Wildland Firefighter - Fuels Management Specialist

Job Description - Wildland Firefighter 3 - Fuels Management Specialist )

Position Title:

Wildland Firefighter 3 - Fuels Management Specialist )

Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation’s mission is to help ensure that Montana's land and water resources provide benefits for present and future generations.

Both team effort and individual employee expertise are supported and sustained. The DNRC believes employees are their most important asset and empowers them to exercise professional judgment.

• We value and respect each other.
• We create collaborative work environments.
• We build and maintain strong relationships.

We celebrate our successes and take pride in our work.

Libby Unit represents the DNRC Forestry and Trust Land Management Division within its assigned areas in Lincoln County. Libby Unit conducts field activities and is responsible for all day‑to‑day operations of this Division within the geographical area. The Unit provides direct wildland fire suppression service for approximately 390,000 acres of state, private, and federal land, much of which is wildland residential interface.

The Unit assists the State/County Cooperative Fire Program in Lincoln County and aids the county and their rural fire departments as needed. Libby Unit manages and administers approximately 30,218 acres of state‑owned land, oversees forest‑product sales, forest‑improvement projects, commercial leases, residential leases, rights‑of‑way, grazing leases, and gravel pit development and sales, and manages recreational use. The Unit also administers the Good Neighbor Authority Program (GNA) for the state of Montana on the Kootenai National Forest.

This Fuels Management Specialist position is located at Libby Unit and is a crucial position that will provide leadership in the fire program and expertise to various other programs within Libby Unit. The position emphasizes prescribed fire and fuels management for the Libby Unit and the state of Montana. The incumbent plans, coordinates, and implements prescribed fire projects; develops burn plans and treatment prescriptions;

oversees smoke and fire effects monitoring; coordinates hazardous wildland fuels treatments on state, federal, and private land; and ensures compliance with applicable laws, policies, and interagency standards. The position also supports wildland fire suppression readiness and coordination, assists with Trust Land Management and Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) forestry tasks, performs administrative duties, and manages grants to support fuels projects. Additionally, the position may assist the Fire Management Officer (FMO) with supervision of seasonal staff when grant funding and FTE is available.

The incumbent serves as both an internal resource to DNRC personnel and to key DNRC partners in local, state, and federal government.

Serve as a principal subject matter expert and point of contact on the Libby Unit regarding fuels and prescribed fire management. Provide leadership and support for the unit and Land Office as well as interagency partners to ensure a sustainable prescribed fire and fuels management program. Assist the FMO with progress towards objectives of the Fire Protection Program Strategy and Division Initiatives.

Utilize prescribed fire and hazardous fuels removal treatments to assist in meeting the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy. Plan, coordinate, and implement fuels management across the Unit or the Northwest Land Office as directed.

Plan, coordinate, and implement forest improvement treatments including thinning, timber stand improvement, hazard and fuels reductions, prescribed fire preparation, and forest regeneration projects. Review and evaluate plans and proposals for technical accuracy and make recommendations to management on feasibility. Prepare technical written reports and negotiate access easements. Work within assigned budget and capital while ensuring goals are met.

Manage various grants and seek additional grants as directed. Apply for…