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SUPPLEMENTAL QUALIFICATION STANDARD FOR THE 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FOREST SERVICE AND THE 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

GS-0401 FIRE MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST 

 

This document supplements the requirements outlined in the Qualification Standards for General 

Schedule Positions Operating Manual published by the U. S. Office of Personnel Management and 

must be used in conjunction with those requirements. Additional or clarifying information can be 

obtained from the Operating Manual. 

 Basic Requirements: 

 

A. Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resources management, or related discipline 

appropriate to the position being filled. 

 

-OR- 

 

B. Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in biological sciences, 

agriculture or natural resources management, or at least 24 semester hours in biological sciences, 

natural resources, wildland fire management, forestry, or agriculture equivalent to a major field of 

study, plus appropriate experience or additional education that is comparable to that normally 

acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in the biological 

sciences, agriculture, or natural resources. 

 

Applicants who meet the criteria for Superior Academic Achievement qualify for 

positions at the GS-7 level. 

 

Specialized Experience: 

For positions at GS-7 and above, one year of specialized experience at the next lower grade level is 

required in addition to meeting the basic requirements. 

For GS-7: Experience that demonstrated an understanding of fire behavior relative to fuels, 

weather, and topography and how fire affects natural and cultural resources. Typical assignments 

include: 
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• Participating in implementing prescribed fire or fire use plans to ensure resource objectives 

can be met from a fire management standpoint. 

• Developing initial attack incident management strategies and tactics to meet the stated 

resource objectives. 

 For GS-9: Experience in at least two of the following three categories: 

 

1. Experience that demonstrated understanding of fire effects on cultural and natural resources. 

The assignments must have shown participation in activities such as: 

• Developing fire management plans to ensure resource objectives can be met from a fire 

management standpoint; or 

• Conducting field inspections before and/or after prescribed fires or wildland fires to 

determine if defined resource objectives have been met. 

2. Prescribed fire/fuels management - experience in activities such as: 

• Professional forest or range inventory methods and procedures (e.g., Brown's planar 

intercept for dead and down fuels; live fuel loading assessments), or 

• Analysis of fuel loadings and determination of appropriate fuel treatment methods and 

programming, or 

• Evaluating prescribed fire plans or fire management plans to ensure fire containment is 

possible and identify appropriate suppression contingencies if containment is not obtained. 

 3. Fire management operations - analyzing and applying fire management strategies, plus 

experience in at least four of the following activities: 

• Mobilization and dispatch coordination 

• Fire prevention 

• Training 

• Logistics 

• Equipment development and deployment 

• Fire communications systems 

• Suppression and preparedness 

 

For GS-11 and above: Experience must have included all of the fire program management 

elements as described below: 

• Reviewing and evaluating fire management plans for ecological soundness and technical 

adequacy; 

• Conducting field inspections before and after prescribed or wildland fires to determine if 

resource objectives were achieved and/or to evaluate the effectiveness of actions taken; and 

• Developing analyses on the ecological role of fire and its use and/or exclusion, and smoke 

management. 
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In addition to fire program management, appropriate experience must have included either 

prescribed fire/fuels management - OR - fire management operations as described below: 

Prescribed fire/fuels management - experience in a broad range of activities such as: 

• Professional forest or range inventory methods and procedures (e.g., Brown's planar

intercept for dead and down fuels; live fuel loading assessments); 

• Analysis of fuel loadings and determination of appropriate fuel treatment methods and 

programming; 

• Land use planning and environmental coordination; 

• Evaluation of prescribed burn plans or fire management plans to ensure fire containment is 

possible and identification of appropriate suppression contingencies if containment is not 

obtained. 

 

Fire management operations - analyzing and applying fire management strategies, plus experience 

in at least five of the following activities: 

• Mobilization and dispatch coordination 

• Fire prevention and education 

• Training 

• Logistics 

• Equipment development and deployment 

• Fire communication systems 

• Suppression and preparedness 

• Aviation 

 

Medical and Physical Requirements 

Medical and physical requirements must be met for positions that have duties that are of an arduous 

or hazardous nature.
Supplemental Qualifications Standards, GS-401 Fire Management Specialist 

Attachment 1

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Policy Interpretation of the Supplemental Qualification Standard for the GS-0401 Fire 

Management Specialist

This is to be used in conjunction with the GS-0401 Fire Management Specialist Standard. 

Basic Requirements: 

A. Education: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college 

or university leading to a bachelor’s or higher degree in biological sciences, agriculture, 

natural resource management, or related discipline appropriate to the position being filled. 

The following majors are creditable: 

1. Disciplines identified in the 400 Professional and Scientific Series Standard for General 

Biological Science/Natural Sciences: 

Agriculture Agricultural Extension 

Agronomy Animal Science 

Biochemistry Biological Sciences (General) 

Biometrics (includes Applied Forestry*) Botany 

Ecology Entomology 

Fishery Biology (includes marine/aquatic) Forestry 

General Fish & Wildlife Administration Genetics 

Horticulture Microbiology 

Natural Resources Management Pharmacology 

Physiology Plant Pathology 

Plant Physiology Plant Protection & Quarantine 

Rangeland Management Soil Conservation 

Soil Science Toxicology 

Wildlife Biology Wildlife Refuge Management 

Zoology 

2. Natural Resource related disciplines as determined by Fire Management subject matter experts 

to meet the Natural Science Group GS-400 

Chemistry Earth Sciences 

Environmental Sciences** Geology 

Hydrology Meteorology 

Outdoor Recreation*** Physical Geography* 

Physics Watershed Management 

Fire Management/Fire Science 

A graduate degree in any of the disciplines listed above will meet basic qualifications regardless of 

the undergraduate degree (a bachelor’s degree in English, for example). 

* GIS is creditable when identified as Biometrics/Applied Forestry/Natural Resources e.g. FOR 

xxx, Survey of GIS in Nat. Resources; GEOG xxx Hydrologic Appl. of GIS & Remote Sensing; 
Supplemental Qualifications Standards, GS-401 Fire Management Specialist 

Attachment 1

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NR xxx Adv. GIS Appl. in Fire Ecology & Mgmt. It is not creditable if the course is designated as 

part of a discipline not listed above (e.g. Computer Science course CS-xxx, Inter Arcview). 

**An Environmental Science degree does not equate to an environmental or natural resources 

policy degree. 

***Natural Resources emphasis 

Page 1 Notes for reference: 

A.1. All disciplines in A.1 above were obtained from series listed in the Biological Sciences, GS400 or within an individual occupational series. For example, natural resources management was 

taken from the GS-480, Fish and Wildlife Administration Series, and GS-454-Rangeland 

Management Series. 

Subject matter experts from the five wildland firefighting agencies developed A.2. Related 

Disciplines. Physical sciences are mentioned throughout the individual occupational series for the 

400 family. In the draft Job Family Standard for Professional Work in the Natural Sciences Group, 

GS-0400, the term “natural resources” is defined as “all the things in our physical environment that 

we use to meet our needs and wants.” It also quotes: “The most commonly thought of natural 

resources are metals and nonmetals, energy sources, water, land, food, wild plants and animals, and 

soils. Work in natural resources sciences spans a broad range of disciplines and specialty areas. 

Some natural resource scientists are engaged in broad research and development activities that, 

taken singly, would be classifiable to: 

 A specific professional biological or agricultural science within the GS—0400 job family’ or 

 A closely related science in another job family (e.g. physics).” 

A.2. Individual Occupational Series: 

 401 includes chemistry 

 470 includes physical and earth sciences 

 480 includes chemistry 

B. Combination of Education and Experience 

1. Education Equivalent: The OPM Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions, 

Group Coverage Qualification Standards for Professional and Scientific Positions, requires that an 

applicant possess a core of educational credit. This course work plus additional education and/or 

experience meets the qualifications for a GS-401 under paragraph B of the individual occupational 

requirements. 

a. College/University: Universities regularly credit continuing education coursework even when 

the student is not enrolled in a degree program. These courses go through the same strenuous 

curriculum review as general coursework. The following criteria will be used to determine 

eligibility for all college/university credits: 

1. The course is from an accredited University. To verify a particular school’s accreditation 

status go to www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation
Supplemental Qualifications Standards, GS-401 Fire Management Specialist 

Attachment 1

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AND 

2. The course is offered in a discipline as identified in A. under Basic Requirements. It is the 

responsibility of the college/university to determine the discipline; the Human Resources Staff will 

credit all courses on a transcript (or equivalent documentation) in disciplines defined in A. toward 

the GS-0401 Fire Management Specialist series. 

 Examples, as creditable: 

 

 Course # Course Title (Discipline) 

 ENVS xxx Environmental Hydrology (Environmental Science) 

 Soil xxx Soil & Env. Physics (Soil Science) 

 FOR xxx Env. Conservation (Forestry) 

 WFSC xxx Wildlife and Changing Environment (Wildlife Science) 

 FW xxx Survey of GIS in Nat. Resources (Fish & Wildlife) 

 GEOG xxx Decision-making NR Mgt. (Geography) 

 F xxx Decision Methods for Fire Managers (Forestry) 

 FOR xxx Professional Writing for Natural Resources Sciences 

(Forestry emphasis) 

 

 Examples, not creditable: 

 Course # Course Title (Discipline) 

 POS xxx Environmental Policy (Political Science) 

 SOC xxx Environment & Society (Sociology) 

 HIST xxx American Env. History (History) 

 STAT xxx Data Analysis & Regression (Statistics) 

 ECON xxx Natural Resources Economics (Economics) 

 ENG xxx Professional Writing for Natural Resources Sciences 

(English emphasis) 

NOTE: Generally, the course number includes the Department (discipline) for which the course was developed 

and whether the course is upper or lower division. A minimum of 18 semester hours must be in upper level course 

work. Upper level courses are normally numbered 300 or 400, or begin with a C or D. 

 

 AND 

3. Documentation verifying the coursework was completed and met accreditation and 

discipline (items B.1.a.1, B.1.a.2 above). The OPM Operating Manual for Qualification 

Standards for General Schedule Positions, General Policies and Instructions, Part E.4 

describes proof as: an official transcript; statement from the institution’s registrar, dean, or 

other appropriate official; or equivalent documentation. 

 

b. Other Education Creditable (Agency): Other Education creditable can be found in Attachment 3 

of the Supplemental Qualification Standard for the GS-0401 Fire Management Specialist. 
Supplemental Qualifications Standards, GS-401 Fire Management Specialist 

Attachment 1

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NOTE: Agency “modules” listed in Attachment 3 of the Supplemental Qualification 

Standard for the GS-0401 Fire Management Specialist are creditable college courses. 

Employees are not required to pay for credits to be credited toward 401 qualifications. 

However, proper proof must be submitted. 

2. Specialized Experience

Specialized experience is well defined in the Supplemental Qualifications Standard for the GS0401 Fire Management Specialist. It is not required that this work be performed under the 

supervision of a professional employee, only that the work experience meets the definition required 

of this Standard. 

If an employee or applicant has been performing the work described in the Supplemental 

Qualifications Standard, it is creditable even if that work was performed in a technical or 

administrative fire position. 

For additional information on crediting experience, refer to OPM Qualifications Standards for 

General Schedule Positions, General Policies and Instructions, Part E.3(d) – (m).
Supplemental Qualifications Standards, GS-401 Fire Management Specialist 

Attachment 2

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Application of Education and Specialized Experience 

Creditable Education

Education, to be creditable toward the 24-semester hour requirement, must meet the requirements 

of the Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions Operating Manual, published by the 

U. S. Office of Personnel Management. The nature and quality of the education must have been 

such that it would serve as a prerequisite for more advanced study (graduate level or professional 

education). 

 The education must meet one of the following: 

 

1. Conventional - Obtained from a college or university, applicable school within the college 

or university, or applicable curriculum at the college or university that has been properly 

accredited. 

 

2. Other education - Education obtained from other than an accredited institute of higher 

learning, such as National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWGC) courses listed in Enclosure 3. 

 

3. Credits from the USDA Graduate School, or equivalent. Only courses in biological 

sciences, natural resources, wildland fire management, forestry, or agricultural coursework are 

creditable towards the 24 semester hours equivalent to a major field of study. 

Education Equivalent to a Major Field of Study (24 semester hours) 

The 24 semester hours must be obtained in biological sciences, natural resources, wildland fire 

management, forestry, or agriculture course work. Educational course work must include at least 

18 semester hours of upper division (junior/senior) course work. Course titles and numbers may 

help determine whether a given course is upper or lower division. For example, courses numbered 

100 or 200, beginning with A or B, or entitled “An Introduction To”, are almost always lower 

division courses. Conversely, courses numbered 300 or 400, or beginning with C or D are usually 

upper division courses. You can also refer to college course catalogs or consult with college 

advisors or officials to help you to determine the appropriate level of courses. 

Attachment 3 is a list wildland fire courses, which may also be applied to this requirement. 

Additional Education 

In addition to courses in the major and related fields, a typical college degree would have included 

courses that involved analysis, written and verbal communication, critical thinking, planning 

research, etc. Therefore, creditable experience should have demonstrated similar skills and 

abilities. 
Supplemental Qualifications Standards, GS-401 Fire Management Specialist 

Attachment 2

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The quality of the combination of education and experience must be sufficient to demonstrate that 

the applicant possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the 

occupation and is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 

4-year course of study in the fields listed in section A or B of the Basic Requirements. 

Appropriate Experience to Meet Basic Requirements 

An example of appropriate experience which would be comparable to the required college 

coursework may be that of a technician, at the GS-7 grade level or above, who is working under the 

supervision of a professional employee and is performing duties equivalent to an entry-level 

professional employee, in the field of biological sciences, agriculture, natural resources 

management, or fire management. 

Examples (Section “B” of Basic Requirements) 

In accordance with direction in the Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions 

Operating Manual, 30 semester hours (or 45 quarter hours) is comparable to one year of college 

and can be substituted for one year of experience. 

 Example 1: 

An applicant has 60 semester hours of creditable education, which includes the required 24 

semester hours equivalent to a major field of study, (of which at least 18 are upper division). 

The applicant still must have 2 years of appropriate experience to meet the basic requirements. 

This combination equals 100%. 

 Example 2: 

An applicant has only the 24 semester hours of creditable education, which includes the 

required 24 semester hours equivalent to a major field of study, (of which at least 18 are upper 

division). The applicant still must have 3 years, 2 1\2 months of appropriate experience to meet 

the basic requirements. This combination equals 100%. 

 Example 3: 

An applicant has 24 semester hours of creditable general education from a local university and 

24 semester hours of NWCG coursework, (of which at least 18 of are upper division). This 

applicant will be credited with a total of 48 semester hours of education. The applicant still 

must have 2 years, 5 months of appropriate experience to meet the basic requirements. This 

combination equals 100%. 

Example 4: 

An applicant has earned an Associate Degree in Fire Science Management, and has taken other 

coursework which together totals 75 semester hours of education. However, he/she has only 

earned 10 semesters hours of upper division credit. In addition, the applicant has 3 years of 
Supplemental Qualifications Standards, GS-401 Fire Management Specialist 

Attachment 2

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appropriate experience. The applicant is still short 8 semester hours of upper level coursework; 

thus would not meet the basic requirements. 

Note: In any case where NWCG coursework duplicates college or university coursework, 

duplicate credits cannot be granted. 

Specialized Experience 

According to the Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions Operating Manual, onegrade interval experience may be qualifying for two-grade interval positions, provided that the 

experience demonstrated the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities required to perform the work 

successfully. This is true for either lateral or promotion actions. The basic requirements for the 

type and level of experience and/or education apply to all applicants, whether their experience has 

been in the same occupation as the position being filled or in related occupational field. Since twograde interval positions may differ significantly in the nature of the work, it is important that 

applicants be evaluated on the “knowledge required to perform the work.”
Supplemental Qualifications Standards, GS-40

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GS-401 Fire Management Specialist

Other Education Creditable Towards 24 Semester Hours Requirement 

The following list contains other education creditable towards the 24 semester hour requirement. This list contains two categories of c

below: A. Agency Courses: 

These courses contain content developed and controlled by an NWCG member agency. The agency provides instructors for th

contractors to teach them through agreements. They are sponsored and hosted by one of the member agencies. Attendance an

of these courses will be validated by one of two acceptable documents; either an IQCS Employee Master Record report (RepoCourse Completion Certificate signed by the course lead instructor. 

B. Agency Courses That May Be Creditable Through a College or University: 

These courses contain content developed or endorsed by an NWCG member agency. An agency or university provides instrucmay use contractors to teach them through agreements. They are sponsored or hosted by one or more of the member agenciesoffered for these courses through a college or university but the course was developed with significant input by one or more fe

agreement with the college or university, students may purchase credits. However, the purchase of college credit is not necessevidence of completion can be produced. Acceptable formats validating course completion are as follows: 

1. College transcript showing completion of the course and the amount of credit awarded by the school. It s

courses are comprised of modules, for which each individual module can be awarded credits by the schoocollege transcript; 

OR, 

2. A course certificate or letter of completion for the course from the hosting entity, be it a federal agency, c

or college. 
Supplemental Qualifications Standards, GS-40

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A. Agency Courses: 

Agency Course 

Code Agency Course Title 

Sponsoring 

Agency 

M-580 Fire in Ecosystem Management NWCG 

FML Fire Management Leadership NWCG 

M-581 Fire Program Management NWCG 

LFML Local Fire Management Leadership NWCG 

NFMAS National Fire Management Analysis System NWCG 

RX-410 Smoke Management Techniques NWCG RX-510 Applied Fire Effects NWCG 

S-490 Advanced Wildland Fire Behavior Calculations NWCG S-491 Intermediate National Fire Danger Rating System NWCG S-492 Long Term Fire Risk Assessment NWCG S-493 FARSITE – Fire Area Simulator NWCG S-520 Advanced Incident Management NWCG S-580 Advanced Fire Use Applications NWCG S-590 Advanced Fire Behavior Interpretation The learning objectives contained in the now obsolete RX-590 Prescribed Fire Behavior are included in S-590. Anyone who took RX-590 receives credit for S-590. NWCG S-620 Area Command NWCG 

FI-210 Wildland Fire Origin & Cause Determination NWCG 

RX-300 Prescribed Fire for Burn Bosses NWCG RX-310 Introduction to Fire Effects NWCG 

S-190/290 

Introduction to Fire Behavior and Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior (you must take both) 

NWCG 

S-390 Intro. to Wildland Fire Behavior Calculations 

The obsolete course known as Intermediate Fire Behavior, identified in IQCS as XS-390, has components of both the current S-290 and S-390. XS-390 is worth 1 Semester Hour. NWCG
Supplemental Qualifications Standards, GS-40

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B. Agency Courses That May Be Creditable Through a College or University: 

Course Code Course Title 

Sponsoring 

Agency 

TFM Module I – Math Fundamentals No Numeric Designator TFM Module II – Statistics F 489A - Numerical Analysis for Fire Managers TFM Module III – Economics F 489B - Economics and Management for Fire Specialists TFM Module IV – Fuels F 489C - Fuels and Fuel Management TFM Module V – Fire Ecology F 489D - Fire Effects TFM Module VI - Management F 489E - Fire and Land Management TFM Module VII – Final Project F 489F - Technical Fire Management Project 

Federal 

Agencies

CEEM Continuing Education in Ecosystem Management NR 6510 - Biophysical and Human Dimensions of Ecosystems CEEM Continuing Education in Ecosystem Management NR 6520 - Structure and Function of Ecological and Social Systems CEEM Continuing Education in Ecosystem Management NR-6530 - Integrated Inventory, Analysis and Assessment of Ecosystems CEEM Continuing Education in Ecosystem Management NR 6540 - Ecosystem Management Implementation 

Federal 

Agencies

CEFM Continuing Education in Fuels Management (NR6560 – Fire and Fuels Management) Federal Agencies 

IS Intensive Silviculture (NR6550 – Intensive Silviculture) Federal Agencies