Wildland Firefighter 2 - Helicopter Manager

Wildland Firefighter 2 - Helicopter Manager

Core Values : The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservations Forestry and Trust Land Division recognizes that building a collaborative, professional, and inclusive work environment is critical to fulfilling our mission of managing, protecting, and promoting stewardship of Montana's forests and lands for the benefit of current and future generations and our trust beneficiaries. We hold ourselves to these high standards as we are accountable to the people of Montana. We value and respect each other. We create collaborative work environments. We build and maintain strong relationships. We practice accountability. We celebrate our successes and take pride in our work. We offer competitive pay with opportunities for growth and additional compensation. New : We have added assignment pay of 10% in addition to your regular hourly rate for employees assigned to and supporting authorized emergency work.

Work Unit Overview : This position serves as a Helicopter Manager (manager) for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) Forestry Division, Fire Protection Bureau, Central Land Office. The duty location is in Helena, MT. The primary duties for this position are fire suppression and aviation management. Prior experience in wildland firefighting with emphasis in aviation is required for this position.

Job Overview

The manager is directly responsible for the activities of personnel during any scheduled or unscheduled assignment. The manager will supervise several personnel and has responsibility for their safety. Typical duties include but are not limited to : assigning, directing, and supervising firefighting actions related to protection of life and property; implementing and / or integrating into an incident management system; making decisions regarding firefighting methods to be used; coordinating multiple resources at the same time (this includes immediate resources such as helicopters, crew members, support truck, etc. and adjacent resources such as those responding to an incident); deploying and managing personnel; ensuring the safe operation of aircraft and fire equipment; assisting with and participating in, public education, community relations, and fire prevention programs and activities. The manager is also responsible for performing other duties as requested by immediate supervisor while at the duty location or on an incident. The responsibility for motivating, supervising, training, and evaluating subordinate-level personnel is a significant element of this position. Managers are responsible for prioritizing, scheduling, and completing tasks associated with non-emergency response activities such as pre-fire planning, fire and life safety education, and training activities. The manager is required to supervise and participate in the care and maintenance of an aviation base, apparatus, equipment, and grounds.

Essential Functions (Major Duties or Responsibilities)

These job functions are the essential duties of the position and are not all-inclusive of all the duties that may be assigned to the incumbent.

• Incident Response
• Fire Suppression
• Readiness
• Supervision : Provides technical and administrative supervision to helitack personnel.

Application Materials Required For This Position Are :

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Benefits :

Minimum Qualifications (Education and Experience) : All persons performing firefighting duties are required to achieve a physical fitness rating of "arduous" in the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) and DNRC physical fitness standards within 2 weeks of employment. Good eyesight and resistance to motion sickness are necessary to satisfactorily perform the duties of this position. Requires education and experience equivalent to graduation from high school, and 3 seasons of fire suppression experience including Single Resource Boss, Helicopter Manager, and Incident Commander Type 4. Must be able to pass criminal background investigation for secure airport facilities.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities : Firefighting methods and modern fire prevention practices. Fire behavior including; influence of temperature, humidity, wind, topography, slope and fuel moisture conditions; and fuels in order to know to engage a wild land fire. This includes where and how to construct fire line, where to be positioned to manage a wildland fire, and to identify hazards. Accepted fire safety practices and procedures to prevent injury and loss of life. Air operations including : helicopter capabilities and limitations, helicopter contracts, load balance and capacity, load calculating, and manifesting of personnel and equipment. Tactical methods and techniques for use of water and additives in controlling and mopping up fires, in order to efficiently and effectively accomplish operations where water is in short supply. Instruction techniques. Skill in coordinating field-oriented training sessions and presenting wildland fire suppression and prescribed fire training material. DNRC standard operating procedures, rules, and regulations. Standard office equipment, including computers, and the necessary business software's, telephones, calculators, copiers, and FAX. Analyze emergency situations and react quickly, calmly, to act effectively to mitigate hazards. Recognize life safety hazards.

Work Environment : Work is primarily conducted outdoors in mountainous terrain where surfaces are typically steep, extremely uneven, rocky, and covered with vegetation. Exposure to numerous environmental hazards for long periods of time will be experienced. Wildfire control typically involves working in adverse environmental conditions such as : heavy concentrations of smoke and dust, extreme temperatures and the loud, continuous noise found in close proximity to aircraft and other fire suppression equipment. Fire and aviation duties require risk of injury and exposure due to potentially dangerous conditions found in both aerial and land-based wildfire suppression missions.

Physical / Mental Demands : Duties involve rigorous fieldwork requiring above average physical performance and endurance that requires superior conditioning. Work requires prolonged periods of standing, walking over uneven ground, recurring bending, reaching, lifting, carrying and shared lifting and carrying of heavier items, and similar strenuous activities requiring above average agility and dexterity. The manager must be able to lift or move boxes and other fire cargo in excess of 50 lbs. Duties include demands for strenuous activities in emergencies under adverse environmental conditions and over extended periods of time. Operation of some specialized fire equipment can place extended physical stress on individuals during fire activities.

Special Information : Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States. A valid driver's license is required with less than 12 conviction points in the most recent completed 36 months. In accordance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act, the person selected must produce within three days of hire documents that show authorization to work in the United States. Examples of such documentation include a birth certificate or Social Security card along with a driver's license or other picture I.D., or a U.S. passport, or a "green card".