Ft Irwin hiring, locals please apply!

By MARK MUCKENFUSSThe Press-Enterprise

The U.S. Army base at Fort Irwin has nonmilitary jobs. The base's remoteness -- it is 45 miles northeast of Barstow, with nothing but desert in between -- makes it less attractive to many job seekers. But officials there say there has been a jump in interest recently. "Our applications have tripled," said Debra Rivera, who is in charge of overseeing non-appropriated-funds jobs, which are self-sustaining operations such as the fast-food restaurants on the base. "We have people coming all the way from Helendale and Apple Valley (80 miles away). They're willing to make a very long commute." She often has openings among the 230 such jobs on base. "We hire all the time," she said. Human resource specialist Robert Tamayo said about 90 percent of the base's jobs paid for through appropriations are handled by private contractors. But there are 280 civilian jobs handled directly by his office. "At any given moment we have an average of 10-15 jobs open," he said. Civilians can apply for housing on the base, although military personal receive preference. There are also base buses that shuttle commuters from Victorville and Barstow free of charge. Most appropriated-funds jobs, Tamayo said, can be applied for online through USAjobs.com. The same is true for other bases. Tamayo said he is getting more applications than ever through the Web site these days. "Now the competition is greater," he said. "We have so many qualified applicants. It's increasing the pool of candidates, which is good for us, but not everyone is getting selected for what they apply for." Reach Mark Muckenfuss at 951-368-9595 or mmuckenfuss@PE.com