U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs Branch of Wildland Fire Management National Interagency Fire Center 3833 S. Development Ave

Managers & Human Resources Staff are Key to Outreach and Hiring Efforts In Indian Country, remote rural advertising materials, updating and What does HR staff do at these agencies are often challenged with printing IQCS master records, and events? A lot! limited access to computers or the working with tribal officials to internet. This limited access to prepare them for an increase in Before an event takes place, they technology often leads to routine, requests for Verification of Indian prepare all job announcements, forms hard-to-fill vacancies. In 2016 the Preference (Form BIA-4432). People and tools the planning team will need. BIA Branch of Wildland Fire also are assigned to manage the These include developing job listings Management invested $193,000 to registration process, xerox extra and printing of position specific hire four human resource assistants to handouts, assist HR staff to answer assessment questionnaires that will be address these challenges. basic questions, staff display tables used for an initial assessment of the promoting wildfire career applicant. It also helps applicants While numerous strategies are being opportunities, and of course, setting understand which jobs they best taken to address hiring challenges, up and breaking down tables and qualify for and where they are one successful approach that is chairs. located. becoming more common is hosting job outreach events. One of the most important planning requirements involves advertising the This year, with the critical assistance event. Mescalero Agency took the of HR staff, Navajo Region (Ft. approach to print nearly 1,300 fliers Defiance and Shiprock), Mescalero, to distribute in common community San Carlos and Crow Agencies areas and door to door in rural areas. hosted their first outreach events. By At San Carlos, public service documenting their process, successes announcements on the tribal radio and what not to do, HR staff is and newspaper helped. Both agencies sharing that knowledge with others. and tribes aggressively used Facebook to post “save the date,” March 2017 Job Fair with a San Carlos Apache Tribal Human Resources representative. event invites and other reminders to applicants to have them bring HR assistants provide onsite guidance required forms. In total, 80-90 in resume building, completing OPM applicants attended the Mescalero 1203-FX forms from the occupational Agency event while San Carlos had questionnaires, Motor Vehicle approximately 75 applicants at theirs. License & Driving Record forms and of course, the interpret qualification “We had a great turn out and received positive feedback from applicants and requirements listed in the vacancy community members. Some people announcements. Applicants line up to see a Human Resources said, “I hope this happens every year. Specialist at 2017 job fair in San Carlos, AZ. Others thought the event was a good BIA HR staff familiar with Federal thing for the community.” – Charles and Interagency Fire Program What makes a successful outreach Riley, Mescalero Agency Superintendent Management qualifications review event? Planning and teamwork! the documentation to ensure the applicant is positive to receive How much planning? After the date consideration for vacant position(s) is chosen, work starts 4-6 weeks in they’ve applied to. If computers fax, advance. A team leader calls a and scanners are available, HR staff planning meeting to identify also assists the applicant in timelines and assign responsibilities completing the online application to six to ten people (more individuals process. If computers are not may be needed for larger events). available, HR staff ensures a hard copy of the application package is Planning tasks include securing a safely transported to their central community location, creating Victoria Wesley provides an interview at local tribal radio station, San Carlos, AZ. Recruitment Center where the

Protecting Human Life | Restoring Cultural Landscapes | Supporting Indian Self Determination U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs Branch of Wildland Fire Management National Interagency Fire Center 3833 S. Development Ave application is manually processed. Hogstad, Billings HR Specialist, was “Thank you for making the effort to The San Carlos Apache Tribe and the critical in providing assistance. She reach out to the community and for San Carlos Agency partnered in San helped organize the event and making it personal for the Carlos with HR representatives to provided the specialized experienced applicants.” – Mescalero Tribal improve turnout at their outreach needed to ensure people were Leadership event. They chose to host the event completing and submitting all forms A special thanks the following during a week of fire school training correctly with their applications. individuals who went above and in order to reach a wider applicant beyond the call of duty to make each pool. Eighteen people attended the event event successful and for supporting and all successfully applied for the this work: The target was to hire 35 potential position. Coe Half and Leo Goes employees. San Carlos tribe Ahead, two crew members from the John Cervantes, David Garcia Jr., identified 26 vacancies while BIA helitack crew, answered questions Kevin Pellman, Aldon Coriz, had eight difficult-to-fill vacancies. and provided assistance. Nicholas Garcia, Sterling Bigmouth,

“Having staff familiar with the Velda Garcia, Deb Abeita, Toni process and how to obtain necessary Gachupin, Candace Chischilly, forms sets applicants and the agency Colton Herrera, Rhonda Hogstad, up for success. For the first time, we Ni’cole Macdonald, Sam Ware, had a deep applicant pool to select Charles Walks Slow, Marvin Dawes, from. We will defiantly be using this Katie Keller-Manuelito, Andy Quam, approach again.” - Colton Herrera, Dale Glenmore, Johnson Benallie, Crow Helicopter Manager Charles Smith, Benson Johnson, Carlos Nosie Jr., Duane Chapman, HR staff do much more than review Jere Classay, Dan Pitterle, Clark New Firefighters at San Carlos prepare to forms and ensure applications are Richins, Kathleen Livingston, complete applications during a 2017 job fair. correct and complete; they are Victoria Wesley, Berlinda Gilbert, teaching firefighters and new Donna Benallie, San Carlos Tribal Six HR staff from BIA and three HR supervisors how the hiring process HR Staff, Tribal Enrollment Staff, staff from the San Carlos Apache works. Geronimo IHC staff, and Tribe worked together to during the Superintendents Charles Riley, Irene event which gathered 75 applicants. One-on-one personal contact creates Herder, and Nona Tuchawena. BIA received certs for six positions meaningful exchanges with field while the tribe filled vacancies for managers and applicants. This If your agency wishes to host a job their hotshots, wildland fire module exchange helps them to internalize outreach event, get started by visiting and engines crews. the process and instills confidence for the online wildland fire job outreach the next time they need to host an toolbox to download how to guides, After experiencing several failed outreach event. It also strengthens an pre-planning checklists, brochures, attempts to fill a critical position on applicants’ knowledge and confident registration forms, public service Crow Agency’s helitack crew, HR so they are more apt to apply for announcements, template posters and staff stepped in to identify what the future BIA jobs. other tools: problems may be. www.bia.gov/nifc/jobs/JobFairs/index.htm. For high school The Agency learned people were students and other applying for the job, but were being young adults looking disqualified because they were for career missing key documentation such as opportunities, these their Indian Preference verification events encourage form or a copy of their Red Card. To new recruits who are address these issues, HR staff then pondering a career in provided onsite assistance. wildland fire

th management to get On April 6 the Crow Agency held involved! their first outreach event. Rhonda

Protecting Human Life | Restoring Cultural Landscapes | Supporting Indian Self Determination