Your steps to apply

Wildland Firefighter (Helitack)
Forest Service · Hamilton, Montana and 9 more · Closes in 8 days

1 Check you can apply
2 Resume and documents
3 Apply on USAJOBS
4 After you apply

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1 Check you can apply You are here

Who can apply: The public.

Open to the public. You must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. national. Veterans' preference does not apply to this job.

Experience: One year of specialized experience at or comparable to the GW-04 grade level in federal service or equivalent. Examples include helping load helicopter cargo, completing crew manifests, serving on a hotshot or helitack crew, and operating portable pumps or drip torches. Paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work, counts.

Education: A 4-year course of study at an accredited college or university with a major in Fire Science, Fire Training, Fire Technology or another related field. Education can also be combined with experience. Transcripts are required if you use education.

Licenses and certifications:

Completed NWCG Firefighter Type 1 (FFT1) course
Completed S-290 Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior course

Experience can be paid or unpaid, volunteer work included: if it matches the duties, it counts. The full rules are in the announcement.

2 Resume and documents

Write a federal resume for this job. For each job you held, give the month and year you started and ended, your hours per week and what you did, using the words of the experience the announcement asks for. Many announcements accept resumes of up to 2 pages: check this one.

Resume ready: dates, hours per week, duties Resume, no more than 2 pages, showing dates, hours per week and duties for each job Copy of IQCS Master Record or equivalent training documents proving FFT1 and IFPM factor; red cards are not accepted College transcripts if you qualify through education; unofficial copy is acceptable at first Course descriptions if needed to explain education Files must be under 5MB and in formats such as PDF, DOC, DOCX, JPG or PNG; no encrypted files Proof of eligibility and SF-50 forms only if claiming CTAP, RPL or ICTAP priority

3 Apply on USAJOBS

Closes in 8 days (November 12, until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time).

You sign in to USAJOBS with a Login.gov account, answer the questionnaire and upload your documents, then you submit. Answer the questionnaire honestly: your resume must show what you claim.

How they rate you: Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are referred to the selecting official. No numeric rating is used, and veterans' preference does not apply. You must also complete the Assessment Questionnaire; inflated or inaccurate information can lower your score, make you ineligible, or lead to disciplinary action.

Apply on USAJOBS ↗

4 After you apply

In USAJOBS, under Applications, you can see where your application stands: received, reviewed, referred to the hiring manager or not, then selected or not. It can take a few weeks.

For the interview, prepare three examples with the STAR method: the Situation, the Task, what you did (Action) and the Result.

If they choose you: a tentative offer, then a background check, a security clearance (Other), then the final offer with your start date.

Tips for this job:

Your resume must show dates, hours per week and duties for each job, and fit within 2 pages.
Attach your IQCS Master Record or equivalent proof of FFT1 and IFPM; red cards are not accepted.
Start Work Capacity Test training now, since passing the arduous test is a condition of employment.

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