Fire Dispatch (Forestry Technician)
Agency
Bureau of Land Management
Location
Lewistown, Montana, Montana
Salary
$23 - $33 Per Hour
These are temporary appointments. These positions will not convey permanent status and will be for a period not-to-exceed 1039 hours in a service year. Hours may be extended up to 1560 hours dependent on the agency's authority.
Open & closing dates
Posted: November 17, 2025
Closes: December 9, 2025 (0 days left)
Job Description
Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our most precious resource. This is a Public Notice for positions being filled under the Direct Hiring Authority (DHA) for Wildland Fire. Under this recruitment procedure applications will be accepted for each location identified in this Public Notice. Veterans' Preference is not applicable to this announcement. To learn more about Direct-Hire Authority, go to: OPM.GOV Hiring Information - DHA.
Qualifications
Hours worked per week must be stated for each season and position held in your resume. ***Experience listed will need to include specific duties about the work being performed and should not be only the general language stated below in the examples. To qualify for a GW-04 You must meet at least one of the following: 1). Six (6) months of general work experience, which can be any work experience AND six (6) months of specialized work experience equivalent to the GW/GS-03 level duties. Examples of specialized work experience may include but are not limited to: Performing dispatch work or equivalent experience that provided familiarity with dispatch operations and procedures, such as performing wildland fire suppression duties or working with fire/dispatch computer programs. -OR- 2). Two (2) years of education above the high school level which included at least 12 semester hours in any combination of the following courses: forestry, agriculture, crop or plant science, range management or conservation, wildlife management, watershed management, soil science, natural resources (except marine fisheries and oceanography), outdoor recreation management, civil or forest engineering, or wildland fire science. No more than 3 semester hours of mathematics is creditable toward this requirement. -OR- 3). A combination of the education and experience described above. To qualify for a GW-05 You must meet at least one of the following: 1). One (1) year of specialized work experience equivalent to the GW/GS-04 level duties. Examples of specialized work experience may include but are not limited to: Performing dispatch or dispatch office functions related to wildland fire suppression activities such as determining priorities and selecting alternative resources while independently performing dispatch operations duties. -OR- 2). A successful completion of a 4 year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with either 1. a major study in forestry, range management or agriculture; or a subject matter field directly related to the position; OR 2. at least 24 semester hours in any combination of the following courses: forestry, agriculture, crop or plant science, range management or conservation, wildlife management, watershed management, soil science, natural resources (except marine fisheries and oceanography), outdoor recreation management, civil or forest engineering, or wildland fire science. No more than 6 semester hours of mathematics is creditable. The level of the course work must have been equivalent to at least the junior and senior year levels of a baccalaureate program. -OR- 3). A combination of education and experience as described above. To qualify for a GW-06 You must meet at least one of the following: 1). One (1) year of specialized work experience equivalent to the GW/GS-05 level duties. Examples of specialized work experience may include but are not limited to: Performing dispatch and dispatch office functions related to wildland fire suppression activities such as receiving and reviewing fire incident reports, working with wildland fire dispatch computer programs, and/or determining fire resource needs. -OR- 2). One (1) year of graduate level education directly related to this position. -OR- 3). A combination of education and experience directly related to the work of the position. To qualify for a GW-07 You must meet at least one of the following: 1). One (1) year of specialized work experience equivalent to the GW/GS-06 level duties. Examples of specialized work experience may include but are not limited to: Performing and directing others in dispatch and dispatch office functions related to wildland fire suppression activities, providing logistical support information and making recommendations for efficient use of available resources. -OR- 2). One (1) year of graduate education directly related to this position. -OR- 3). A combination of education and experience directly related to the work of the position. For more information regarding basic qualifications and combining education and experience click here. You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement. Physical Demands: The work involves long hours of sitting, intense concentration, and working at peak proficiency/intensity levels with irregular breaks and mealtimes. The duties of this position create a highly stressful environment during peak activity, requiring the ability to keep calm in emergency situations. Must be able to cope with the pressure of meeting timeframes and changing priorities. Mental concentration and accuracy are required. Work Environment: Work is performed primarily in an office setting. During peak activity, increased radio traffic, numerous ringing phones, and conversations result in high noise levels, which require a high level of concentration to perform duties. This creates a high stress work environment.
Required Documents
You MUST upload "Required Documents" PRIOR to the Closing Date. **Please note that documents selected to transfer from your USAJOBS profile are NOT automatically added to your application. You need to transfer the document(s) in the Document step at the end of the application process. Resume MUST include your name and a list of each season and position held, duties performed, dates specified in month/year to month/year format. In addition, the resume must reflect full-time or total number of hours worked per week. Part-time hours can be pro-rated based on number of hours worked per week provided. If military or civilian, please include your rank and/or grade. Example 1: 05/2018 to 08/2018 could be credited as 3 months if 40 hours worked per week (full-time) are listed -or- 2.25 months if 30 hours worked per week are listed -or-1.5 months if 20 hours worked per week are listed. Example 2: 05/2015 to 10/2015 could be credited as 5 months of experience if 40 hours worked per week (full-time) are listed -or- 3.75 months if 30 hours worked per week are listed -or- 2.5 months if 20 hours worked per week are listed. Example 3: Dates listed with month/day/year to month/day/year could be given credit for each to/from date in its entirety if hours worked per week are listed. 05/1/2018 to 08/16/2018 could be credited as 3 months, 16 days if 40 hours worked per week are listed -or- 1 month, 23 days if 20 hours worked per week are listed. 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: https://www.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include. A complete Assessment Questionnaire: This is completed automatically during the online application process. The questions have to do with minimum qualifications, selective factors if applicable, a verification statement, etc. There is no additional document needed to complete this requirement. Other Supporting Documents, if applicable, such as: College transcripts - if qualifying based on education. For more information, see the Education section. Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) - If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP you MUST submit 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. Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc. * You only need to upload documents that apply to you. For uploading instructions please click here. You will not be contacted for additional information. If you have questions regarding what is considered appropriate supporting documentation, contact the DOI FIRES Program Office.
Department Information
Agency
Bureau of Land Management
Department
Department of the Interior
Location
Lewistown, Montana, Montana, United States