Clarification from the agency

Open to status eligible candidates to include VA, other Federal employees, reinstatement eligible, and Veterans.

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• Operate the Medical Center ambulance for response to medical and code emergencies on the grounds of the Chillicothe VA Medical Center including life threatening emergencies.
• Respond to all medical center alarms, performs such firefighting duties as determining the nature and extent of the fire, the appropriate action required, laying and connecting hoses, directing fire streams, operating firefighting equipment, ventilating burning buildings, performing evacuations and rescues, administering appropriate emergency treatments, etc.
• Drive and operate multiple fire engines, ambulances, and other Fire Department vehicles to scene of fire following predetermined route or selecting alternate route when necessary. Positions vehicle considering such factors as wind direction, sources of water and hazards from falling structures.
• Provide non-invasive procedures following State and Federal Emergency Medical Basic Life Support Protocols and in support of the attending Medical center physician or offsite paramedics responding to the campus and will provide on-scene direction to VAFD members with a lower level of emergency medical response training.
• Employs a variety of established emergency medical techniques, methods, and equipment to stabilize the patient for transport as soon as possible.

Work Schedule: Variable Shifts
Position Description/PD#: Firefighter (Basic Life Support)/PD91122-A and PD91122A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.
• Applicants cannot have reached their 37th birthday by the date of appointment. Applicants who have passed the designated entry age limit may be eiligble may be eligible with prior federal service.
• You must have a valid EMT/PARAMEDIC Certification with the State of Ohio or National Registry. A copy of your certification is due with your application.
• Current, valid state Driver's License. [A REDACTED COPY OF YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE IS REQUIRED]. If you do not submit a copy of your driver's license, your application will not be reviewed.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/28/2023.

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:
  • Controlling or extinguishing fires as a member of an organized military, industrial, volunteer, or governmental fire department or brigade
  • Rescue operations
  • Detection, reduction, or elimination of potential fire hazards
  • Operation of fire communications equipment
  • Controlling hazardous materials incidents
  • Developing, implementing, or providing training in fire protection and prevention.

This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (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 Factor for this position is:Current, valid state Driver's License. [A REDACTED COPY OF YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE IS REQUIRED]. If you do not submit a copy of your driver's license, your application will not be reviewed.

You must have a valid EMT/PARAMEDIC Certification with the State of Ohio or National Registry. A copy of your certification is due with your application.

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 if 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.

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.

Requirements for Motor Vehicle Operation: For those positions requiring employees to drive motorized firefighting equipment, applicants 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. Please do not submit a copy of your driver's license. If you are called for an interview, you WILL be REQUIRED to provide a copy of your license at that time.

Physical Requirements: Work requires the ability to perform strenuous physical activity for a long period of time, in an emergency situation. 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.

Mental/Emotional Requirements: The incumbent of this position will be expected to understand, remember, and apply oraland/or written instructions or other information, understand, remember, and communicate routine, factual information, understand complex problems and to collaborate and explore alternative solutions, apply common sense in performing job, make decisions which have significant impact on the department's credibility, operations, and services, understand and follow basic instructions and guidelines, complete routine forms, use existing form letters and/or conduct routine oral communication, communicate with individuals utilizing a telephone; requires ability to hear and speak effectively on phone, express or exchange ideas by means of the spoken word, communicating orally with others accurately, loudly, and quickly, make informal presentations, inside and/or outside the organization. Speaking before groups, compose materials such as detailed reports, work-related manuals, publications of limited scope or impact, etc., and/or to make presentations, outside the immediate work area, mathematical ability, count accurately, Add, subtract, multiply, divide and to record, balance, and check results for accuracy, compute, analyze, and interpret numerical data for reporting purposes, compute, analyze, and interpret complex statistical data and/or to develop forecasts and computer models.

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.

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.