No Apprentice Hire on Forest

Currently, The Cleveland National Forest WILL NOT be hiring Firefighter Apprentices this year.  Apparently we have reached full capacity from the last hire.

2012 Apprentice Application Announcment

U.S. FOREST SERVICE – Region 5 (California)
Wildland Firefighter Apprenticeship Program (WFAP)
 

Application Period: December 16, 2011 through January 16, 2012

Veterans are encouraged to apply on the Avue web site under the Demo Authority (DP) where Veterans Preference is applied to eligible applicants. You must submit a DD-214 if you are claiming Veteran’s Preference. An age waiver may be granted to eligible Veterans who can meet the arduous physical standards of the position. Veteran applicants may qualify for funding under the GI Bill.

Duties: Serves on a crew performing duties in fire suppression and/or fire prevention. Performs prescribed burning crew duties in order to reduce fuel hazards and disease, while protecting wildlife. Assists fire dispatch by operating radios, telephones, and other equipment that is used to exchange information for fire weather information or other suppression related activities. Lays fire hose in the use of water to control fire. Moves dirt, chops brush, and fells small trees to build fire line using various hand tools such as an axe, shovel, Pulaski, and McLeod to control spreading wildland fire and/or to prepare lines prior to controlled burning. Chops, carries, and piles logging slash. Searches out and extinguishes burning materials by moving dirt, applying water by hose or backpack pump. Patrols fire line to locate and extinguish sparks, flare-ups, and hot spots that may threaten loss of control of the fire. Cleans, reconditions, and stores simple fire tools and equipment. When not engaged in fire suppression or training activities, Forestry Technicians perform basic duties in support of fire, timber, silviculture, recreation, wilderness, or research programs, projects, or activities. These duties may include road, trail, station, recreational facilities maintenance, visitor contacts and other duties as assigned.

The USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region (California) Fire and Aviation Management program requires talented people working safely together to be successful. Wildland firefighters work in a variety of specialized positions, including fire engine crews, fuels management, hand crews, helitack, interagency hotshot crews,  and patrol and prevention technicians. Crews often travel throughout California and other areas across the country performing fire suppression and other incident activities.

Vacancy Announcement (VA) #: 12-R5-WFAP-345DP will be open December 16, 2011 through January 17, 2012. This Demo (DP) announcement will be open to temporary government employees (summer firefighters), Veterans, members of the general public and current Federal employees. This is the only announcement number for the California WFAP. To easily locate the announcement in Avue; sign up, log in, click on the red Job Search button, then click on Search by Filters, locate the Vacancy Announcement box and enter: 12-R5-WFAP-345DP click Add, then click on Find Jobs. To apply for the Wildland Firefighter Apprenticeship Program (WFAP) GS-462-3/4/5 you must submit the on line application no later than January 17, 2012, to be considered for these positions.

APPLICATION PROCESS: Apply through the AVUE Digital Services on-line application system – https://www.avuedigitalservices.com//usfa/applicant.html You may also access the vacancy announcements through USAJOBS – http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/ - and note, you will be redirected to apply through the AVUE website. Specific information about the position can be found under the listing “Position Description” at both the AVUE and USAJOBS websites. PLEASE READ VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT COMPLETELY AS IT CONTAINS IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Check out the “Community” link and the “Wildland Firefighting” discussion for helpful hints from the Avue Home page. Veterans can find help in identifying and articulating military skills on Avue in the Career Portfolio > My Career Experience MOS (Military Occupation Specialty) and select the military filter. Applicants may select up to 9 specific Forests/locations where you would be willing to accept a job offer. There may not be a second offer at a more desirable location. All applicants are encouraged to attach a list in the “Additional Information” block of up to 9 preferred Avue cities in priority order – in addition to selecting from the Avue drop down menu. Specific duty locations have been consolidated under the National Forest Headquarter location. The nature of the WFAP may require a selectee to move to different duty locations to gain expertise and complete program requirements across the Forest.
Not all locations anticipate hiring Apprentices at this time. Apply to locations that you would accept a job offer.

Selections for Apprentice positions will be made the week of February 20, 2012
To receive additional assistance in understanding the hiring process, contact the California Region 5, Fire Recruiter, Rita Yates at (530) 621-5288, Cell (707) 334-1394, or Email ryates@fs.fed.us

End of Season

Today is the Crew's last day on for the season.  Crew will start back up around May 2012...

 

FEDERAL WILDLAND FIRE SERVICE ASSOCIATION

P.O. BOX 517 INKOM, IDAHO 83245 PHONE/FAX: (208) 775-4577 WWW.FWFSA.ORG

Celebrating our 20th year Serving America’s 

Federal Wildland Firefighters

PRESS RELEASE

FEDERAL EMPLOYEE GROUP CHALLENGES CONGRESS ON PERVASIVE ANTI-FEDERAL EMPLOYEE SENTIMENT

IDAHO-Wednesday October 26, 2011-In letters to the Chairmen of the Senate Homeland
Security and Government Affairs Committee and the House Oversight and Government Reform
Committee along with Ranking members of both committees, the Federal Wildland Fire Service
Association (FWFSA) challenged those in Congress who continue to attack the federal workforce and suggest that it is the federal workforce that is responsible for our Nation’s fiscal ills and thus that same federal workforce who should shoulder the burden of fixing the budget deficit.

The FWFSA is a nationwide employee association comprised primarily of federal wildland firefighters employed by all five federal land management agencies. Although it’s diverse membership includes those occupying all FIRE positions from entry-level to fire chief, many members are contractually represented by the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE).

In its letter to the Committees, the FWFSA suggested that the continued assault on the federal workforce through proposals to extend the current pay freeze and implement other “adverse” actions “make great sound bites” for politicians and may be the ‘easy & expedient’ solution but fails to recognize the fact that in many instances, the results will have the opposite effect as that intended and actually increase the costs to taxpayers.

“Almost on a daily basis we hear those from both sides of the aisle claim to be listening to the American People. While it is likely Republicans are listening to Republicans and Democrats are listening to Democrats, absolutely no one is listening to the federal workforce. Especially those at or near the bottom of the federal pay scale who risk their lives for this Country and its citizens” said Casey Judd, FWFSA Executive Director. As a result the FWFSA is asking both committees to hold hearings so they can listen to those federal employees and become more educated with regards to the consequences of their proposals. “Those that are expected to risk their lives to protect our Nation’s federal assets (federal firefighters employed by the DOD) and those who risk their lives protecting our Nation’s natural resources and its citizens and their real & personal property from the ravages of wildfires are consistently found at or near the bottom of the federal pay scale” said Judd. “These brave men & women occupy many of the lowest grades in the federal government and struggle to make a living and raise a family at or near the poverty level.”

Judd continued “It is our firm belief that federal employees at or near the bottom of the federal pay scale in any federal agency have a far greater insight into where the fiscal waste & mismanagement is in their agency and how to eliminate it than anyone in Congress.”

“The current fiscal crisis was not created by the federal workforce,” said Judd. It is a result of decades of policies from both sides of the aisle. Whether borne of ignorance or political posturing, the current anti-federal employee sentiment allows some in Congress to avoid addressing the obvious... poor Congressional oversight of the tax dollars it appropriates to federal agencies being a root cause of excessive federal spending.

“Neither the $1.3 trillion associated with the debt ceiling debate or the Administration’s recent order for federal agencies to cut their budgets across the board by 5% will do anything to ensure that fiscal waste and mismanagement within federal agencies will be eliminated,” said Judd. Federal money managers will continue to find ways to inoculate their fiscal waste & mismanagement from such cuts. As a result, those at or near the bottom of the federal pay scale and Americans who rely on federal programs and services will continue to be adversely affected.

“Rather, said Judd, ‘Congress should re-evaluate their lax oversight of dollars already appropriated to
federal agencies to ensure those tax dollars are being expended as required.” There is no doubt that
substantial fiscal waste & mismanagement can be found in most federal agencies. “Without adequate
oversight, these agencies have been allowed to waste staggering sums of tax dollars. Perhaps adequate oversight would actually eliminate the need for draconian cuts to the federal budget.”

Rather than taking the time to ensure tax dollars are used wisely, some in Congress believe meat
cleaver, slash & burn cuts to the federal budget and attacks on the federal workforce will fix the budget deficit problem overnight. “The problem was not created overnight and it cannot be corrected overnight and certainly not on the backs of our federal workforce” said Judd.

The FWFSA has spent years appearing before both Senate & House committees articulating the fiscal waste and mismanagement found within the federal land management agency wildfire programs, most particularly that of the Forest Service. Despite such findings being validated by Congress, the GAO and even government agency OIGs, the waste continues.

In fact, last session the FWFSA sponsored legislation introduced in the House that would do “exactly
what both Republicans & Democrats say they want/need to do i.e. reduce federal spending; create a
more effective & efficient federal program and save taxpayers perhaps $100 million or more each year.”“We got a lot of nodding of the heads from staff & members” said Judd ‘but little traction.” This session under an even more divisive Congress, we can’t seem to get the time of day.”

The FWFSA insists that continued attacks on the federal workforce will result in the continued loss of inherently less expensive federal wildland firefighters. As a result, land management agencies will
continue their over-reliance on more costly non-federal fire resources thus inflating the costs of wildfire suppression needlessly. Despite the claims of so-called ‘experts” that climate and the increase in the Wildland Urban Interface are the cause of wildfire suppression costs skyrocketing, the FWFSA believes it is the costs of unnecessary non-federal resources more than anything else that has driven up the costs.

“Climate and the WUI can be mitigated to significant degrees by proper preparedness” claims the
FWFSA. However when federal fire resources are lost as a result of firefighters seeking better pay &
benefits, retirement & early retirement and those losses are coupled with mismanaged dollars
appropriated to provide said federal resources in the field to keep fires small and thus less costly, the only way for federal agencies to fill in the gaps is to bring in more costly non-federal resources.

For more information, please contact the FWFSA at www.fwfsa.org or by email at cjudd@ fwfsa.org or by phone at 208-775-4577.

In REMEMBERANCE

As we quickly approach the Southern California's peak and worst part of the fire season (East Winds~Santa Ana's) we would to take a moment to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

October 26th, 2006 ESPERANZA FIRE
     CA-BDF-Engine 57- Capt. Mark Loutzenhiser, 43
                                      FEO Jess McLean, 27
                                      AFEO Jason McKay, 27
                                      F/F Pablo Cerda, 23
                                      F/F Daniel Hoover-Najera, 20

October 29th, 2003 CEDAR FIRE
      CA-Novato Fire Department- Engineer Steven Rucker, 38

November 25th, 1956 INAJA FIRE
     

11 KILLED IN ACTION IN LINE OF DUTY
Overhead Personnel
Name & Age	Fire Position	Regular Position
Anderson, Albert W., 45	Night Sector Boss	Forest Service employee, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Redding, Calif.
Lingo, Carlton Ray, 19	Night Crew Boss	Forest Service employee, Cleveland National Forest, San Diego, Calif.
Maxwell, Forrest B., 30	Night Crew Boss	Forest Service employee, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Redding, Calif.
Wehrung, LeRoy, 41	Correctional Officer	Mechanic, Viejas Honor Camp, San Diego, Calif.
Viejas Honor Camp Men
Daniels, Miles, 33	Fire fighter	Inmate
Fallin, Wm. D., 22	"	"
Garcia, George A., 41	"	"
O’Hara, Joseph P., 45	"	"
Shepherd, Lonnie L., 26	"	"
Tibbitts, Joe, 34	"	"

  

Back Home

The crew has been released from the Great 2 Fire and is back home available.

CA-MVU-Great

Crew has been ordered for another local fire.  The Great Fire is located near Julian at Scissors Crossing at Granite Mountain.  The fire is currently 400 acres and 5% containment.

Fire Info: http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=602

Cancelled

Crew got cancelled on the Chihuahua Fire as we arrived on scene.

CA-MVU-Chihuahua Fire

The crew has been ordered up on their day-off for a local lightning fire in the Warner Springs area.  The fire is about 75-100 acres.

Crew released from the Hurricane Fire

The crew was released yesterday from the Los Padres Hurricane Fire and is back home on duty.

CA-SLRD-Lightning Plan

Crew ordered up for lighting fires on the Los Padres National Forest.

Released from the Canyon Fire

The crew is back home for a day off.