Giles McGervey
Descanso,CA
Summary
Motivational Supervisor with 5 years of experience monitoring, coordinating and allocating employee efforts to achieve organizational goals. Proven track record with continuous improvement, performance growth and schedule management.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
Work History
Engine Captain
United States Forest Service
Pine Valley , CA
02.2024 - Current
- Balanced work/life leave management responsibilities effectively
- Developed and implemented fire safety training programs for personnel.
- Conducted daily inspections of firefighting equipment, apparatus, and facilities.
- Responded to emergency calls and managed the on-site operations of medical, hazardous materials, and rescue incidents.
- Supervised subordinate firefighters in the performance of their duties.
- Monitored shift activities to ensure compliance with district, forest, and agency policies and procedures.
- Maintained records of all fire-related activities including incident reports, maintenance logs, and training documents.
- Coordinated with local law enforcement agencies during investigations that has potential of criminal activity related to fires.
- Ensured that firefighter safety protocols were followed on all emergency scenes.
- Developed strategies for responding to emergencies based upon specific scenarios encountered at each scene.
- Provided leadership and guidance to assigned crew members during drills, exercises, and real-world operations.
- Provided clear and decisive leadership by rapidly assessing and responding to changing field conditions.
- Conducted fire prevention and suppression operations.
- Developed and implemented training procedures for newly hired personnel.
Battalion Chief 41 (120-day Detail)
United States Forest Service, Alpine
Alpine, United States
04.2023 - 08.2023
- Salary: 71,193 USD Per Year
- Hours Per Week: 40
- Battalion 41 Detail (NTE 120 Days)
- During my detail as a Battalion Chief, I was responsible for the many staffing challenges that we face as an agency
- I would work with the module leader of the day and help maintain staffing on their Type III engine so they could be ready and available for any emergency that happens
- That would include calling and working with other stations to borrow an ENGB or a qualified ENOP to allow the district to maintain peak staffing
- I have assisted some of the captains on the district set up mandatory training for our district personnel needed to maintain currency for the agency’s SCBA policy
- I have been responsible for updating and maintaining the district cover guides that we hand out to all the cover resources that show up on the district
- When we do have cover resources I may be tasked with giving them a full and thorough briefing on the communications, local factors related to wildland fires, local agreements with co-operators, response levels, hours of operations, and dispatch protocols among other things
- I may sign CTR’s to ensure they get payment and general messages to help them maintain their engines compliment while assisting with our agency’s mission
- Mike Tucker (619-717
Engine Captain
United States Forest Service
Mt Laguna, United States
04.2020 - 02.2024
- Salary: 60,151 USD Per Year
- Hours Per Week: 40
- Captain 349
- Duties, Accomplishments and Related Skills:
- As a Fire Engine Captain at Camp Ole Fire Station I am responsible for staffing my engine 7 days a week
- I work with my employees to set the 7-day effective schedule, so we have continuous coverage and maximize all their talents and qualifications
- That includes working with the district Chiefs to find coverage if needed so my employees can maintain a positive work life balance
- As a supervisor I am responsible for on boarding all new employees that are assigned to my engine module
- As fire season starts, I am responsible for maintaining a high level of physical fitness for all my employees by staying motivated to do Physical Training daily and ensure my employees stay positive and motivated
- Throughout fire season I coordinate training for my employees by doing multiple hose lays, handline construction, SCBA training and practice, Drivers Training, and putting on multiple low-level classes that they need to further their career and set them up for success
- At the station level I oversee multiple fuels equipment including the Bobcat skid steer tractor, skid steer support vehicle, multiple attachments for the skid steer, Chippers, District Saw Cache, Barracks, Residence, and the Mt
- Laguna Community Burn pile
- I have overseen multiple fuels projects that include pile burn units, 70 acres of broadcast burning, Hazard tree mitigation, Fuels reduction around cabins, multiple campgrounds and day use areas
- I have been on an IMT for 5 years now
- I am a Primary DIVS on CAIIMT 13 for the second year in a row
- I was able to get my certification of RXB2 this winter
- I have an open ICT3 task book that was initiated this winter
- For the last 6 years I have been involved with the Multi-agency County Wildland drill in various capacities including being a Proctor, Deputy Branch, and now this year I will assume the duties of Primary Branch Director for Wildland Fire Ground Skills
- This drill focus’ on the basics of wildland fire fighting including hose lays, handline construction, vegetation fire size ups, and aircraft drops, that brings all co-operators from around San Diego and Imperial Counties.
Fire Engine Operator
United States Forest Service
Descanso, CA
01.2015 - 04.2020
- Salary: 50,435.00 USD Per Year
- Hours per week: 40, Related Skills:
- As the Fire Engine Operator, I serve as driver which requires a commercial driver's license and a medical examiners certificate
- I ensure the maintenance of the engine by coordinating repairs and scheduling maintenance with approved maintenance facilities
- I direct project work in support of ecosystem management such as prescribed fire, development of burn plans, fuels inventory, pre-attack planning, and brush disposal
- I supervise my crew in performing a variety of work in building and grounds maintenance
- I perform the admin and HR functions relative to my crew
- I establish guidelines and performance expectations for my crew, which are clearly communicated at the beginning of the season when crew expectations are gone over and signed
- I observe workers' performance throughout the season and critique as needed
- I resolve informal complaints and grievances as they come up
- I develop work improvement plans and recommend personnel actions as necessary
- I provide advice and counsel to employees related to work and administrative matters
- I approve and disapprove leave requests in the absence of my Captain
- I provide for my crew’s safety and welfare and implements a training program in compliance with applicable requirements
- I develop and implement a PT program to enhance the ability of my crew members to perform the required arduous firefighting duties
- I am responsible for furthering the goals of equal employment opportunity (EEO) by taking positive steps to assure the accomplishment of affirmative action objectives and by adhering to nondiscriminatory employment practices regarding race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or handicap
- Specifically, I initiate nondiscriminatory practices and affirmative action for the area under my supervision in the following: (1) merit promotion of employees and recruitment and hiring of applicants; (2) fair treatment of all employees; (3) encouragement and recognition of employee achievements; (4) career development of employees; and (5) full utilization of their skills
- I am responsible for the day-to-day operation of the fire engine module when my captain is absent, I prepare schedules and work plans, and set work priorities
- I supervise operations of fire engine module in responding to wildland fires
- I direct the engine to fire locations and position engines in the appropriate locations in consideration of the safety of the crew and equipment
- I evaluate onsite conditions, make tactical decisions, and determine appropriate responses
- I make initial evaluation of fire situation, determine suppression method to use including hose lays, deployment of crew, point of initial attack, type of tools to use, and application of water, and hand line location and standards
- I maintain records and prepare reports on crew’s hours and movement and history of action taken on fires
- I have the qualifications to serve as initial attack Incident Commander on wildland fires, and wildland urban interface/intermix situations occurring on the unit
- I identify and analyze tactics and strategies employed on these incidents, and revise and/or develop approaches in view of specific incident conditions
- I am responsible for adhering to agency requirements including ICS, fire suppression principles and procedures, fire line construction, hose lays, maintenance and training in the use of appropriate PPE.I have thorough knowledge of fire engine hydraulic systems, foam and chemical application systems, including effect of elevation, friction loss, pressure, etc., pumping mechanisms, hose thread and apparatus differences, and operating procedures to distribute hose lays
- I can operate complex communication hardware including multi-channel two-way radios with numerous programmable frequencies and computers for accessing fire weather and fire modeling programs, and GPS units
- During 2018 fire season I was the acting captain for 90 plus days while my captain fulfilled his commitment to his type 1 IMT
- I have the knowledge of fuels management practices and policies to help with the development of fuels treatment and burn plans, and to execute prescribed burn projects
- My other duties include maintaining the district fire cache
- This job requires a vast knowledge in the tools and equipment needed to suppress fires
- I oversee checking in new items and filling fire replacements for the personnel on the district
- This includes generating "S" numbers if the item is not something we carry in the cache and ordering items when the inventory is low
- I am also the District Apprentice Coordinator
- This job requires building schedules so the apprentices can meet the requirements of the apprentice program
- I also assist with scheduling of mandatory classes required for the apprenticeship program
- Every year I attend the New Employee Orientation in Sacramento, CA with all newly hired apprentices and help them with all the new hire documents
- I also assist the district with the new SCBA data base which includes updating new gear, inputting new serial numbers, documenting wash schedules, and ordering/replacing outdated turn out gear
- I was an Alternate on Central Coast IMT as a DIVS (T) during the 2018 fire season
- For the 2019 I have applied to be on an IMT as well
- I have one assignment on a type 2 fire in my DIVS task book
- With that one assignment I was able to complete 50% of my task book and I am looking forward to getting more assignments and knowledge to complete that task book and be an asset to my district and to further my career
- I have been part of the County Wildland Drill since 2016
- During my time being a part of the drill, I have assisted the branch director with supervising and briefing the incoming resources and evaluating their successes and areas of improvement
- As of 2019 County Drill I am the assistant Branch Director for the Wildland branch
- I oversee predrill things such as picking a location within the drill perimeter to set my paper fire up, getting the necessary cadre members to make the drill successful, attend monthly County Drill meetings, and implement the plan of action
- During the drill week I will be assessing the incoming IC on the fire situation and assisting that individual with the IC role
- After each rotation I give feedback to help set the individual up for success in the real world
- Since 2018 I have been the lead instructor Descanso Crew 5
- I oversee teaching multiple classes which include, S-190, Look up, Look Down, Look all around, S-130, and any other classes that are deemed necessary for the crew members to obtain a red card
- I also teach basic hand line construction and lead all PT’s during the two-week training
- I am also one of the lead Crew Boss’ that will activate the crew at Fire Managements discretion
- I have supervised multiple trainee’s while they were working on multiple task books including STEN, TFLD, FFT1, ENGB, ENOP, ICT4, ICT5, STCR, RXB3
- I offer input when needed
- I encourage command presence while allowing the trainee to develop their own way of doing things
- Some of the employees are a higher GS grade than I am.
Engine Captain (detail)
United States Forest Service
Descanso, United States
04.2019 - 08.2019
- 57,044 USD Per Year
- Hours per Week: 40
- Captain 348 (Detail)
- Duties, Accomplishments and Related Skills:
- As a Detailed Captain I am responsible for my crew’s wellbeing, safety, and staffing of the fire engine
- I ensure that the engine crew maintains the physical ability to do the job with daily calisthenics, hikes, runs, and lots of stretching to avoid injuries
- While on this detail I have put on multiple classes including S-131, S-211, S-190, and S-130 for the 1039 employee’s assigned to the engine
- I ensure that all employees that work under my supervision follow and adhere to all Forest Service Guidelines, Policies, and Procedures set forth by the District, Forest, Region, and National Levels including but not limited to The Zero Tolerance of Sexual Harassment, Equal Employment Opportunities and Civil Rights
- My other duties include maintaining the district fire cache
- This job requires a vast knowledge of the tools and equipment needed to suppress fires
- I oversee checking in new items and filling fire replacements for the personnel on the district
- This includes generating "S" numbers if the item is not something we carry in the cache and ordering items when the inventory is low
- I am also the District Apprentice Coordinator
- This job requires building schedules so the apprentices can meet the requirements of the apprenticeship program and attend the mandatory classes required
- Every year I attend the New Employee Orientation in Sacramento, CA with all newly hired apprentices and help them with all the new hire documents
- I assist the district with the new SCBA data base which includes updating new gear, inputting new serial numbers, documenting wash schedules, and ordering/replacing outdated turn out gear
- I oversee multiple Fuels treatments that are being implemented on the district
- With this responsibility I put together a work party to accomplish the goal of fuels treatment
- Every day we perform a tailgate safety session and ensure everyone assigned for the day understands what is expected for the day, purpose of the treatment, and what we want it to look like when the treatment is done
- Ensure that JHA’s and tailgate safety sessions are signed and documented in our project binder that is assigned to that project
- I am a RXB2 (t)
- I am one of the Primary DIVS (T) on SoCal Team 2 Type 1 IMT., Ron Brewer (619-445-1706
Assistant Fire Engine Operator
United States Forest Service
Descanso, CA
03.2011 - 12.2014
- Duties, Accomplishments and Related Skills:
- As an AFEO I serve as a lead wild land firefighter on a Type 3 wild land fire engine
- On wild land fire incidents when I am the engine operator I monitor and control the pressure that the nozzle person receives by adjusting the pump pressure, assist with getting the necessary supplies up and down the fire line, and but not limited to watching and acting as a look out from the engines pump panel
- When I am in the back seat serving as a firefighter for the day I assist in laying hose, position of the hose, returning to the engine for more hose, and ensuring that the firefighters are safe
- I gather information as we respond to the incident and give my crew a detailed briefing on all important aspects of the assignment which include but not limited to weather, topography, fuel types, fire behavior, and all foreseeable hazards
- I also am responsible for the crew when we start hiking into the fire if my module leader is assigned to the incident in an overhead capacity (DIVS, IC, etc.)
- There are daily, weekly, and monthly checks that I assist with that include monthly PM checks, daily and monthly SCBA's checks, and daily engine checks
- On days that I am asked to be Engine Boss I am responsible for the days physical training, Six minutes for safety, station projects, crew times and attendance, travel vouchers, and to keep moral high
- I assist the senior captain with maintaining the district fire cache as well as helping with the ordering as needed and assist in filling Fire Replacements for all units on the district to help maintain their compliment lists
- I also help with monitoring the district fuel samples which includes, cutting fuel samples, weighing samples, trouble shoot any discrepancies, and sending emails out regarding the findings to the appropriate overhead and local cooperators
- When we are dispatched to a call safety of my crew and assisting crews is always number one
- As we respond, me as the acting Engine Boss, I am responsible to let the crew know the Command and Tactical channels for the incident, ensure that LCES is in place, and that all assignments are within our scope of practice
- I am qualified as a TFLD, STEN, STCR, ENGB, ENOP, CRWB, ICT-5, FALB, FFT-1, ICT-4, RX3B, and DIVS (T)..
- I have extensive knowledge using the new Digital Bendix King Radios in the fire truck as well as a good working knowledge of the new 800 MHz hand-held and base radios
- I was the acting FEO on E-348
- As the acting FEO I am responsible for the morning checks on the fire truck
- I serve as the driver/engine operator every day I am at work
- Handled monthly P&M's as well as mileage tracking
- When my captain is on a fire assignment or requires a day off, I fill in as the Module leader for the day for an average of 50 days per year.
Fire Engine Operator
United States Forest Service
Mt Laguna, United States
02.2014 - 06.2014
- Salary: 45,759.00 USD per Year
- Hours per week: 40
- Series: 0462 Pay Plan: GS Grade: 07 (detail)
- Duties, Accomplishments and Related Skills:
- As the Fire Engine Operator, I serve as driver which requires a commercial driver's license and a medical examiners certificate
- I ensure the maintenance of the engine by coordinating repairs and scheduling maintenance with approved maintenance facilities and secure temporary replacement of vehicles as needed
- I also help direct project work in support of ecosystem management such as prescribed fire, development of burn plans, fuels inventory, pre-attack planning, brush disposal, back logged fuels preparation and disposal
- I help supervise my crew in performing a variety of work in building and grounds maintenance (such as repairing recreation facilities, buildings and roads) and in technical forestry (such as thinning or pruning timber stands, planting trees and piling debris).
Education
High School Diploma -
Mtn Empire High School
Pine Valley, CA06.2002
Skills
- Team Building
- Schedule Development
- Training and Mentoring
- Goal-Oriented
- Complex Problem-Solving
- Training and Development
Reference
Jason Kraling
Regional Air Attack
619-301-0620
jason.kraling@usda.gov
Reference
Jamie Rickard
District Fuels Planner
619-873-7128
jamie.rickard@usda.gov
Reference
Troy Bell
Assistant District Fire Management Officer (BC-42)
619-373-2042
troy.bell@usda.gov
Reference
Michael Tucker
District Fire Management Officer (DIV-4)
619-717-1017
michael.a.tucker@usda.gov
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Engine Captain
United States Forest Service
02.2024 - Current
Battalion Chief 41 (120-day Detail)
United States Forest Service, Alpine
04.2023 - 08.2023
Engine Captain
United States Forest Service
04.2020 - 02.2024
Engine Captain (detail)
United States Forest Service
04.2019 - 08.2019
Fire Engine Operator
United States Forest Service
01.2015 - 04.2020
Fire Engine Operator
United States Forest Service
02.2014 - 06.2014
Assistant Fire Engine Operator
United States Forest Service
03.2011 - 12.2014
High School Diploma -
Mtn Empire High School
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