United States Department of the

Interior

BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS

Washington, DC 20240

JAN 2 4 2020

Memorandum

To: All Regional Directors

Attention: Forestry & Wildland Fire Management 

Regional Fire Management Officers 

Unit Fire Management Officers

From: Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs

Subject: FY2020 Administratively Determined, Emergency Firefighter Training

This memorandum inform s Line Officers of updated Bureau of Indian Affairs policy regarding 

the employment of emergency firefighters using the Department of the Interior's AD hiring 

authority (DOI AD hiring authority).

Purpose: This direction will supersede previous memorandums regarding AD/EFF payment 

procedures. The DOI AD hiring authority has traditionally been used to augment national 

firefighting resources during national, regional fire and all-hazard emergencies when shortages in 

general schedule (GS) and tribal employees exist. The DOI AD hiring authority is used only for 

uncertain and temporary duration employment. The DOI AD hiring authority states that 

emergency firefighters (AD/EFF) will be hired to:

1. Cope with a sudden and unexpected emergency caused by a fire, or extreme fire potential, 

flood, storm, or any other all-hazard emergency that threatens damage to federally protected 

property, has the potential to cause loss of life, serious injury, public health risk, or damage 

to natural or cultural resources unless brought under immediate control.

2. Provide emergency assistance to States under formalized agreements and

3. Meet mission assignments issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency 

(FEMA.)

Policy/Action: In response to consistently increasing fire activity and the need of our Bureau to 

increase our potential workforce to manage fire on trust lands, combined with our commitment to 

provide assistance to both the interagency and international fire community, the Branch of Wildland 

Fire, Division of Forestry will now allow AD/EFF firefighters to attend, and be paid for up to 80 

hours of emergency incident training. This 80 hour annual training includes any necessary field 

training (field training is defined in the NWCG Standards for Course Instruction) and will not be 

limited to 100 and 200 level course work. Training AD/EFF's for advanced level qualifications is

authorized as long as it is non-repetitive in nature, is necessary to support
emergency-operations(as defined in the DOI AD pay plan) and does not exceed the 80-hour 

threshold of allowable annual training.

Regional offices will take an active role in the management of the AD/EFF training program. 

AD/EFF attendance at NWCG courses above the 300 level will require pre-approval from the 

regional office. Regional offices will pre-approve all AD/EFF instructors, when they are hired 

to instruct training courses. This is to ensure Regional Offices have complete management 

oversight of training needs and will facilitate in finding qualified GS/Tribal personnel to 

instruct or find nearby courses, sponsored by partnering agencies, prior to hiring AD 

instructors.

Appropriate payments for training will be charged to the National AD/EFF training account 

utilizing the AZAl training code. The accounting string for FY2020 is asfollows:

Fund: 20XA1125TR

Fund Center: Local Unit's Fund Center Functional Area: 

AF2001010.999900 WBS: AF.SPAZAl0000.00000

Oversight and management of the AD/EFF training program will be done at the Regional and 

Unit levels. AD/EFF fire personnel will not be allowed to participate in trainings that they have 

previously attended, unless they have lapsed in training currency and are thus mandated by the 

guidance set forth in the NWCG Standards for Wildland Fire Position Qualifications(310-1), the 

Incident Command and Qualifications System (IQCS) and through guidance provided in Chapter 

13 of the Interagency Standards for Fire and Fire Aviation Operations Guide (Red Book.) 

Regional/Unit level offices will be responsible for tracking AD/EFF training to ensure repetitive 

training is not occurring, and meets the Bureau standards for maintaining appropriate AD/EFF 

budgetary responsibility. It is highly recommended that the AD/EFF Training Program be part 

of the annual readiness review conducted at the unit level.

Continued use of the AD hiring authority will be evaluated on accountability and adherence to 

specific parameters forimplementation including:

• ensuring AD/EFF's are not attending/being paid for repetitive training

• ensuring when hiring instructors that GS and tribal instructors have been given first 

priority,

• ensuring AD training is being facilitated for the appropriate number of personnel that the 

unit/agency is actually in need of.

The AD pay plan is intended to be used as a last resort emergency hire authority, not as a 

mechanism for non-GS personnel to acquire 80 annual hours of pay with no intent to pass the 

Work Capacity Test/Medical Standards testing or to mobilize on assignments. Non-compliance 

of these parameters could result in discontinued ding for the responsible region. Every effort 

should be made to recruit, interview, and select appropriate AD/EFF personnel prior to 

completing required documentation for payment of pack testing and/or training. Completion of 

medical standards baseline and/or periodic exams and self-certification is a condition of hire and 

is not reimbursable under the AD hiring authority.
Further specifications and stipulations regarding AD/EFF hiring can be located in the current 

version of the Administratively Determined (AD) Pay Plan for Emergency Workers (Casuals.) 

Always cross- reference the DOI pay plan with specific Bureau policies which may further 

restrict some of the guidance provided in the DOI AD Pay Plan.

Timeframe: Effective immediately until rescinded.

Contacts: Garth Fisher, BWFM Management Training Specialist (208) 387-5315, 

garth.fisher@bia.gov orJoshua Simmons, Director, Fire Operations, (208) 387-5372, 

joshua.simmons@bia.gov.