Engineering Equipment Operator (Fire Dozer) - Direct Hire Authority

Full Job Description

U.S. Wildland Fire Service This position is an Engineering Equipment Operator (Fire Dozer), WG- 5716-8 working in Washington, District of Columbia for the US Wildland Fire Service.

This is a Direct-Hire advertisement. Veterans preference is not applicable to this advertisement.

Learn more about this authority at: Dire Hire Authority In order to qualify for this position, you must possess the Minimum Qualification requirements listed below.

Selective Placement Factor(s): This position requires a special qualification that has been determined to be essential to perform the duties and will be used as a screen out element.

Those who do not provide evidence they possess the following selective factor(s) will be rated not qualified.

1.) This position is a Primary Firefighter position and is subject to a maximum entry age (MEA). The MEA is the date immediately preceding your 37th birthday.

Applicants must not have reached age 37 at the time of appointment, unless proof is provided of prior Federal service in another primary covered position, or you are a preference eligible veteran.

If you are a preference eligible veteran, you may be eligible for this position after your 37th birthday.

You must supply a copy of your Defense Department Form 214 (DD-214) along with Standard Form 15 (if applicable) and any associated documentation in accordance with the instructions in this vacancy announcement.

Failure to provide this documentation with your application may result in loss of consideration.

Please refer to the Required Documents section for further guidance on what documentation is required to meet this requirement.

If over the MEA and you are not a veteran, proof of prior covered service must be submitted prior to employment.

Acceptable proof consists of SF-50s showing beginning and ending dates of covered/creditable appointments and copies of approved letters based on individual claims.

In addition to the requirements described above, the following additional experience is required. Only experience and education obtained by 03/23/2026 will be considered.

By the closing date of this announcement, you must meet the requirements of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Handbook X118C, Job Qualification System for Trades and Labor Occupation.http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/x-118c/Although no specific amount of experience, education or training is required, applicants must meet a minimum level of ability in relation to the position and the Assessment Questionnaire in order to be rated qualified for consideration.

To be qualified candidates must meet any screen out element(s) listed at an "acceptable" level, and must achieve an average rating of at least "acceptable" on all of the elements.

Only education, training, or experience acquired before the closing date of this announcement will be considered.

SCREEN-OUT ELEMENT: Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element, which usually appears as question 1 in the on-line questionnaire.

Those applicants who appear to possess at least the minimal acceptable qualification requirement are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated.

The potential eligibles are then rated against the remainder of the Job Elements.

The screen out element for this position is: Element 1 - Ability to do the work of the position without more than normal supervision (Screen out) Element 2 - Operation of Motor Vehicles Element 3 - Work Practices Element 4 - Ability to Interpret Instructions, Specifications, etc.

Element 5 - Ability to Drive Safely Element 6 - Reliability and Dependability Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social).

Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.

You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. This position is covered by the special retirement provisions of 5 U.S.C. 8336 (c) and 5 U.S.C.

8412 (d) as a Primary/Rigorous Firefighter. Applicants must be 18 years of age, but not have reached their 37th birthday by the closing date of this announcement.

These positions are covered by the special enhanced annuity retirement provisions for Federal Firefighters and Law Enforcement officers and have a mandatory retirement age of 57.

Two exceptions are allowed: 1) an applicant has prior Federal service in documented special retirement covered position(s) sufficient to count toward 20 years of covered service on or before the mandatory retirement age of 57; or 2) an applicant is a qualified veterans' preference eligible, in which case the MEA is waived and their corresponding retirement age may be higher than 57 after completing 20 years of service.

Applicants must submit proof of their previous and/or current status in the Fire Fighter or Law Enforcement special enhanced annuity retirement system.

Physical Demands: Heavy physical effort is used by the operator in constantly reaching, bending, turning, and moving hands, arms, feet, and legs to handle controls to operate the equipment and attachments.

During fire suppression assignments, the operator is exposed to smoky conditions, fire burns, and other similar conditions.

Working Conditions: Work is performed in all types of weather, often in an open driver's seat on hills, slopes, grades, rolling surfaces, and forests.

The operator is subject to noise, vibration, dust, dirt, and fumes from the motor and exhaust and to smoke from wildfires. Major Duties:

• As a Engineering Equipment Operator (Fire Dozer) - Direct Hire Authority, your duties will include but are not limited to the following: Operates road graders, bulldozers, etc., to suppress wildfires or reclaim burned over areas Clears brush and other debris from fire lines and clears ground and otherwise operates equipment to reclaim sites Operates lowboys or water tenders Operates a variety of heavy equipment on fire lines for the purpose of suppressing wildland fires Maintains and repairs heavy equipment used in firefighting operations