Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is open to current permanent VA Nationwide employees, CTAP/ICTAP eligibles, and other Status Eligible Applicants-see Hiring Paths for more information.

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Duties include, but may not be limited to the following:

• Respond to fire and rescue incidents; brush, forest, and structural fires; hazardous material spills and releases.
• Attends and conducts training for personnel as directed by the Fire Chief in all phases of firefighting and protection within the structural series.
• Serves as the on-scene commander of a fire/ crash scene until relieved by the Fire Chief or Deputy Fire Chief.
• Conduct fire prevention inspections.
• Direct the utilization of firefighting equipment (i.e, hydrants, hose lines, ladders, nozzles) to suppress and extinguish fires in emergency operations.
• Respond to alarms, combats fire, and rescues personnel requiring the full performance of firefighting tasks involving structures, equipment, facilities, crashed and burning aircraft, fuel, hazardous materials and brush fires.
• Serves as the on-scene commander of a fire/ crash scene until relieved by the Fire Chief or Deputy Fire Chief.
• Unreels and connects hose, lays hose lines, operates charged lines, places, and raises ladders, operates portable and stationary firefighting apparatus, ventilates buildings, evacuates, or rescues occupants, uses chemicals, axes, bars, hooks, self- contained breathing apparatus and other firefighting equipment to extinguish fires and protect life and property.
• Perform firefighter and emergency medical care tasks while at the same time avoiding unnecessary risk to self and others.
• Alternate as hose-man, ladder-man, hydrant- man, rescue-man, nozzle-man, and salvage- man or hand lineman.
• Operates and maintains care of a variety of lifesaving and rescue equipment including ambulance equipment, two-way radio equipment, telemetry equipment, cardiac monitors, specialized kits and bags, backboards, suction devices, monitors, splints, oxygen delivery systems, and stretchers.
• Use direct pressure and/or techniques to stop bleeding, check windpipes for obstruction, perform CPR and provide assistance.
• Apply techniques of proper firefighting, rescue, toxic or dangerous materials containment and subsequent decontamination methods and extinguishing agents.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Shift work, Rotating tour of duty (Subject to change based on the needs of the agency)
Position Description/PD#: Firefighter (Basic Life Support/Hazardous Material Technician)/PD04514A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
• Driver's Licensure is required.
• Must be certified in providing continued care at the scene of the medical emergency or accident until relieved by a higher level of care.
• Must be able to independently operate Government Vehicle.
• Must provide clean driving record report from the DMV during the pre-employment process.
• Pre-employment physical may be required.

MAXIMUM AGE REQUIREMENT: This position requires a maximum entry age for an initial appointment; applicants cannot have reached their 37th birthday by the date of appointment. Applicants who have passed the designated entry age limit, but who have previously served as a federal employee in a covered position, may be eligible to re-enter the fire service provided that they: (1) meet all applicable qualifications for the position and (2) will be able to complete a total of 20 years of covered and creditable Federal fire service by the time the firefighter reaches the age of 57.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/27/2025.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-6 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Experience in firefighting techniques and perform a full range of structural firefighting and rescue tasks.
• Able to identify potential options available in response to a hazardous materials incident(s).
• Perform immediate medical aid and initial patient focused assessments to determine priority of care.
• Inspection, testing, and calibration of personal/chemical protective equipment, technical rescue equipment, hazardous materials analytic equipment. This experience must be supported by your resume to be creditable.

Requirements For Motor Vehicle Operation: For those positions requiring employees to drive motorized firefighting equipment, candidates must possess and maintain a valid State motor vehicle operator's license of the appropriate classification or kind. Applicants also may be required to pass a practical road test and provide information on their driving record. See 5 CFR 930 and the "General Policies and Instructions" section of this Manual for additional requirements for motor vehicle operators.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Emergency Care
• Fire Management
• Leadership
• Stress Tolerance
• Technical Competence

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Physical Requirements: In an emergency, work requires the ability to perform strenuous physical activity for an extended period of time. The most common encountered applications of strength and endurance are lifting and carrying objects (up to 80 lbs.), pulling objects (up to 135 lbs.), and working with objects in front of the body (up to 125 lbs.). Activities involve prolonged periods of time standing, walking, bending, crouching and carrying heavy firefighting tools and related equipment associated with the performance of such duties as maintenance, testing, inspections, drills, suppression and transport of persons.

Employees in positions involving firefighting duties or other duties involving arduous physical exertion may be subject to periodic (e.g., annual) medical examinations following appointment to determine fitness for continued performance of the duties of the position. (See 5 CFR 339.)

Any serious deviation from sound medical condition may be grounds for rejection of an applicant regardless of whether the condition is named below. Remediable defects or curable diseases will not exclude a person from consideration, but proof that such defects have been remedied or the disease cured must be received during the life of the eligible register before persons otherwise qualified may be considered for appointment under civil service rules.

Eyes: Corrected distant vision must be at least 20/30 in one eye and 20/70 in the other eye. Uncorrected distant vision is required only if it is likely that corrective lenses may be lost or broken. If so, uncorrected distant vision must be at least 20/100 binocular. Ability to distinguish basic colors is required. Applicants must be free from acute or chronic eye disease.

Ears: Using an audiometer for measurement, there should be no loss of 30 or more decibels in the unaided worst ear at the 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz levels.

Nose, Mouth, and Throat: Applicants must be free from conditions that interfere with distinct speech, free breathing, or with the use of breathing apparatuses or protective equipment.

Lungs: Applicants must be free from any pulmonary or chest wall disease or condition that results in not being able to perform the duties of the position.

Heart and Blood Vessels: The following conditions may be cause for rejection: organic heart disease, valvular or vascular diseases, coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, recurrent syncope, or history of myocardial infarction.

Abdomen: Acute or chronic disease or inflammation of the abdominal viscera, hernia, or significant enlargement of the liver or spleen that interferes with the performance of the duties of the position will be cause for rejection.

Spine, Pelvic, Sacroiliac and Lumbo-Sacral Joints: Applicants must have free movement of spine and pelvic joints.

Neurological System: Degenerative neurological disease or disorder that results in documented evidence of neurological impairment that renders the applicant unable to perform the duties of the position will be cause for rejection. A history of serious mental disease may be disqualifying.

Extremities: Individuals cannot have anomalies in the number, form, proportion, and movement of the extremities that interfere with function. This includes non-united fractures; nonreducible dislocations; united fractures and reduced dislocations with incomplete restoration of function; amputation of arm, hand, leg, or foot; loss of any skeletal portion of the thumb of either hand; loss of more than the two distal phalanges of the ring or little fingers of either hand; any lose joints; pes cavus, weak foot, or clubfoot; flatfoot with symptoms unresponsive to orthotics; loss or deformity of great toe or any two toes on the same foot; torn cartilage or loose foreign bodies within the knee joint; instability of the knee joint; or inadequately healed surgical procedure.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

The Order of Consideration for this position is as follows::
1st Area of Consideration - current permanent Eugene J. Towbin Healthcare Center employees including satellites;
2nd Area of Consideration - current permanent Veterans Healthcare Administration employees;
3rd Area of Consideration - current permanent VA Nationwide employees;
4th Area of Consideration - All Other Status Applicants.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.