to fill vacancies as they occur. To receive consideration for vacancies, applicants must submit a complete application prior to the established cut-off date(s).

The initial cut-off date will take place on April 20, 2026 to begin the initial applicant consideration. Applications received after the initial cut-off date will be considered upon receipt of the next cut-off date.

The established cut-off dates are as follows: May 20, 2026 June 20, 2026 July 20, 2026 August 20, 2026 September 20, 2026 The period of eligibility for applications is through each cut-off date. The agency will issue a list of eligible applicants after each cut-off period to the hiring officials within the period of eligibility.

To be considered for each cut-off, a new application must be submitted. Applicants may make changes to applications to ensure experience is current. Department of Interior (DOI) Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) procedures apply in filling this vacancy.

These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed.

To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements) for the position with a score of 85 or above on the assessment questionnaire, and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry.

Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with their application. For more information visit: ***

This position is considered a career ladder opportunity, with a full performance level of GW-07. If selected at a lower grade level, you may be non-competitively promoted to the next grade level at the discretion of your supervisor and is contingent upon meeting regulatory and legal requirements for promotion, satisfactory performance, and the availability of higher-level work.

No PCS entitlements authorized This position is not suitable for telework. One or more positions may be filled from applications received under this announcement in the advertised office or other U.S. Wildland Fire Service offices.

Please visit USAJOBS Help Center | Reasonable accommodation policy if you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process.

Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized.

In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.