United States Department of the Interior

BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS
Washington, DC 20240

JAN 2 4 2029

Memorandum

To: All Regional Directors
Attention: Forestry & Wildland Fire Management
Regional Fire Management Officers
Unit Fire Management Officers

€
From: Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs iagih A Gt

Subject: FY2020 Administratively Determined, Emergency Firefighter Training

This memorandum informs 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 coursework. 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 AZA1 training code. The accounting string for FY2020 is as follows:

Fund: 20XA1125TR

Fund Center: Local Unit’s Fund Center
Functional Area: AF2001010.999900
WBS: AF.SPAZA10000.00000

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 for implementation 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 funding 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 or Joshua Simmons, Director, Fire Operations, (208) 387-5372,

joshua.simmons@bia.gov.