THE ASSOCIATE DEPUTY SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR
WASHINGTON

* FEB 29 2008 .

Memorandum

To: Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs
Director, National Park Service
Director, Bureau of Land Management
Director, Fish and Wildlife Service

From: James E. Cason ene & Caw
Associate Deputy Secretary

Subject: — Interagency Fire Program Management Qualification Standards and Guide —
Implementation Responsibilities and Consequences

The implementation of the Interagency Fire Program Management Qualification Standards and
Guide on October 1, 2004, required many of your employees who occupy key fire management
positions to obtain specific qualifications prior to October 1, 2009. It is management’s intent to
ensure that every employee currently occupying an IFPM position has the opportunity to meet
the minimum qualification standards by that date. It is critical that agency administrators,
supervisors, and employees fulfill their responsibilities under IFPM.

To date, the four fire Bureaus have made excellent progress.

1. Employees have submitted their necessary Incumbent Declarations to their Human
Resources Offices. Based on the IFPM Implementation Plan, this was accomplished by
February 15, 2005.

2. The HR Staff has made qualifications determinations based on these submissions and has
sent letters to employees notifying them of their status. Once again, based on the IFPM
Implementation Plan, HR determined qualifications by March 15, 2005.

3. Employees who do not meet IFPM requirements were then required to sign agreements,
cosigned by their supervisors, which outline their respective roles in the attainment of
qualifications. In this agreement, employees were informed of the consequences if they
did not meet the IFPM requirements by the deadline. According to the IFPM
Implementation Plan, this was completed no later than June 30, 2005.

Less than 2 years are left in the implementation phase, and employees and their supervisors must
be diligent in the execution of their roles in meeting the minimum qualification standards prior to
the deadline. Maintaining the level of success we have already experienced has required support
from many levels in our organization.


With the development of the IFPM Implementation Plan, responsibilities were enumerated for
key individuals. The following is a list of those duties that employees and management are
accountable for.

1. Bureau Fire Directors: Bureau Fire Directors must ensure fire management personnel
develop and maintain fire management job qualifications in accordance with the current
policy. The Bureau Fire Directors and Fire Management Officers must positively know
which employees in their organization are affected by IFPM. Note which employees in
your organization currently meet the IFPM requirements, and which do not.

2. Supervisors: The supervisor is responsible for creating an Individual Development Plan
with input from the employee; assisting the employee in locating opportunities for
education, training, and specialized experiences as identified in the IDP; monitoring the
employee’s progress; providing opportunities for completion of the National Wildfire
Coordinating Group Incident Management Qualifications, as applicable; providing the
employee a flexible work schedule for education and training as mission needs dictate;
and providing funds, when available, to pay for education and training. The supervisor
meets with the employee regularly; at a minimum, every 6 months. He communicates his
intent to the employee effectively by clearly outlining your expectations of the employee
towards meeting IFPM requirements.

3. Employees: The employee is responsible for providing the supervisor with input for the
IDP; assisting the supervisor in locating opportunities for education, specialized
experience, and training as identified in the IDP; completing the education, specialized
experience, and training as identified in the [DP by October 1, 2009; participating in
opportunities for completion of NWCG Incident Management Qualifications, as
applicable; and keeping the supervisor informed of progress and any problems
encountered in completing IFPM requirements.

Employees may be reassigned to another position, reduced in grade or removed from Federal
service if they do not meet IFPM minimum qualification standards by October 1, 2009. As
stated earlier, it is the manager’s responsibility to provide opportunities for each incumbent
employee to meet the standards by the deadline. Despite these efforts, it is possible that some
employees may not obtain the necessary IFPM requirements by the implementation deadline.
Managers must be prepared to handle these difficult situations when they occur.

Noncompetitive reassignment is not a guarantee. It is contingent upon the availability of a
vacant position in a comparable job series for which the employee’s qualifications are a good fit.
The reassignment may require a permanent relocation of the duty station of the employee and
may also result in the loss of special firefighter retirement benefits.

As we get closer to the IFPM Implementation deadline of October 1, 2009, managers should be
very careful selecting applicants who do not meet the IFPM requirements at the time of hire.
Prior to October 1, 2009, applicants need only meet OPM requirements for the IFPM vacancy.
They are not required to meet NWCG qualifications or any additional required training prior to


appointment. Selectees who do not meet the NWCG or additional required training requirements
must sign a condition of employment letter prior to assuming their position. This letter will state
that the individual understands the importance of meeting all of the IFPM requirements in order
to remain in their covered position after October 1, 2009. Temporary or seasonal employees are
not required to sign a condition of employment letter through September 30, 2008. Beginning on
October 1, 2008, all temporary and seasonal employees must sign a condition of employment
letter documenting the consequences of not meeting the IFPM requirements by October 1, 2009.

Selecting officials should consult with their HR office, Regional Fire Management Staff, or
IFPM implementation leaders for advice when considering the selection of an applicant who
does not currently meet the IFPM requirements. For additional questions related to IFPM
implementation, please contact your Bureau IFPM Implementation Lead or Michael Ballew in
the Department of the Interior’s Office of Human Resources. Mr. Ballew can be contacted on
202-513-0755 or by email at <Michael_Ballew@ios.doi.gov>.

ce:

Deputy Secretary

Chief of Staff

Deputy Assistant Secretary — Business Management and Wildland Fire

Director, Office of Wildland Fire Coordination

Director, Fire Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs

Assistant Director, Fire and Aviation Management, Bureau of Land Management
Chief, Branch of Fire Management, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Division Chief, Fire and Aviation Management, National Park Service

Director, Fire and Aviation Management, USDA, U. S. Forest Service