Lead Wildland Fire Dispatcher

Wildland Fire Dispatcher-Lead Dispatcher, (WFD3)
Salary: $3,643.00 – $4,865.00 Monthly
Please Note: In addition to the salary range advertised, the incumbent will receive an additional 5% King County duty station pay.

Want to join something GREAT and make a difference?
As a Wildland Dispatcher, you will perform a critical role in emergency management by dispatching and tracking agency resources. You will complete additional tasks, such as fire detection, logistics, documentation, records management, and other wildfire-related support. This is your opportunity to join a fast-paced, high-functioning team, develop lasting relationships, and contribute to the safety and protection of our region’s residents and natural resources.

To be successful in this role, the selected individual will need to be:

• Service-oriented;
• Calm under pressure;
• Attentive to detail;
• Possess strong written and verbal communication skills.

Additionally, the person in this role will be required to learn and implement complex procedures and utilize technical programs necessary to dispatch, track, and document agency resources. They will use their sound judgment to make daily decisions that align with those procedures and support the overall mission to protect the health and safety of Washington’s lands.

Responsibilities:
This position activates an emergency response when life, property or natural resources are threatened due to wildfire.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Receive and prioritize communications from agency staff, 911 dispatch centers, and the general public via telephone and radio transmissions;
• Document, evaluate, and disseminate reports of wildland fire, smoke complaints, accidents/incidents, and all-risk incidents on DNR protected lands;
• Accurately document agency resource status and logistical availability in support of incident response or preparedness;
• In coordination with incident command staff, initiate the response to local incidents following agency protocols and guidelines;
• Provide vital in-flight data to aviation assets such as latitude and longitude of an incident, air-air and air-ground radio frequencies, ground contacts, and flight hazards or restrictions;
• Track aviation assets within the SPS Region while in transit through the region and during incident response;
• Additional clerical duties include tracking and documenting resource availability, resource or incident locations, weather forecasting, fire reporting and incident orders;
• Process daily fire weather information, intelligence and distribute to agency resources;
• Works with the Wildland Fire Management Division and the Northwest Coordination Center to dispatch local resources to support wildfires statewide, nationally, and internationally using the Interagency Resource Ordering Capability (IROC) system;
• Processes and completes Fire Reports and Burn Permits;
• Assist in maintaining, updating, and improving reference materials utilized in Mobilization Guides, databases, manuals, and handbooks which are instrumental in streamlining emergency responses;
• Serves as a mentor and provides invaluable leadership to seasonal staff.
• Leads the SPS Dispatch Center in the absence of senior management.

Required Qualifications: 

• High School diploma or GED equivalency.
• One season as a WFD2;
  OR an equivalent combination of experience and/or education.
• Competent in the basic use of Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook. Ability to learn new programs.
• Demonstrated experience with:
  • Effective and professional written and verbal communication
  • Project and task management
  • Record Keeping
  • Data analysis
• Ability to type 40 words per minute.
• Willingness to work in a high-pressure environment independently and as a team.
• Commitment to fostering and supporting an environment that honors diversity, equity, inclusion, and environmental justice practices.