Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities.
In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.
GS-05 Level:
Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes controlling or extinguishing fires as a member of an organized military, industrial, volunteer, or governmental fire department or brigade; assisting in rescue operations; utilizing firefighting tools such as hoses, nozzles, axes, radios, or ventilation equipment; operating fire communications equipment; or performing first aid and/or basic life support. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-04).
OR
Education: Four years of education above the high school level in an accredited college or university in Fire Science, Fire Training, or other related fields of study. NOTE: You must attach a copy of your transcripts for verification.
OR
Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of education by 120. Add the two percentages. NOTE: You must attach a copy of your transcripts for verification.
GS-06 Level:
Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes controlling or extinguishing fires as a member of an organized military, industrial, volunteer, or governmental fire department or brigade; performing rescue operations; operating fire communications equipment; performing first aid and/or basic life support; or performing hazardous materials containment and control duties such as access control or establishing a safe perimeter around the incident. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-05).
GS-07 Level:
Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes controlling or extinguishing fires as a member of an organized military, industrial, volunteer, or governmental fire department or brigade; performing rescue operations; performing first aid and/or basic life support; performing hazardous materials containment and control as a first responder; and employing hazard and/or risk assessment techniques to complete incident analysis. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-06).
Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. Education may be substituted for experience at the GS-05 level. However, for the GS-06 and GS-07 levels, qualification requirements must be met using experience alone, as no substitution of education for experience is permitted.
Selective Placement Factor: This position has selective placement factor which must be met prior to employment and for continued employment.
Maximum Entry Age (MEA)
The MEA for Firefighters is 37. Applicants not appointed by the last day of the month in which that individual reaches their 37th birthday shall not be appointed or assigned to these positions.
Maximum Re-entry Age
An employee who previously served on a covered position may be rehired past the MEA as long as he/she is able to complete 20 years of covered service by his/her mandatory retirement age. The maximum re-entry age for the individual is calculated by determining the total amount of time he/she has served on a covered position and subtracting that from age 57, if a firefighter. The employee's current age is compared to the calculated maximum re-entry age to determine if he/she can be rehired into the covered position.
Waivers to Maximum Entry Age
MEA may be waived, but only under specific circumstances and only if approved by the authorized entity: Waivers to MEA for firefighters must be approved by local Command.