Wildland Fire Dispatcher 1/2/3 (PCN 10-9240, 10-9672, 10-9788)

Full Job Description

The Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forest & Fire Protection, is recruiting for multiple Wildland Fire Dispatcher 1/2/3 Flex positions in Palmer, Alaska.

What You Will Be Doing:

Are you seeking a high-paying opportunity that spans just a few months? Does the idea of getting paid to travel across Alaska and the nation excite you?

If so, here's your chance to do both while providing critical intel and logistics support to protect your community from wildfire!

The Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry & Fire Protection, and the Alaska Coastal Dispatch Center (ACDC) are recruiting for multiple Wildland Fire Dispatcher 1/2/3 positions.

As a Wildland Fire Dispatcher, you will play a pivotal role in coordinating resources and information for both Initial Attack and Logistics operations, depending on fire activity and staffing needs.

This seasonal position is ideal for students, teachers, or winter sports enthusiasts, allowing you to serve your community during the summer while enjoying winters free to pursue your passions.

Join a dedicated team providing vital support to the brave men and women who fight wildfires in Alaska and across the nation!

Mission and Values/Culture:

The Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection proudly serves Alaskans through wildland fire suppression, management, and control.

This is an excellent opportunity for a motivated individual to join the men and women who serve to protect millions of acres of our forests, communities, and natural resources.

The Alaska Coastal Dispatch Center is a fast-paced section of Wildland Fire with a high value on safety.

The selected candidate will work as part of a dispatch team to provide firefighters and associated personnel with the support they need to fight wildland fires safely.

The experience gained as a dispatcher can serve as a foundation for a successful career with the Division of Forestry and Fire Protection or other fire suppression organizations.

This position provides great opportunities for training, travel, and career advancement.

Benefits of Joining Our Team:

We provide extensive training with opportunities to travel and advance your dispatch career.

It is our goal to create a culture at the Alaska Coastal Forestry Dispatch Center that provides a complete dispatch organization, work/life balance, and a better end-to-end career path for incoming dispatchers.

Our consolidated dispatch center has proven to provide increased opportunities for training and mentorship, in-state and out-of-state assignment opportunities, and help dispatchers build leadership skills.

Health/life insurance benefits are provided. Health insurance includes employer contributions toward medical/vision/dental.

The Working Environment You Can Expect:

The Alaska Coastal Dispatch Center is a state-of-the-art facility in Palmer, Alaska. With ever-evolving technologies, ACDC strives to keep its center ahead of the game with both equipment and staff.

We encourage teamwork and camaraderie. This environment helps promote friendship and trust within the Dispatch Center.

These close-knit relationships motivate our employees in parallel and align them to work harder, cooperate, and support one another.

Our team is made up of individuals with diverse talents, weaknesses, communication skills, strengths, and habits.

Click here to learn more about working for the Division of Forestry & Fire Protection.

Requirements

Competency-Based Minimum Qualifications Instructions This job class uses competency-based minimum qualifications.

Please ensure your application (through work history, volunteer experience (duties summary), training, education, licenses, certifications, etc.) supports how you have gained the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors (competencies) and that you possess the minimum required competencies for the job class.

Competency Description The competency description(s) listed below have been designed to promote a common understanding of the essential elements of the job class.

They highlight the more general and customary knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), tasks, and behaviors used to describe the competency.

They typically list expectations instead of specific tasks and are only used as parameters and guidelines.

A competency’s description is not intended to exclusively define every KSA, task, and behavior needed to meet the competency successfully, but rather to provide the manager/agency with a broad reference of options for how an applicant can meet the job expectation.

Wildland Fire Dispatcher 1–Starting Salary $22.34

Any combination of education, training, and/or experience that provides the applicant with competencies in

• Attention to Detail: Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.
• Computer Skills: Uses computers, software applications, databases, and automated systems to accomplish work.
• Oral and Written 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 and written presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
• Stress Tolerance: Deals calmly and effectively with high stress situations (for example, tight deadlines, hostile individuals, emergency situations, dangerous situations).

Equivalent to those typically gained by:

Any combination of post-secondary education and/or experience in radio dispatch, telecommunications, wildland firefighting, or forestry field work, office clerical, customer service, warehouse, supply, storekeeper, or logistics.

Wildland Fire Dispatcher 2 –Starting Salary $25.21

Successful completion of a course of training under a formally established Wildland Fire Dispatcher 1 training plan with the State of Alaska.
OR
Certification from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) as an Expanded Dispatch Recorder (EDRC)
And
Additional NWCG certification as either Expanded Dispatch Support Dispatcher (EDSD) or Initial Attack Dispatcher (IADP)
And
Any combination of education, training, and/or experience that provides the applicant with competencies in

• Interpersonal Skills: Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences.
• Oral and Written 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 and written presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
• Stress Tolerance: Deals calmly and effectively with high stress situations (for example, tight deadlines, hostile individuals, emergency situations, dangerous situations).

Telecommunications and Logistics: Knowledge of the concepts, principles, methods, and procedures of emergency communication operations systems used in receiving, assessing, transmitting, and relaying information to plan, coordinate, and deploy resources (such as personnel, equipment, supplies, and aircraft) in support of fire and/or emergency activities and maintain accurate incident records.

Uses situational awareness and/or familiarity of geographic area assigned in disseminating information.

Equivalent to those typically gained by:

Any combination of post-secondary education and/or experience in radio dispatch, telecommunications, wildland firefighting, or forestry field work, office clerical, customer service, warehouse, supply, storekeeper, or logistics.


Wildland Fire Dispatcher 3–Starting Salary $28.78

Successful completion of a course of developmental training under a formally established Wildland Fire Dispatcher 2 training plan with the State of Alaska.
OR
Certification from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) in any of the three following:

• Expanded Dispatch Support Dispatcher (EDSD)
• Initial Attack Dispatcher (IADP)
• Expanded Dispatch Supervisory Dispatcher (EDSP)
• Aircraft Dispatcher (ACDP)

And
Any combination of education, training, and/or experience that provides the applicant with competencies in

• Decision Making: Makes sound, well-informed, and objective decisions; perceives the impact and implications of decisions; commits to action, even in uncertain situations, to accomplish organizational goals; causes change.
• Interpersonal Skills: Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences.
• Oral and Written 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 and written presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
• Stress Tolerance: Deals calmly and effectively with high stress situations (for example, tight deadlines, hostile individuals, emergencies, dangerous situations).

Telecommunications and Logistics: Knowledge of the concepts, principles, methods, and procedures of emergency communication operations systems used in receiving, assessing, transmitting, and relaying information to plan, coordinate, and deploy resources (such as personnel, equipment, supplies, and aircraft) in support of fire and/or emergency activities and maintain accurate incident records.

Uses situational awareness and/or familiarity of geographic area assigned in disseminating information.

Equivalent to those typically gained by:

Any combination of post-secondary education and/or progressively responsible experience in radio dispatch, telecommunications, wildland fire fighting or forestry field work, office clerical, customer service, warehouse, supply, storekeeper, or logistics.


Special Note:
Wildland Fire Dispatchers must receive red card training and certification under the National Incident Qualification System.

Qualifications

** Please read the information below carefully. **


At the time of the interview, please ensure that you provide the following materials. Failure to do so may result in loss of consideration. Required documents include:

• A list of two professional references with current contact information, with at least one being a current or former supervisor.
• A copy of your two most recent performance evaluations, or a letter of reference if evaluations are not available.
• A copy of any forestry and/or fire-related training certificates.

SPECIAL NOTICES

• This position may require frequent travel within and out of Alaska
• This position requires working shifts that vary between 8-16 hours a day, up to 21 consecutive days, during weekends and on holidays, with little notice, depending on fire activity.




Application Notice

You can ONLY apply for this position through the Workplace Alaska website or by submitting a paper application. Instructions on how to apply can be found on the Workplace Alaska How to Apply webpage (link). Your application must be received by 5:00 p.m. Alaska Standard Time on the closing date.




Supplemental Questions

For your application to be evaluated, you must answer the Supplemental Questions.

The State of Alaska (SOA) utilizes four proficiency levels to measure and describe an applicant’s level of competence in applying certain behaviors, knowledge, skills, and abilities to accomplish a specific task.

The four proficiency levels are Mastery, Fluency, Literacy, and Discovery. You must rate your proficiency level for each competency listed in the supplemental questions.




Education

If post-secondary education is required to meet the minimum qualifications, you must fill out the Education section of the application.

If you have not yet obtained a degree, please indicate the units you have completed.

Copies of transcripts are required to verify educational credentials if used to meet the minimum qualifications for a position.




Special Instructions for Foreign Education

Education completed at foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the minimum qualifications listed above.

If using this education to meet minimum qualification requirements, you must demonstrate that the credentials have been submitted to a private organization specializing in interpreting foreign educational credentials and that such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in standard U.S.

education programs. Alternatively, an accredited U.S.

post-secondary institution must report that the other institution's transcript is given full value or that full value is recognized in relevant subject areas aligned with the post-secondary institution's curricula.

It is your responsibility to provide this evidence when applying.




Work Experience

If using work experience not already documented in your application, also provide the employer’s name, job title, employment dates, and whether full or part-time.

Applications will be reviewed to determine whether the responses are supported and whether the minimum qualifications are met.

If they are not, the applicant may not advance to the recruitment interview and selection phase.




Note: Attaching a resume is not a substitute for completing the application in its entirety. Noting, "see resume" or any similar response on any portion of your application may lead to a determination that your application is incomplete and removal from consideration for this job posting.




Bargaining Unit

If you are a current state employee, please indicate the union to which you belong at the time of application. Do not complete this question if you are not a current state employee.




Flexible Staffing

This position is flexibly staffed. The level of the job offer will be based on the selected candidate’s credibly possessed and proven competencies. If hired at the lower level, you will be promoted to the higher level after completing the training plan and demonstrating competency in the work.




Driver’s License Requirement

Applicants must possess a valid driver's license. Proof of licensure will be required prior to reporting to duty.




Please ensure your application (through work history, training, education, licenses, certifications, etc.) supports/demonstrates that you possess the minimum required competencies for the job class.




EEO STATEMENTThe State of Alaska complies with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Individuals with disabilities who require accommodation, auxiliary aids or services, or alternative communication formats should call 1-800-587-0430 or (907) 465-4095 in Juneau or TTY: Alaska Relay 711 or 1-800-770-8973 or correspond with the Division of Personnel & Labor Relations at P.O.

Box 110201, Juneau, AK 99811-0201. The State of Alaska is an equal opportunity employer.

Additional Information

If you choose to be contacted by email, please ensure that your email address is correct on your application and that your spam filter will permit emails from the governmentjobs.com domain.




Workplace Alaska Application Questions & Assistance

Questions regarding application submission or system operation errors should be directed to the Workplace Alaska hotline at 1-800-587-0430 (toll-free) or (907) 465-4095 if you are in the Juneau area. Requests for information may also be emailed to recruitment.services@alaska.gov.




For assistance with your password, please visit the password reset page.




For specific information about this position, please get in touch with the hiring manager at the following:


Teresa Rose

Dispatch Center Manager

Phone: 907-451-2664

Fax: 907-471-2763

Email: teresa.rose@alaska.gov