GACC Meteorologist

Introduction

This position is located in an Interagency Coordination Center, which is the focal point for operational coordination of logistical support for fire and incident management for Federal and State agencies within the area to which assigned. The incumbent of this position performs a variety of duties, including collecting, analyzing, predicting and disseminating specific data and information on weather and its impact on fuels and fire potential in order to provide fire managers with the most up to date fire weather and fire potential information available.

Duties

• Evaluates the impact of current and predicted weather on fuel dryness and condition.
• Analyzes and evaluates weather and climate patterns to predict critical fire events and determines significant fire potential including location, time frame of occurrence, and severity/impact.
• Identifies and forecasts weather events that initiate fires or significantly impact the behavior of existing fires.
• Performs continuous fire weather monitoring and produces and disseminates standardized web based fire weather and fire potential products; e.g., the daily fire weather outlook, 7-day fire potential outlook, 30-day fire potential outlook, seasonal fire potential outlook.
• Implements wildland fire management decision tools to assist with:
  • Safety of the public and firefighting personnel and equipment.
  • Safety of public and private property.
  • Mobilization of firefighting resources, and protection of natural resources.
• Develops new tools and methodologies to predict wildland fire and its impacts.
• Prepares and maintains predictive services web sites for daily fire weather/fire potential briefings.
• Conducts a variety of interagency briefings the content of which facilitate determination of incident priorities, resource allocation and movements, preparedness level changes, and potential problem situations.
• Improves methods for dissemination of critical weather, fuels and fire information.
• Facilitates the instruction of firefighting personnel and the general public.

Position Knowledge and/or Requirements

• Thorough, extensive, specialized knowledge and experience of the theories and application of meteorology, including the dynamics of the atmosphere, meso-scale meteorology, and the application of computer methods of numerical weather analysis and prediction, and forecast situations or environment.
• Thorough knowledge of meteorological concepts, principles and practices pertaining to weather that relates to the wildland fire environment in order to provide expert, specialized products and advice.
• Comprehensive knowledge of operational policies, direction, and instructions used to support the production of real-time products in the fire weather program.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Thorough knowledge of weather related automated wed-based systems, such as ROMAN, WIMS, RAWS, and ASCADS.
• Requires past experience as an incident meteorologist, such as experience working in a fire meteorology and predictive service unit.
• Minimum of S390.

Supervisory Controls

The supervisor sets the overall objectives and resources available. In consultation, the supervisor and the incumbent develop the deadlines, projects, and work to be done.

The incumbent, having developed expertise through education and experience in meteorology, independently plans the manner in which assignments are to be carried out, and resolves most conflicts that arise, coordinating the work with others as necessary. The incumbent interprets policy issues on own initiative in terms of established objectives.

Completed work is reviewed only from an overall standpoint in terms of feasibility, compatibility with other work and/or effectiveness in meeting requirements or expected results.

Guidelines

Numerous guidelines are available, but have gaps in specificity.

The incumbent uses judgment in interpreting and adapting guidelines such as interagency and/or agency policies, regulations, precedents and work directions for application to specific problems. The incumbent analyzes results and recommends changes as deemed necessary.

Complexity

The work typically includes the performance of a wide variety of different and unrelated processes and methods characteristic of the science of meteorology. Decisions regarding what needs to be done include the assessment of unusual circumstances, variations in approach, and incomplete or conflicting data.

The work requires making many decisions concerning, for example, interpretation of considerable data, planning the work, or refinement of the methods and techniques to be used.

Scope and Effect

The work involves investigating and analyzing a variety of unusual conditions and problems.
The work products and services affect the design or operation of wildland firefighting strategies, movements, and accomplishments. The work affects the physical and economic well-being of people and equipment.

Personal Contacts

Contacts are national, regional, and local in scope and include various levels of management within the interagency wildland firefighting community.

Purpose Of Contacts

The purpose of these contacts is to exchange information, coordinate work efforts, plan and develop strategies, assess activities, provide professional advice and guidance, assist in establishing preparedness levels, discuss wildfire activity potential, clarify and negotiate standard procedures and directions.

Physical Demands

Duties primarily involve office type work with occasional field activity. Work is characterized primarily by light physical exertion.

Work Environment

The environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions typical of office type work. The incumbent may occasionally work in field conditions that may be considered hazardous.