FAQ's > General

What is the Interagency Fire Program Management Qualifications Standards and Guide?

The IFPM Standard identifies fourteen (14) key fire management positions, common to the fire federal wildland fire management agencies that affect employee safety. The Guide establishes “Minimum Qualification Standards” and competencies for each of the 14 positions. Before an employee may be assigned to any of these positions, they must first meet the “Minimum Qualification Standards” for that position.

Why are we doing this?

The IFPM Standard is being implemented as a result of the South Canyon Investigation; the Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy and Program Review, 12/1995; and the Wildland Fire Safety Awareness Study, completed by the Tridata Corportation. These reports directed the federal agencies to establish minimum qualification standards for key fire management positions.

What positions are affected the by the IFPM Standard?

The 14 key positions identified in the IFPM Standard are:

Interagency Hotshot Crew Superintendent (technical)
Helicopter Manager (technical)
Senior Firefighter (technical)
Engine Module Supervisor (technical)
Supervisory Fire Engine Operator (technical)
Initial Attack Dispatcher (technical)
Wildland Fire Operations Specialist (professional or technical)
Prescribed Fire & Fuels Specialist (professional or technical)
Prevention and Education Specialist (professional or technical)
Initial Attack Lead Dispatcher/Asst Center Manager (technical)
Center Manager (professional or technical)
Unit Fire Program Manager (professional)
Geographic Area Fire Program Manager (professional)
National Fire Program Manager (professional)

What does Unit refer to?

See the Glossary of terms for a definition.

Once it has been determined that my position meets one of the 14 key positions, what steps do I take?

Refer to the IPFM Implementation Plan at http://www.nifc.gov/training_quals/IFPM/ifpm.htm

Your immediate supervisor should be able to provide you with guidance. You may need to contact the Human Resources Office for additional advice.

Is my job in danger?

IFPM Standard is not a threat to your job. It is designed as a developmental tool to provide guidance in meeting the Minimum Qualification Standards required for the 14 key fire management positions identified in the IFPM Standard

Does my Agency/Bureau have to pay for the costs to make me qualified for the IFPM?

Not unless you are currently employed in one of the positions affected. There may be programs that your Agency/Bureau offers, however that can assist with costs. Some of the Agency courses (e.g., NWCG) that you would normally take to perform your current job MAY count toward the IFPM Standard.

I have been doing my job in a satisfactory manner for many years, why now am I suddenly not qualified to do my job?

Expectations of people in fire management positions have evolved. We are expected to perform in interdisciplinary teams, where landscape management plans are developed to include fire as a tool in maintaining and restoring our ecosystems. We are expected to collaborate and communicate with interagency and local cooperators. In addition, accountability for the safety and welfare of our employees is at an all time high. The changes you see in the IFPM ensure that individuals in these positions have the tools they need to meet those expectations.

Is my position going to be converted to the GS-401 professional series?

All positions at the GS-11 level and above that have been identified as professional in the IFPM Standard will be converted to the GS-401 series. For those positions that have been identified as either Technical or Professional, conversion to the GS-401 series will depend on the complexity analysis of the unit fire program.

How do I know if I meet the GS-0401 Fire Management Specialist Supplemental Standards?

Managers will be required to submit information to the Human Resources office identifying positions and employees affected by the IFPM. At that time, employees whose positions are identified as a key fire management position, must be given a self-assessment form to complete by the manager. That form will be sent to the Human Resources Office for review. Once a determination is made on qualifications, employees will be notified as to whether they are qualified or not qualified.

If you are seeking information for developmental purposes, you may do a self analysis which will provide you with baseline information. There is a self-help auditing tool available at http://http://www.nifc.gov/training_quals/IFPM/ifpm.htm

If I meet the IFPM Qualification Standard for a GS-0401 position, will I qualify for the same positions in another agency?

Yes, you should qualify for the same position at the same grade.

What if my position is already classified as GS-401 professional, do I have to meet the Minimum Qualification Standards?

Yes, if your position is one of the 14 key positions identified in the IFPM Standard as professional, or if it has been determined by your Agency that your position directly correlates to one of the 14 key positions identified as professional.

How long do I have to meet the 401 criteria?

All employees currently assigned to or whose current positions are being changed to the 401 series must meet the 401 qualification requirementsby October 1, 2009.

What happens if I do not meet the IFPM criteria by the deadline?

You will be subject to removal from your current position and may be placed into another position if one is available. Every attempt will be made to place you into another position.

If a key fire management position requires arduous duty due to the need to be current in the required NWCG qualification, shouldn't the position be covered as primary under the firefighter retirement?

Arduous duty in and of itself does not make a position primary under the firefighter retirement. Retirement coverage is based on the type of work performed and the percentage of time the work is performed. This information is contained in the description of duties in the position description. The key fire management position descriptions were reviewed and determination of coverage was made by the Departments’ Firefighter and Law Enforcement Retirement Team.

If an employee is removed from their position because they do not meet the GS-0401 series, will the employee be able to maintain their firefighter retirement?

This would depend on whether or not the employee is reassigned to a position that has primary or secondary retirement coverage. If the position has no primary or secondary coverage then the employee would not be able to maintain the firefighter retirement coverage.

If I am going to retire within 5 years, do I need to worry about the IFPM?

Anticipated retirement has no impact on the requirement to meet IFPM qualifications.

If I am currently in the GS-460 series, can I transfer over to the GS-401 series without additional education?

Yes. In order for you to have qualified for the GS-0460 series, you had to meet the positive education requirements. Howver, you must also meet the specialized experience, NWCG Incident Management Qualifications and additional required training.

Will my organization be hiring people who have just graduated from college with a 4-year degree for upper level fire management positions?

In order to be considered for upper level fire management positions (GS0401 FIRE MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST), not only will an individual need to meet the basic requirement, they would also need to meet the required NWCG training and any additional required training as reflected for the position as outlined in the IFPM Standard.

What effect will the implementation of the IFPM Standard have on my career?

There will be no impact, unless you chose to not develop yourself to advance into GS-0401 Fire Management Specialist positions. If this is your choice, you will lose opportunities to advance into Fire Management Specialist positions.

Is my old copy of the IFPM Qualifications and Guide outdated?

Yes, please throw out all old copies as changes have been made that you may not have. The most recent version can be found at: ifpm.nifc.gov/implementation/GS0401.htm.

Why didn't the Wildland Fire Management organization get their own Job Series from OPM?

Originally, that was requested by the National Fire & Aviation Executive Board (NFAEB). The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is in the process of streamlining their operations and would not consider this request. The GS-0401 FIRE MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST supplemental standard was selected for the broad and flexible use it provides. Other series are far more constricting, such as the GS-0460.

To qualify for the GS-0401 FIRE MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST series, can Fire use my administration education/experience for leadership and administrative (Budget, HR, etc) as I use it in my everyday work?

No. The coursework/experience must be related to the examples in the OPM Supplemental Qualifications Standard for the GS-0401 Fire Management Specialist. This document can be viewed at http://www.nifc.gov/training_quals/IFPM/ifpm.htm