Fire dispatch employee at work

Forestry Technician (Fire Dispatch)

This position is available in the following series:

Position Overview

Apply today for a Fire Dispatcher position, if you want a position that is critical, challenging, engaging and one that you can take pride in, then a Fire Dispatcher is the position for you. As a Fire Dispatcher you will be responsible primarily for wildland fire preparedness, suppression support activities, but may respond to all-hazard incidents as needed. You will be encompassing the entire Federal, State, Tribal and Private lands in order to keep this country safe and beautiful

This position is represented at the following bureaus

Bureau of Indian Affairs
Bureau of Land Management
National Park Service
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Candidate Description

The ideal candidate must have working knowledge of wildland fire suppression and prescribed fire strategies, tactics, methods and procedures, fire behavior, and weather conditions to effectively dispatch fire management resources. The candidate much also know fire management operations, dispatch procedures, and resources (e.g., guidelines, initial attack, expanded dispatch, Incident Command System (ICS) terminology, resource qualification and capabilities). Basic knowledge of aviation operations (e.g., aircraft capabilities and limitations, flight planning, aviation safety) 

Work Environment

Work is performed primarily in an office setting. During peak activity, long hours, increased radio traffic, numerous ringing phones, and conversations result in high noise levels, which require a high level of concentration to perform duties. The duties of this position create a highly stressful environment during peak activity, requiring the ability to keep calm in emergency situations. 

Minimum Education Requirements

Please see the Individual Occupation Requirements and the Technical and Medical Support Positions Group Qualification Standard on the OPM websites.

Primary Core Education Requirement depending on complexity: ENGBCRWBFIRBHMGBRXB2 from National Wildfire Coordinating Group

Secondary Core Education Requirement depending on complexity: ICT4ENGBCRWBHMGBICT3TFLDHEBM from National Wildfire Coordinating Group

Career Level Requirements

Responsibilities by Level

  • Entry:

    • Receives fire reports, determines location, land status, and current fire information, and dispatches personnel, equipment, aircraft, and/or supplies according to predefined plans or in response to resource orders from the field.  
    • Coordinates and assists with fire training and orientation. 
    • Collects, processes, collates and submits incident information to support fire operations (e.g., fire reports, ICS-209’s, situation reports, statistical reports, smoke permits, spot weather forecasts, prescribed fire burn requests).  

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Strengths by Level

Entry 4-5
  • Accountability
    Holds self and others accountable for measurable high-quality, timely, and cost-effective results. Determines objectives, sets priorities, and delegates work. Accepts responsibility for mistakes. Complies with established control systems and rules.
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    Entry 4-5
  • Oral Communication
    Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
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    Entry 4-5
  • Physical Strength and Agility
    Ability to bend, lift, climb, stand, and walk for long periods of time; ability to perform moderately heavy laboring work.
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    Entry 4-5
  • Resilience
    Deals effectively with pressure; remains optimistic and persistent, even under adversity. Recovers quickly from setbacks.
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    Entry 4-5
  • Stamina
    Exerts oneself physically over long periods of time without tiring (which may include performing repetitive tasks such as data entry or coding).
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    Entry 4-5
  • Teamwork
    Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals.
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    Entry 4-5