FIRE ASSIGNMENTS - US Forest Service



Pay & Leave GuideFIRE ASSIGNMENTSSupervisor Training Guide Date: August 2018Created By: Lisa SwenkaPay PolicyPurposeThe purpose of this training is to discuss fire and coding your timesheet, overtime, night pay, OT w/night differential, hazard pay, earnings limitations, days off after a fire assignment, and to ensure supervisors are in compliance with laws, regulations, and Agency policy. We will focus on the most common pay and leave issues.?Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u FIRE ASSIGNMENTS PAGEREF _Toc522180994 \h 1OVERTIME PAGEREF _Toc522180995 \h 3TYPES OF OVERTIME PAGEREF _Toc522180996 \h 3OVERTIME REQUEST AND AUTHORIZATION PAGEREF _Toc522180997 \h 3DOCUMENTING REGULARLY SCHEDULED OVERTIME ON FIRES PAGEREF _Toc522180998 \h 5OVERTIME WITH NIGHT DIFFERENTIAL TIME-CODING EXAMPLES PAGEREF _Toc522180999 \h 8MEAL PERIODS PAGEREF _Toc522181000 \h 9DAYS OFF AFTER AN EMERGENCY INCIDENT ASSIGNMENT PAGEREF _Toc522181001 \h 11OTHER PAY PROVISIONS PAGEREF _Toc522181002 \h 11FLSA STATUS WHEN PERFORMING EMERGENCY WORK PAGEREF _Toc522181003 \h 11COMP AND CREDIT HOURS PAGEREF _Toc522181004 \h 12CALL-BACK OVERTIME PAGEREF _Toc522181005 \h 12STANDBY-DUTY STATUS PAGEREF _Toc522181006 \h 12LIMITATION ON PREMIUM PAY PAGEREF _Toc522181007 \h 12COMING BACK AS AN AD EMPLOYEE PAGEREF _Toc522181008 \h 13HAZARD PAY FOR GS EMPLOYEES PAGEREF _Toc522181009 \h 14DUTIES COVERED BY HAZARD PAY PAGEREF _Toc522181010 \h 15ENVIRONMENTAL DIFFERENTIAL FOR FWS EMPLOYEES PAGEREF _Toc522181011 \h 18ALL HOURS IN PAY STATUS PAGEREF _Toc522181012 \h 18ACTUAL EXPOSURE BASIS PAGEREF _Toc522181013 \h 18DUTIES COVERED BY ENVIRONMENTAL DIFFERENTIAL PAGEREF _Toc522181014 \h 18OVERTIMEAll Forest Service employees who are engaged in emergency wildland fire suppression activities receive an overtime rate at 1 ? times, regardless of grade. (5 U.S.C. 5542(a)(5))Exempt. Exempt employees have an additional requirement in Paycheck8 to receive an overtime rate at 1 ? times. Exempt employees code fire overtime on their timesheet with Prefix Code 11 and Transaction Code 21 (PC-11 TC-21).Nonexempt. Nonexempt employees always receive an overtime rate at 1 ? times so they code overtime as TC-21. Nonexempt employees may not code PC-11 TC-21 because they would be overpaid and billed for the overpayment.Fire Only. True overtime applies to fire only and exempt employees may not code PC-11 TC-21 to other emergency situations (hurricanes, mudslides, tornadoes, etc.).Q. My employee worked their regular shift (0800 to 1630) and then was dispatched for initial attack at 2000 and worked until 0500. I know they get OT from 2000 to 2400, but do they code 01-time beginning at midnight?No. Overtime doesn’t stop at midnight. If an employee was dispatched for initial attack and worked past midnight, the clock doesn’t start over at midnight just because you’re in a new day. If the employee continually worked from 2000 to 0500 then the entire time is overtime. TYPES OF OVERTIMEOvertime is either irregular or regularly scheduled.Regular Overtime. Regular overtime is overtime scheduled prior to the start of the administrative workweek (scheduled and approved before Sunday). Employees are compensated for every minute of regularly scheduled overtime work. Odd minutes are rounded up to the nearest full fraction of a quarter hour. (5 CFR 550.112(a)(1))Irregular or Occasional Overtime. Irregular or occasional overtime is overtime scheduled in the workweek that it is performed (not scheduled and approved before Sunday). Fifteen minutes is the largest fraction of an hour an agency may use for crediting such work. Odd minutes are rounded up or rounded down to the nearest full fraction of a quarter hour. (5 CFR 550.112(a)(2))OVERTIME REQUEST AND AUTHORIZATIONQ. Does overtime have to be documented?Yes. All overtime hours, including comp time, must be documented on Form FS-6100-30, Overtime Authorization (OTA) and signed by an official who has specifically been delegated authority to approve overtime (see FSM for delegation of authority).Q. How come I’ve never had to have an OTA when assigned to a fire? Form FS-6100-30 is not required to document “irregular or occasional overtime” when on emergency incident assignments. Irregular or occasional overtime hours may be documented on Form OF-288, Incident Time Report, or other timekeeping form approved by the incident. Irregular overtime hours include: overtime hours not scheduled before Sunday; voluntarily electing to work approved overtime hours after the workweek has begun; or irregular overtime hours that were not included in a signed and dated work schedule by the Incident Supervisory Official.?NIGHT PAYA GS employee who performs regularly scheduled work between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., including regularly scheduled overtime, is entitled to a night pay differential of 10% of their rate of basic pay. Q. Can I voluntarily elect to work at night and receive night pay?No. An employee must be regularly scheduled to work at night to receive night pay (scheduled and approved in advance of the administrative workweek). An employee may not receive night pay for voluntarily electing to work between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. (5 U.S.C. 5545 and 5 CFR 550.121(a)Q. How many hours of night pay can I earn?Unlike Sunday pay and holiday pay where an employee is limited to 8 hours, an employee receives night pay for all regularly scheduled hours worked from 1800 to 0600. Q. What if my supervisor makes me work at night in the middle of the workweek?If your supervisor assigns you to a different scheduled tour of duty in the middle of the workweek that includes night hours, then you are entitled to night pay.Q. How come I can receive night pay while on fire assignment?An employee is entitled to night pay when temporarily assigned during the administrative workweek to a daily tour of duty that includes night work. This temporary change is distinguished from a period of irregular or occasional overtime work in addition to the employee's regularly scheduled administrative workweek. (5 CFR 550.122(d))For example, an employee is on fire assignment and directed to work 0600 to 2000. The employee is entitled to night differential because they were directed by an Incident Official to work at night.On Saturday, the employee wakes up early and begins work at 5:30am. The employee may not claim night pay because the employee was scheduled to begin work at 0600 but voluntarily elected to begin work at 0530. The time from 0530 to 0600 is coded as TC-01. Q. What about overtime with night differential?OT w/night differential may only be claimed for “regularly scheduled” overtime hours worked at night. That means the OT hours at night must have been scheduled and approved on an OTA before Sunday in order to claim TC-25. If the OT hours at night are not regularly scheduled then they are coded as TC-21 only.Q. Can I claim OT w/Night Differential on Fire Assignment?Emergency situations are unpredictable and work schedules are continually adjusted to meet the needs of the operation; therefore, it would be unlikely that employees would receive a scheduled tour of duty and work those hours while on an emergency assignment. However, if an employee receives a scheduled tour of duty for the night shift and works those hours for the duration of the incident assignment then they receive OT w/night differential. The employee will have the burden of proof to provide documentation to support premium pay for audit purposes if they claim TC-25 while on emergency incident assignments. If an employee is audited and they do not have documentation to support TC-25 then they will be billed for the overpayment.DOCUMENTING REGULARLY SCHEDULED OVERTIME ON FIRESAn employee may only receive overtime with night differential (TC-25) for “regularly scheduled” overtime hours. This means the employee must receive a scheduled shift before Sunday, showing they are scheduled and approved to work overtime hours at night, and work those hours. The documentation must include:The employee’s name;The date they arrived at the Incident;The assigned tour of duty (e.g., 6am to 10pm for the next 14 days); andSigned and dated by the Section Chief or Incident Supervisor.For example, an employee is dispatched to Fire and given a check-in time for 0900 Thursday morning. The employee travels on Wednesday and reports to the fire camp on Thursday at 0900. Upon check in at camp, the Incident Supervisor assigns the employee to work a scheduled shift of 0600 to 2200 for the next 14 days. The scheduled tour of duty is specifically assigned to that employee, is documented in writing, is signed by the Incident Supervisor before Sunday, and the employee works those hours.The employee may not code TC-25 until Sunday (Thursday; Friday; and Saturday are coded as TC-21 only).Beginning Sunday, the employee is entitled to code TC-25 from 1800-2200. The employee may not code TC-25 before 1800 or after 2200. If the employee worked until 2300 then the additional hour of overtime is irregular and coded as TC-21 only.If an employee is told they will work 0600 to 2200 for the next 14 days but each day their schedule changes (today they are told to work 0900 to 2130, tomorrow they are told to work 0700 to 2000, and then the next day they’re sent home) then that is irregular OT and the employee would not be entitled to TC-25. If the employee is not given a scheduled tour of duty and they determine when they will work; for example, today they woke up early and worked 0500 to 2100; tomorrow they wake up late and work 0830 to 2330; the next day they work 0745 to 2230; etc., then that is irregular OT and the employee would not be entitled to TC-25.DOCUMENTING REGULARLY SCHEDULED OVERTIME ON EMERGENCY INCIDENT ASSIGNMENTSUse this form to document regularly scheduled overtime at night when on emergency incident assignments for audit purposes. An employee may only receive overtime with night differential (TC-25) for “regularly scheduled” overtime hours. This means the employee must receive a scheduled shift before Sunday, showing they are scheduled and approved to work overtime hours at night, and work those hours. For example, if an employee is told they will work 0600 to 2200 for the next 14 days, but each day their schedule changes (today they are told to work from 0730 to 1900, tomorrow they are told to work from 0930 to 2300, and then the next day they are sent home) then that is irregular overtime and the employee would not be entitled to code TC-25.The assigned work schedule is not a guarantee of hours.Incident needs will dictate actual hours worked.Incident Name:Employee Name:Date Assigned to the Incident:Assigned Tour of Duty (e.g., 0600-2200 for the next 14 days):Section Chief or Incident Supervisor’s Signature and DateOVERTIME WITH NIGHT DIFFERENTIAL TIME-CODING EXAMPLESEx. #1: Assigned to Work at NightsAn employee is dispatched to Fire and given a check-in time for 0900 Saturday morning. The employee travels on Friday and reports to the fire camp on Saturday at 0900. Upon check in at camp, the Incident Supervisor assigns the employee to work a scheduled shift of 0600 to 2200 for the next 14 days. The scheduled tour of duty is specifically assigned to that employee, is documented in writing, is signed by the Incident Supervisor before Sunday, and the employee works those hours.On Friday and Saturday, if the employee worked overtime at night, the hours would be coded as overtime only and cannot be coded as overtime with night differential (TC-25) because the overtime hours were not scheduled in advance of Sunday. Beginning Sunday, because the employee received an approved tour of duty before the beginning of the administrative workweek scheduling the employee to work 0600 to 2200, and the employee worked those hours, the overtime hours worked from 1800 to 2200 are regularly scheduled and are coded as overtime with night differential (TC-25). Ex. #2: Worked More Hours Than ScheduledAn employee is working on a 14-day Fire assignment and is scheduled 16-hour shifts to work from 0600 to 2200 each day (example 1). On Tuesday (the 4th day), the employee works until 2300.?The additional hour (from 2200 to 2300) is coded as overtime and cannot be coded as overtime with night differential (TC-25) because the additional hour was not regularly scheduled. On any day that the employee works more overtime hours at night than they were scheduled, including more overtime at night than scheduled on their day off, any additional hours are coded as overtime only.Ex. #3: Changed From One Fire Assignment to Another in the 1st Week of the Pay Period.Fire Assignment #1.An employee is working on a 14-day Fire assignment (example 1). On Wednesday (the 5th day), the employee is notified they are no longer needed there and is released on Thursday to travel to a different fire.Fire Assignment #2.The employee travels on Thursday and reports to a new fire camp for a Friday, 0800 check-in time. The Incident Supervisor assigns the employee to work a scheduled shift of 0800 to 2000 for the remainder of their fire assignment.?The scheduled tour of duty is specifically assigned to that employee, is documented in writing, is signed by the Incident Supervisor before Sunday, and the employee works those hours.Beginning on Thursday (the 6th day) and for the remainder of the week, all overtime hours worked at night are coded as overtime and not as overtime with night differential because the hours at the new fire were not assigned before the beginning of the administrative workweek.Beginning Sunday (the 9th day) and since the employee received a scheduled shift of 0800 to 2000, the overtime hours worked from 1800 to 2000 are coded as overtime with night differential (TC-25) because the hours were scheduled before the beginning of the administrative work week. Ex. #4: Changed From One Fire Assignment to Another in the 2nd Week of the Pay PeriodFire Assignment #1.An employee is working on a 14-day Fire assignment (example 1).?On Saturday (the 8th day), the employee is notified they are no longer needed there and is released on Sunday to travel to a different fire. Fire Assignment #2.The employee travels on Sunday and reports to the new fire camp for a Monday, 0800 check-in time.Beginning on the 9th day (Sunday), all overtime hours worked at night are coded as overtime and not overtime with night differential because those hours were not assigned before the beginning of the administrative workweek.MEAL PERIODSQ. Do I have to take a lunch break?Yes. USDA requires all employees to take a minimum 30-minute off duty unpaid meal break roughly halfway through their schedule on any day they work more than 6 hours. (Required lunch breaks are also stated in FSH 6109.11 and the Master Agreement)Q. If I worked more than 12 hours on fire assignment, do I have to take two 30-minute lunch breaks?No. However, an Incident Official can order you to take an additional lunch break due to safety concerns.Q. What if I worked through my lunch?If your supervisor ordered you to work during your scheduled meal period then you are compensated at the appropriate rate.Q. Can I make the call to work through my lunch?No. All employees are required to take an off-duty meal period. If your supervisor orders you to work through your meal period then you are paid for that time but you cannot voluntarily elect to work through your lunch and leave early.Q. What if I’m on initial attack and could never leave the fireline but the timekeeper deducted a ? hour because she said I had to code a lunch no matter what?If you were ordered by an Incident Official to remain on the fireline and not take a lunch because lives were in danger, then of course you are paid for that time because you were ordered to work and told not to take a lunch. This does not mean that you can make the call to work through your lunch because all employees are required to take an off-duty meal period. If you are on fire assignment and on the fireline, the following conditions must be met to authorize working through a meal period:The fire was not controlled;The Operations Section Chief decided that is was critical to the effort of controlling the fire that you had to remain at your post of duty and continue to work; andWorking through your meal period was approved by the supervisor at the next level and is documented on the CTR, SF-261.Q. An employee is at fire camp, sitting at a table eating his dinner, but is required to carry a radio and listen to calls while he’s eating dinner. Is he paid during this time?No. When an employee must carry a radio during a lunch break and is free to eat, the period is not automatically considered hours of work. The employee must be performing substantial duties during the meal period to be paid (B-179412). Since the employee has adequate facilities to eat and the break is largely uninterrupted, the time in not hours of duty and not compensable.Q. What if I’m traveling, do I have to show a lunch break?Yes. Even if you’re traveling you must show a meal break. If an employee is flying and stops to eat a meal then they need to account for the unpaid meal break on their timesheet. As long as adequate facilities exist to allow the employee to step away from their work and the break is largely uninterrupted, then the meal period is not paid and is not considered hours of work.However, if circumstances beyond the employee’s control prevented them from taking a meal break and they worked the entire time then they’re paid for that time. For example, if an employee is running to catch a flight because of a very short layover and they’re unable to stop at a fast-food restaurant to eat a meal then they would not show an unpaid meal break because they were unable to take a lunch. This is not a free pass not to show a meal period. Remember, all employees are required to take an unpaid meal break.Q. Can I drink a margarita during my lunch break?Just because you're off the clock and not being paid for time you spend at lunch doesn't mean the Forest Service can't hold you to certain standards and workplace policies concerning your behavior.Q. My employee went on a fire and forgot to submit their timesheet. Can I submit my employee’s timesheet and also approve it?No. Timesheets may not be submitted and approved by the same individual. Employees should grant access to their T&A to at least one other employee. However, if they don’t want to call the contact center and they will have someone from Pay submit the timesheet so you can approve it and ensure payment on the official pay date.DAYS OFF AFTER AN EMERGENCY INCIDENT ASSIGNMENTEmployees who have been assigned to an emergency incident may receive two days off after completion of a 14-day assignment. The days off must occur on the calendar days immediately following the return travel in order to be charged to the incident and must correspond to the employee’s normal workdays. Paid days off may not be authorized when the calendar days immediately following the return travel fall on the employee’s normal days off. Time is coded as TC-01 on the employee’s timesheet. Time may not be authorized as administrative leave (TC-66).If additional time off is needed to help alleviate stress or fatigue, other types of leave (annual leave, sick leave, credit, comp, or LWOP) are appropriate. Administrative leave may not be authorized for such purpose.Only the Regional Forester may grant additional time off (FSM 6100). The home unit does not have authority to grant additional days off.OTHER PAY PROVISIONSFLSA STATUS WHEN PERFORMING EMERGENCY WORKAn exempt employee’s Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) status is determined on a workweek basis when performing emergency work. An exempt employee remains exempt for each week the primary duties are defined as FLSA exempt and becomes nonexempt for each week the primary duties for the period of the emergency are defined as FLSA nonexempt. If you change your FLSA status in Paycheck8 to nonexempt then do not code fire overtime as PC-11 TC-21, otherwise, you will be overpaid (just how a nonexempt employee would be overpaid if they coded DC-11 TC-21).Nonexempt employees remain FLSA nonexempt regardless of the duties performed. COMP AND CREDIT HOURS An employee assigned to an emergency incident is ineligible to earn comp time off in-lieu of overtime pay or credit hours. Emergencies are fully funded and the cost of the operation must be reported each year. Therefore, comp time and credit may not be earned or charged to an emergency.?CALL-BACK OVERTIMECall-back overtime provisions do not apply when the employee works at an emergency incident.STANDBY-DUTY STATUSTime is not standby duty status or is not compensable when the employee spends time at their personal residence preparing to depart on a fire assignment or other emergency assignment or the employee is at an emergency incident camp and relieved of duties.LIMITATION ON PREMIUM PAYThere is a limit to how much premium pay an employee can receive in a pay period (no more than a GS-15 step 10). However, Forest Service employees are authorized to waive the biweekly limit and apply the annual limit instead when on fire assignment.Exempt. Exempt employees have an additional requirement in Paycheck8 to apply the annual limit instead of the biweekly limit. In Paycheck8, under Pay Options, change the RSEL Value field to “4-GS exceed earning limitations”. For the pay period upon return to the home unit, return the RSEL field back to its previous position.Nonexempt. The hourly overtime pay limitations do not apply to FLSA overtime pay for nonexempt employees or to Federal Wage System employees (WG; WL; or WS).Fire Only. The biweekly limit is waived for fire only and exempt employees may not change the RSEL field for other emergency situations (hurricanes, mudslides, tornadoes, etc.).Q. What types of payments are included in the annual premium pay cap?For exempt employees, the pay that applies to the pay cap includes: OvertimeOvertime w/night differentialComp timeNight paySunday payHoliday premium payStandby dutyAUOLEAPQ. What types of payments are not included in the annual premium pay cap?Everything else: non-exempt OT, hazard pay, credit, travel comp, religious comp, awards, bonuses, retention incentives, relocation incentives, and recruitment incentives. These are included in the aggregate limitation on total compensation but not the annual premium pay cap.Q.?How do I determine my annual pay cap?An employee may not earn more than a GS-15 step 10 or level V of the Executive Schedule.?In 2018, each locality table is higher than the rate for level 5 of the ES ($153,800).?Go to the OPM website for locality pay tables to determine the rate of a GS-15 step 10 for your locality area. For example, in 2018, the rate for a GS-15 step 10 under the Rest of US locality pay table is $157,663.To determine the hourly rate, divide by 2087:$157,663/2087 = $75.55To determine the biweekly cap multiply the hourly rate by 80 hours:$75.55 x 80 = $6,044To determine the annual cap multiply the biweekly cap times the number of pay periods in the year:$6,044 x 26 PPs = $157,144 is the annual capQ.?How can I tell if I’ve reached the cap?You can review you Earnings and Leave Statement to see you total earnings.?However, we strongly urge you to contact HRM and create a CRM ticket so your wages in NFC can be reviewed to determine where you’re at compared to the cap.Q. What happens if I’ve exceeded the cap?You will be billed for the overpayment. Unfortunately, there is no authority to waive an overpayment if an employee exceeds the annual limitation on premium ING BACK AS AN AD EMPLOYEEQ. Can I take annual leave and then work as an AD to work a fire?No. An employee may not receive pay from different sources for the same hours of work. An employee may not take leave (AL, SL, credit, comp) and then work the same hours on a fire as an AD employee.Permanent seasonal employees may not come back as an AD to the Forest Service. They must be brought back into pay status.Temporary 1039 employees may be brought back as ADs but the AD Pay Plan for Emergency Workers’ authority may not be used to circumvent other hiring authorities.Q. What if I retire and then come back as an AD to work fires?If you are hired as an AD prior to the expiration of the period of annual leave (i.e., the lump-sum leave period), you must refund the portion of the lump-sum payment that represents the period between the date of reemployment and the expiration of the lump-sum period.HAZARD PAY FOR GS EMPLOYEESQ. What is hazard pay?General Schedule (GS) employees are entitled to receive hazard pay when exposed to unusual physical hardship or hazardous duty for which a differential has been established in 5 CFR Part 550, Subpart I, Appendix A-Schedule of Pay Differentials Authorized for Hazardous Duty. Q. Is hazard pay a flat rate of 25%?No. Although most hazardous differential rates are 25%, the rate you receive is based upon the rate as indicated in the hazard table. For example, “hot work” is 4%.Q. Do I need to list the hazardous condition on my T&A?Yes. When claiming hazard pay differential, record the hazardous duty that was performed under the “Remarks” section on the timesheet for audit purposes (for example, “Hazard pay claimed on 7/14 for firefighting”).Q. Do I get hazard pay for all hours in pay status?Yes. An employee who performs duties for which hazard pay is authorized receives the hazard pay differential for all hours in pay status during the calendar day in which the hazardous duty is performed. Hours in pay status are all hours in which the employee worked or took leave during that 24-hour period. The 24-hour period is midnight to midnight (midnight becomes the automatic cutoff time). An employee working through midnight into the next day earns entitlement to hazard pay for 2 days only when exposed to the hazard before and after midnight. For example, an employee’s tour is 1800 to 0230 and is exposed to a hazard before midnight but was not exposed to the hazard after midnight; the timesheet is coded with hazard pay differential for 6 hours only (1800 to 2400).Q. Do I receive hazard pay during overtime hours? Yes. Hazard pay is paid for all hours in pay status on the day exposed to the hazardous condition (midnight to midnight), which includes overtime hours and hours of paid leave (annual, sick, credit, comp). However, hazard pay may not be paid for periods of leave without pay.Q. What if I’m only exposed to a hazardous condition for 30 minutes?There is no minimum time requirement for exposure to earn entitlement to hazard pay for a GS employee. Any amount of actual exposure during a calendar day entitles the employee to hazard pay for all compensable hours that day.Q. How do I code my T&A if I’m exposed to 2 different hazards?An employee may be paid hazard pay for performing more than one type of hazardous duty in a day; however, the total hazard pay for any day may not exceed 25% of the employee’s rate of basic pay for that day.Q. Can an employee be paid hazard pay for performing a type of duty not listed in the hazard table? No. Title 5 U.S.C. 5545(d) requires OPM to establish a schedule of hazard duty differentials and to prescribe regulations governing payment of the differentials. If a duty or type of work is not listed in appendix A, the employee cannot be paid a hazard duty differential.DUTIES COVERED BY HAZARD PAYFIREFIGHTINGParticipating as a member of a firefighting crew in fighting forest and range wildland fires on the fire line before the fire is declared officially controlled. There is no hazard duty pay entitlement for firefighting duties once the fire has been declared controlled.Q: Who is a member of the firefighting crew?A member of a firefighting crew is any person or group assigned to the fire line for suppression of the wildland fire or in support of the suppression activity. The person or group must be assigned and the shift plans for the day must document which group or individuals were assigned to the direct fire line suppression activity. For example, actions and operations that directly support control of the fire include; activities to extinguish the fire; ground scouting; spot-fire patrolling; search and rescue operations; and backfiring. Such activities do not include personnel engaged in logistical support service and non-suppression activities (media tours to the fire line; Incident Commanders driving to the fire; or, drivers delivering equipment, supplies or personnel to the fire line). Employees are not eligible for hazard pay for firefighting during a prescribed burn or other rehabilitation work, including Burned Area Emergency Response teams, because these are planned events and there are safeguards, protocols, and equipment in place to greatly minimize the risk; therefore, hazard pay is not payable.Q: What is the fire line?The fire line is the area within or adjacent to the perimeter of an uncontrolled wildfire of any size in which action is being taken to control the fire.LIMITED CONTROL FLIGHTSEmployees (except GS-2181 pilots) who are onboard the aircraft during a limited control flight are entitled to hazard pay. Limited control flights do not include routine take-offs and landings. Q. I was onboard a flight with a lot of turbulence, do I get hazard pay?he hazard as indicated in the hazard table is limited control flights:Limited Control Flights. Flights undertaken under unusual and adverse conditions (such as extreme weather, maximum load or overload, limited visibility, extreme turbulence, or low level flights involving fixed or tactical patterns) which threaten or severely limit control of the aircraft.Q. Who makes the call if the flight met the criteria for hazard pay – does the employee make that determination or is it the supervisor?Neither. The pilot makes that call. Ask the pilot if the flight profile met the criteria for a limited control flight or a low-level flight and they will determine whether the flight met the FAA requirements to entitle you to hazard pay.The following flight profiles meet the criteria for hazard pay only when hazardous conditions exist, meaning, the flight must also be coupled with adverse conditions that severely limit control of the aircraft such as extreme weather or limited visibility.Para-cargo, cargo freefall, or cargo letdown missions, when hazardous conditions exist (fixed-wing or helicopter).Net gunning, paint-ball marking, darting, animal gather, or capture, when hazardous conditions exist (helicopter).Rappel, short-haul, hoist, fast rope, or external sling load operations, when hazardous conditions exist (helicopter).Toe-in, one-skid, step-out, or hover-exit missions, when hazardous conditions exist (helicopter).Plastic sphere dispenser missions, when hazardous conditions exist (helicopter).Wheeled operations on unprepared landing areas, when hazardous conditions exist (fixed-wing).Landing at unimproved landing area when hazardous conditions exist (helicopter). For example, uneven/sloped touchdown pad, hover out-of-ground effect conditions, or maximum performance take-off/landing. Hazard pay is not authorized when landing at an unimproved landing area where no adverse conditions exist that would severely limit control of the aircraft.Elevated platform, vessel, snow, or water landings, when hazardous conditions exist (helicopter). For example, landing a helicopter on a boat during extreme water surges. Hazard pay is not authorized when landing a helicopter on a boat where no adverse conditions exist that would severely limit control of the aircraft.Ski-landings, water-landings, backcountry airstrip-landings, when hazardous conditions exist (fixed-wing). For example, a water landing on a lake during extreme adverse weather conditions. Hazard pay is not authorized for a water landing on a lake where no adverse conditions exist that would severely limit control of the aircraft.LOW-LEVEL FLIGHTSTo be considered a low-level flight, the mission must require performance of a substantial part of the flight, other than landing or taking off, at altitudes of less than 500 feet above the terrain or vegetative canopy in daylight, or at less than 1000 feet in mountainous areas at night. For example, hazard pay would be authorized when using a helicopter for pursuit in which low-level movement must be maintained over variable terrain, such as pursuing a vehicle on the ground through hilly, forested terrain. However, hazard pay is not authorized when using a helicopter for low-level maneuvering that was not a substantial part of the flight or that was not over mountainous terrain since the helicopter was built for this purpose and is therefore, not considered hazardous.Flight profiles that meet the criteria for hazard pay when hazardous conditions exist (a substantial part of the flight is less than 500’ above the terrain in daylight or less than 1000’ in mountainous areas at night) include: search and rescue; Global Positioning System; mapping; infrared; animal census; survey; or intelligence gathering (helicopter or fixed-wing). See the Federal Aviation Administration Aeronautical Information Manual, section 7-1-23 for additional information, including other flight profiles that inadvertently encounter extreme weather, maximum load, limited visibility, extreme turbulence, or low-level flights involving fixed or tactical patterns.ENVIRONMENTAL DIFFERENTIAL FOR FWS EMPLOYEESA FWS employee who performs assigned duties involving exposure to identified hazards, physical hardship, or working conditions of an unusual nature receives the environmental differential as prescribed under Appendix A to 5 CFR 532 Subpart E, Schedule of Environmental Differentials Paid for Exposure to Various Degrees of Hazards, Physical Hardships, and Working Conditions of an Unusual Nature. Full-time, part-time, and intermittent FWS employees are eligible for an environmental differential at the rate specified for each category. Payment of an environmental differential is paid on the basis of: a). All hours in a pay status; or b). Actual Exposure. Whether the differential is paid for all hours in pay status or for actual exposure depends on the hazard, physical hardship or working condition as listed under Appendix A to 5 CFR Part 532 Subpart E.ALL HOURS IN PAY STATUSA FWS employee who performs duties for which an environmental differential is authorized receives the differential for all hours in pay status during the calendar day in which the hazardous duty is performed. Hours in pay status are all hours in which the employee worked or took leave during that 24-hour period. The 24-hour period is midnight to midnight (midnight becomes the automatic cutoff time). An employee working through midnight into the next day earns entitlement to environmental differential pay for 2 days only when exposed to the hazard before and after midnight.ACTUAL EXPOSURE BASISWhen a FWS employee is exposed to a hazard for which an environmental differential is authorized on an actual exposure basis, they are paid a minimum of 1 hour's differential pay for the exposure. For exposures beyond 1 hour, the employee is paid in 15 minute increments. When claiming environmental differential, record the appropriate category under the “Remarks” section on the timesheet for audit purposes (for example, “Hazard pay claimed on 6/18 for firefighting – high degree”). An employee exposed to more than one condition at the same time is paid for the exposure which results in the highest differential but may not be paid more than one differential for the same hours of work.DUTIES COVERED BY ENVIRONMENTAL DIFFERENTIALFirefighting. Participating or assisting in firefighting operations on the immediate fire scene and in direct exposure to the hazards inherent in containing or extinguishing fires.Flying. Employees who are participating in limited control flights. Environmental differential for flying activities is related to the use of the aircraft and not the work of the occupants. If the flight is undertaken under unusual and adverse conditions which threaten or severely limit control of the aircraft, then environmental differential is warranted. Environmental differential is not authorized for situations such as flying passengers from a work center to a location to fix equipment when there are no adverse conditions that threaten or severely limit the aircraft.High Work. Working on any structure of at least 100 feet above the ground, deck, floor or roof, or from the bottom of a tank or pit. Working at a lesser height if the footing is unsure or the structure is unstable.Groundwork beneath Hovering Helicopter. Participating in operation to attach or detach external load to a helicopter hovering just overhead. ................
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