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***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION***

The Firefighter shall participate in all aspects of structural and wild land firefighting operations and rescue. The Firefighter participates in a proactive fire inspection and prevention program. Certified and performs as a driver of all Fire Department Apparatus. The Firefighter participates in Confined Space Rescue and is a Hazardous Materials First Responder.

Major duties and responsibilities include:

• Drive and operate firefighting apparatus of significant complexity, e.g. pumpers, aerial ladder trucks and wild land firefighting truck
• Provides fire protection at the hospital engaged in using various types of gases, oxygen, nitrogen, gasoline, diesel fuel and natural gas
• Performs fire/rescue and firefighting duties at large hospital complex/ campus
• Fights fires in an installation environment, with multi-story buildings consisting of more than three stories presenting complex and hazardous firefighting situations
• Performs as a hazardous material first responder
• Conducts fire prevention inspections
• Responds to non-fire related incidents such as grounds search for missing patients, confined space rescue, motor vehicles accidents, etc.
• Perform other related duties as assigned

Work Schedule: 72 hour work week (48 hours on - 48/72 hours off) on a rotating basis to include weekends and holidays. Employees are regularly required to work scheduled and no notice periods of overtime.

Additional Weekend Premium Pay: Weekend premium (25% of hourly rate) paid for service performed on an established tour of duty, any part of which is between midnight Friday and midnight Sunday.

Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

DESIGNATED DRUG-TESTING POSITION: 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. Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test result is received.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• 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)
• Selected applicants must possess and maintain a valid, state issued driver's license
• Selected applicants will be required to complete a pre-employment physical examination
• VA Firefighters are 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.)
• Newly employed VA firefighters must obtain Fire Inspector II in accordance with NFPA 1031 within 24 months of employment.
• Training, education, and professional development programs in accordance with applicable NFPA standards will be provided as needed to support the minimum qualifications and certifications expected of VA fire department personnel.
  

Qualifications

English Language Proficiency: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position.

To qualify for this position at the GS-6 level: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-5) in the Federal Service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Firefighter. Such duties may include (1) controlling or extinguishing fires as a member of an organized military, industrial, volunteer, or governmental fire department or brigade; (2) rescue operations; (3) detection, reduction, or elimination of potential fire hazards; (4) operation of fire communications equipment; (5) controlling hazardous materials incidents and/or (6) developing, implementing, or providing training in fire protection and prevention.

This position includes Selective Placement Factors (skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration.

The Selective Placement Factors for this position are:

** Copies of certifications MUST be submitted at the time of application.**

1. Current and valid Certification as Firefighter II, in accordance with NFPA 1001
2. Current and valid Hazardous Materials Certification at the Operations Level, in accordance with Chapter 5, Core Competencies, in NFPA 472
3. Current and valid Certification as Fire Apparatus Driver Operator-Pumper, in accordance with NFPA 1002

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.

You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:

• Fire Management
• First Response
• Hazardous Materials
• Patient Care
• Technical Competence

IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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.

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; religious; 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.

Medical and Physical Requirements: Prior to employment and annually thereafter, all firefighters must be certified by a qualified physician as meeting: (a) Medical and physical requirements for performing their assigned duties; (b) Requirements of NFPA 1582; (c) Requirements of NFPA 1583; and, (d) Requirements of NFPA 1500, Chapter 10. Employee works in a variety of environments to include high intensity situations, such as; extreme heat and smoke environments. Employee is required to wear protective ensemble to include self-contained breathing apparatus.

The work requires, on a regular and recurring basis, considerable and strenuous physical exertion such as frequent climbing of multiple flights of stairs, running, lifting heavy objects over 50 pounds, crouching or crawling in restrictive areas during fire and rescue activities. Fire protection equipment must be worn or carried; the wearing of this equipment significantly amplifies the physical strain experienced by the employee during physical exertion or during periods of hot weather. Employees are regularly required to work scheduled and no notice periods of overtime.

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. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

Your responses to the assessment questionnaire will be reviewed along with the information provided in your resume and supporting documentation to determine if you are qualified for the position. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered and/or you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

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.

Candidates who apply under All U.S. Citizens announcements will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. Qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The categories are defined as follows:

• Best qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position;
• Highly qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the requirements of the job;
• Well qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the job; and
• Qualified - applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors.

Application of Veterans' Preference: Category rating and selection procedures place those with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligible applicants that meet the eligibility and qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category (except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher).

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.