Outreach
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La Grande Interagency Hotshot Crew Superintendent
GS-462-9 – December 6, 2013
About the Position…..
This outreach notice is intended to inform and identify potential candidates interested
in serving as the superintendent for the La Grande Interagency Hotshot Crew (IHC)
hosted out of the La Grande Ranger District (LGRD) on the Wallowa-Whitman National
Forest
The La Grande Hotshots are seeking highly qualified applicants for the position of
Superintendent. Individuals interested in this position must be a leader, team players,
highly motivated, self-disciplined, hardworking and in top physical condition.
Incumbent will serve as an experienced supervisor of firefighters on an Interagency
Hotshot Crew performing duties associated with wildland fire suppression, prescribed
fire operations, fuels management, prevention, patrol/detection and other project work
as assigned.
As a Hotshot, the incumbent participates in management of all phases of fire
suppression activities including initial attack and extended attack, fire line construction,
hose lay construction, firing operations and mop-up as well as taking responsibility for
the operation and maintenance of specialized tools or equipment. When not on wild
land fire assignment, the incumbent will actively participate in daily crew physical
training sessions involving hikes and runs of 3-10 miles in length, calisthenics and
weight lifting. The incumbent must pass the Work Capacity Test (pack test) at the arduous level
as a condition of hire.
This is a permanent full time position and may include weekend work and periods of irregular
and protracted hours of work. Tour of duty is full-time 26 pay periods per year.
PLEASE NOTE: This position is categorized as a key fire management position in the
Interagency Fire Program Management (IFPM) Standard and Guide as designated by the W.O.
Fire and Aviation Management. The IFPM selective placement factors for this position must be
met prior to entrance into the position as a condition of hire. Refer to the Forest Service IFPM
Standard Position Description Crosswalk for a full description of the selective placement factors.
This is a primary/rigorous firefighter position under the provisions of 5 USC 8336(c) (CSRS) and
8412(d) (FERS). Successful completion of the arduous duty Work Capacity (Pack) Test is a
condition of employment.
Vacancy Announcement
The vacancy announcement for this position is posted on the U.S.
Government's official website for employment opportunities at,
www.usajobs.gov under vacancy announcements OCR14-462- IHCSUPT-9G &
DP. This is an Open Continuous vacancy announcement with no closing date. Those that
USDA Forest Service is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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wish to be considered for this position must apply to the vacancy announcement by
January 7, 2014 identifying La Grande, Oregon as the duty station.
The Referral List for this position will be issued to the selecting official on or about January 10,
2014. All applicants who have applied to the announcement on or before the listed dates and
are found to be qualified and in the quality group will be referred for consideration.
About the area…
The La Grande Ranger District office is located in La Grande, Oregon the county seat of Union
County. La Grande lies in the Grande Ronde valley surrounded by the Blue Mountains and
Wallowa Mountains. The town's name comes from an early French settler, Charles Dause, who
often used the phrase "La Grande" to describe the area's beauty. The culturally diverse
population numbers approximately 12,500 residents, not including those who travel here to
attend Eastern Oregon University.
Unique attributes of the district include the Oregon Trail Interpretive Park at the Blue Mountain
Crossing where visitors can observe and walk along some of the best preserved portions of the
historic Oregon Trail. Starkey Experimental Forest is also located on the district and is managed
in conjunction with the La Grande Forestry and Range Sciences Lab for research purposes.
Given the districts location near the middle of Blue Mountain tri-forest (Wallowa-Whitman,
Umatilla, and Malheur) area and co-location with other government agencies, partnership
opportunities abound. It is not unusual for employees to share the expertise of personnel with
the Bureau of Land Management, neighboring national forests, Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife, Oregon Department of Forestry, National Marine Fisheries, US Army Corps of
Engineers and US Fish and Wildlife during the course of the work day.
The La Grande Ranger District employs approximately 50 full-time employees.
Professionals working at La Grande Ranger District include fire, wildlife and fisheries,
archeology, engineering, botany, GIS, range, recreation, and planning. In addition, the district is
home to the La Grande and Union Interagency Hotshot fire crews. During the summer months,
an additional 100 seasonal employees are hired for work on fire, recreation, range, timber, and
fisheries field crews.
The following websites provide additional information about the area and forest.
http://www.unioncountychamber.org/
http://www.fs.usda.gov/wallowa-whitman/
If you’d like more information about this position please contact La Grande District
Ranger Bill Gamble at (541) 962-8582, or email bgamble@fs.fed.us, or La Grande Fire
Management Officer, Mike McDonnell at mmcdonnell@fs.fed.us or 541 962-8553.
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INTEREST RESPONSE FORM
La Grande Interagency Hotshot Crew Superintendent , GS-462-9
Region 6, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest
NAME: ____
E-MAIL ADDRESS: ___
TELEPHONE NUMBER: ___
UNIT LOCATION __ _
CURRENT SERIES, GRADE AND POSITION TITLE: ____
Please respond briefly to following questions:
Why are you interested in this position?
What would you contribute to this position and the forest fire and fuels
organization?
Please email this completed form to bgamble@fs.fed.us by December 31, 2013
Thanks for your interest!
USDA Wallowa-Whitman National Forest is an equal opportunity employer