Clarification from the agency

Current, permanent employees of Coatesville VAMC will be first area of consideration.

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Position Title / PD#: Firefighter (Bls/Hmt) / PD003090
Work Schedule: 48 hours on, 78 hrs. off, rotating shifts including weekends and holidays

Your duties can include but are not limited to the following:

• Controls and extinguishes fires, operates hose lines, makes forced entries, ventilates structures, performing or assisting in rescue operations
• Performs basic life support duties
• Serves as the driver/operator of pumpers, ambulances and special service vehicles
• Operates pumps, foam systems, monitor nozzles and other similar equipment
• Performs daily preventative maintenance inspections of apparatus and equipment
• Serves as member of a hazardous materials spill response
• Participates in all fire department training, medical center fire drills, building fire safety inspections, fire alarm, sprinkler system, and water supply system inspection and testing
• Performs all other duties as assigned

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.

Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Recruitment/Relocation incentives may be authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required.

Conditions of employment

Time-in-Grade Restriction (TIG): 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 applicant materials.

NOTE: Current career/career-conditional employees applying as VEOA eligibles must meet time-in grade requirements. TIG requirement does not apply to employees in a Wage Grade (WG, WL, WS) position, or those applying using VRA eligibility, or Sch. A eligbility.

• 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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement (02/27/2023).

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.

AND

Selective Placement Factors: In addition to the meeting the English Language Proficiency you must also meet the following Selective Placement Factors for this position.

Selective Placement Factors are skills, 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.

You must submit copies of your certifications with your application to receive credit.

• National Certification as a Firefighter II
• National or Pennsylvania State Certification as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Basic
• National or Pennsylvania State Hazardous Materials Technician certification
• National or Pennsylvania State Driver/Operator Pumper Certification
• National Certification as a Fire Inspector I
• National Certification as a Fire Inspector II or willing to obtain certification within 2 years of employment
• International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) or Pro Board Firefighter I certification

AND

Specialized Experience: MUST possess one (1) full year of specialized experience equipped with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the Firefighter - Basic Life Support/Hazardous Materials Technician position. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-6) in Federal Service. 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.
NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week.

AND

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.

AND

DRIVER'S LICENSE: All applicants must possess a current, unrestricted valid state Driver's License.

Physical Conditions / Work Environment
Physical conditions: Incumbent must maintain physical condition to don personal protective equipment consisting of: coat, helmet, boots, gloves, bunker pants and self-contained breathing apparatus, which weighs 75 pounds. Incumbent must wear this equipment when responding to and during all emergency calls (excluding ambulance) regardless of temperature. Incumbent is expected to enter buildings and atmospheres that are unsafe due to fire, oxygen deficiencies, etc. and perform very strenuous types of work carrying heavy equipment and victims.
Work Environment: Working conditions will include heavy physical exertion, extreme heat, smoke and dust in enclosed smoke filled places, in all types of weather.

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

• Fire Management
• First Response
• Hazardous Materials

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.

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.