Wildland Firefighter 3 Leader

This position is located at the Swan Unit and is a crucial role that will provide leadership both on and off the fire line to the Unit engine crews. The position may also be responsible for various Trust Land Management Division (TLMD) duties.

This position is responsible for coordinating and implementing the Swan Unit fire program, and to supervise all operations for wildland fire initial attack personnel and equipment to provide a safe and effective fire management capability for the Unit.

Work assignments require cooperation and coordination with County, State, and Federal agencies, the general public, permanent and seasonal employees, and private contractors.

The position administers seasonal activities related to wildland fire protection, the maintenance of buildings, grounds, and vehicles, and fire-related program projects of the Unit.

The incumbent may attend county fire meetings and plan and coordinate county fire trainings.

One of the priorities for the Swan Unit is our cooperator relationships, therefore the Fire Operations Specialist will help build and maintain relationships with the adjoining DNRC Units, surrounding National Forests and other federal agencies, and surrounding counties.

This position will directly supervise the engine crews as directed by the Fire Management Officer who supervises this position.

This position assists with Unit fire prevention work, duties, and plans.

Consequently, the Unit Fire Operations Specialist will provide input in developing the Fire Prevention Plan.

Essential Functions (Major Duties or Responsibilities):

Fire Suppression and Leadership

A: Fire Management and Coordination (60% of Time)

The incumbent has the responsibility to plan, coordinate, and supervise several concurrent activities within the Unit Fire Program or where assigned.

Fire Pre-Suppression

• Ensures fire crew personnel and equipment are at the appropriate state of readiness commensurate with changing fire potential.
• Ensures initial attack readiness of Unit fire crews and equipment to provide rapid and effective control of wildland fires.
• Initiates action to enhance fire readiness by preposition-ing resources or assigning tasks and work-sites to meet anticipated fire response needs.
• Serves as Duty Officer for the Unit on a rotational basis during fire season.
• Obtains current information on resource availability and fire activity both local and national.
• Assists the Fire Management Officer to ensure seasonal Unit fire personnel are competent to perform job performance requirements through training and on the job demonstration.
• Monitors subordinates to ensure proper safety procedures are followed in accordance with agency standards and guidelines.
• Assists the Fire Management Officer in wildland fire training for Unit personnel, fire crews, emergency firefighters, and others by instructing classroom sessions and conducting field exercises to evaluate performance.
• Supports the County Coop Program by providing training and serve as a course coordinator for Volunteer Fire Department Courses.
• Provides support to the training section of the Fire Management Bureau and Land Office by acting as an instructor at local, area and state level training courses.
• Participate in zone level (interagency) training as requested.
• Assists the Unit Fire Management Officer in preparing contracts with private businesses and local government entities to hire manpower and equipment needed for firefighting activities.

Fire Suppression

• Directs ground and air operations as the Incident Commander on complex initial attack, multi-resource, extended-attack, and wildland urban interface fires.
• Supervises control actions, orders needed resources, and provides for accountability of personnel and equipment.
• Develops strategies and tactics to successfully suppress fires in a timely and cost-effective manner.
• Provides direction and training for developing Incident Commanders as well as other ICS positions as appropriate.
• Gathers specific and highly variable fire-site information in the form of fire behavior, fuels, weather, topography, and resources at risk details to formulate and execute a safe and effective control plan for wildland fires.
• Solicits additional information from subordinates to evaluate strategic decisions made and adjusts, if needed, to attain control objectives.
• Investigates fires to determine the point of origin and cause.
• Must recognize, protect, and secure evidence, which oftentimes is very difficult to locate or recognize and can be easily destroyed by fire suppression activities.
• Provides daily work assignments to subordinates to meet Unit and Land Office objectives.
• Evaluates progress to ensure objectives are being met and provides accomplishment reports to the Unit Fire Management Officer.
• Resolves personnel problems with subordinates, and, if necessary, participates in corrective interviews and documents disciplinary problems according to the Department's disciplinary policy.

B: Trust Land Management (15% of Time)

This position may be responsible for managing various Trust Land activities as directed by the Unit Manager and Unit Fire Management Officer.

• Coordinates and participates in the Swan Unit prescribed fire program under the direction of the Trust Lands Forest Management Supervisor and the Unit FMO.
• Implements prescribed fire utilizing the most current and accepted prescribed fire practices and procedure.
• Executes complex and non-complex prescribed burn plans in accordance with the DNRC 400 manual and State Forest Land Management Plan.
• Analyses, discusses and conducts briefings on weather forecasts, fuel conditions, safety and resource availability for all staff and dispatch on prescribed fire activities.
• Plans for all prescribed fire follow-up including mop-up and patrol and required reporting documentation.
• Assists Trust Lands Foresters with forest management activities, to include cruising, marking, road layout, road reclamation, and mid-term classified forest grazing evaluations in riparian areas.
• May serve as recreation management use project leader on Trust Lands.
• Assist with management of other land use licenses or special leases as necessary.

C: Fire Prevention/Community Preparedness (15% of Time)

• Provides leadership to Engine crews to accomplish fire prevention activities as needed.
• Assists the Unit Fire Management Officer in preparing, presenting, and displaying high quality audio/visual presentations regarding fire prevention to groups.
• Provides training and supervision to personnel in the execution of assigned prevention duties.
• Ensures subordinates have a working knowledge of the Montana Forest Fire Rules and Regulations.
• Provide guidance, oversight, advice and recommendations to private landowners, industry professionals, contractors and developers in reducing the wildland fire hazard around homes and subdivisions.
• Completes risk reduction assessments of home sites and potential developable lands, provide detailed suggestions on methods and procedures for safe debris burning or other slash disposal methods, fire resistant landscaping principles, ignition resistant construction, stand-alone community infrastructure and adequate emergency access and egress to ensure an effective evacuation plan.
• May also provide advice on fuels management techniques and available cost share programs if appropriate.

D: Facility/Vehicle Maintenance (5% of Time)

The incumbent plans, coordinates, implements and administers projects and duties pertaining to buildings, grounds and vehicle maintenance at the Unit from the Unit Manager, FMO, and Land Office mechanic.

• Provides for the security of assigned equipment and vehicles, including fire engines, pickups, pumps, chainsaws, radios, etc., and ensures they are kept operational by being properly maintained and repaired.
• Identify maintenance needs, and performs the necessary maintenance on assigned equipment, to ensure maintenance is completed to agency and/or manufacturer standards.

Benefits:

• Paid Vacation, Sick Leave and Holidays
• Health, Dental, Prescription, and Vision Coverage
• Retirement Plans
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) – Employment with the State of Montana may qualify you to receive student loan forgiveness under the PSLF.

Minimum Qualifications (Education and Experience):

Qualified at the Strike Team Leader / Task Force Leader level as well as Incident Commander Type 4. Expectation of obtaining prescribed fire qualification of Firing Boss will be required within the first 3 years of holding this position. A high school diploma or equivalent is required with five years job related work experience.

Required knowledge, skills, and abilities:

The position requires knowledge of fire management and suppression practices and techniques; fire protection systems; jurisdiction and land ownership; the availability, capability and limitation of resources within the unit; DNRC's legal requirements and standard operating procedures; map-reading; geographic area and site-specific hazards relating to resource mobilization.

This position requires skill in written and verbal communication; supervisory skills and practices; and maintaining effectiveness and control under periods of extreme stress.

This position demands a high degree of skill and ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others, to communicate effectively verbally and in writing, to learn and apply program rules and processes; to read and interpret topographic and aerial maps; and to gather, research, assemble, and present information for use by others.

Requires the ability to establish and maintain good rapport with program cooperators and the general public.

Special Requirements:

Field work could require strenuous physical exertion for extended periods including walking, climbing, digging, chopping, operating portable power equipment (such as chainsaws and pumps), throwing, lifting and carrying.

The incumbent must be in good physical condition.

Work involves physical exertion up to 16+ hour shifts working on the fire-line.

This position requires an annual completion of an arduous Wildland Fire Work Capacity Test, which includes walking three miles over level ground, with a 45lb. pack in no more than 45 minutes.

Work schedule will be varied and will often require weekend and evening work, being on call, and fire assignments for up to 14 days.