Clarification from the agency

This is a Direct Hiring Authority Notice open to the Public using Certain Personnel of the Department of Defense DHA.

• Serves as a fully trained member of a firefighting crew engaged in a full range of emergency response to include: fire, emergency medical, hazardous materials, specialized rescue, and natural disasters.
• Controls and extinguishes fires, operates hose lines, performs fire ground operations to include forcible entry, ventilation, search and rescue and salvage and overhaul.
• Drives and operates a full range of complex vehicles and apparatus to include fire engines, ladder trucks, technical rescue apparatus, medic units, and response trailers operating onboard systems.
• Performs advanced and detailed patient assessment by conducting a systematic evaluation of the patient’s condition. Conducts and interprets electrocardiograms (EKG) depending on personal certification and local protocols.
• Performs advanced airway techniques including the use of an esophageal or dual lumen airway device and oral intubation using laryngoscopy. Assists paramedic personnel in advanced life support situations in a developmental capacity.
• Serves as a Hazardous Material Technician (HMT) reacting to spills and releases or potential spills and releases of hazardous materials for the purpose of control, containment and confinement.
• Performs decontamination of victims and response personnel using various specialized equipment, to include but not limited to, chemical detection and monitoring devices.
• Alternates as Lead Firefighter responsible for directing and participating in firefighting activities, fire prevention functions, station and equipment maintenance, training and administrative duties.

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. citizen
• Tour of Duty: 144 hours per pay period (Position is subject to shift rotation and assignment to abnormal tours of duty.)
• Security Requirements: Non-Critical Sensitive
• Appointment is subject to the completion of a favorable suitability or fitness determination, where reciprocity cannot be applied; unfavorably adjudicated background checks will be grounds for removal.
• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Non-Exempt
• Selective Service Requirement: Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service.
• Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
• Physical Requirements: Required (Incumbent will be highly encouraged to participate in a physical fitness and wellness program during duty hours.)
• Certifications/Licenses: Firefighter 1 and 2, Hazardous Materials Technician, Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation, Emergency Medical Technician - Paramedic, Valid State Drivers License
• Age Requirement: Yes (See Additional Information)
• Bargaining Unit Status: Yes
• Individual must complete a pre-employment and an annual medical exam IAW DoD 6055.05-M to determine the reasonable likelihood of a firefighter’s ability to execute the arduous and rigorous essential functions of fire suppression and rescue.
• Selectees are required to have a REAL ID or other acceptable identification documents to access certain federal facilities. See https://www.tsa.gov/real-id for more information.
• Term Appointment may be converted to permanent (See Nest Steps section).
• This is a Mission Essential (ME) position. The incumbent may be required to report to work in the event of a natural disaster, inclement weather, or crisis.

Qualifications

To qualify for a Firefighter (Paramedic/Hazardous Materials Technician) your resume and supporting documentation must support:

A. Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular competencies to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To qualify at the GS-09 level, applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-08 level or equivalent (internal candidates are permitted to have specialized experience at the GS-07 level due to no intervening grades) under other pay systems in the Federal service, military or private sector. Applicants must meet eligibility requirements including minimum qualifications, and any other regulatory requirements by the cut-off/closing date of the announcement. Creditable specialized experience includes: Creditable specialized experience includes:

GS-07:

• Assisting in performing a full range of firefighting duties such as combating fires, operating hose lines, making forced entries, and search and rescue.
• Experience conducting hazardous materials offensive operations and decontamination operations.
• Assisting in rescue operations.
• Performing basic life support at the emergency medical technician basic level.
• Determining proper emergency response/equipment needs in an emergency situation.

GS-08:

• Performing a full range of firefighting duties such as combating fires, operating hose lines,
• Making forced entries, and search and rescue.
• Performing or assisting in rescue operations.
• Performing emergency medical care at the intermediate/advanced level.

B. Selective Placement Factor (SPF): Department of Defense (DoD) 6055.06-M, "Fire and Emergency Services Certification Program" identifies the level of performance required for all DoD Fire and Emergency Services personnel. The certifications listed below are the minimum mandatory certification requirements for this position. DoD Incumbents shall possess DoD Certifications, or equivalent accredited certifications from the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) or the National Professional Qualifications System (Pro-Board):Accredited Certification:

• Firefighter I & II
• Hazardous Materials Technician

Note: Driver Operator Certification requirements are determined locally based on duty assignments. State of (Ohio, California, Virginia, Pennsylvania) Certifications:

• Emergency Medical Technician - Paramedic

Note: If you do not possess a certification for the state in which you are applying, you MUST have National Registry certification and be eligible for reciprocity requirements. Other Requirements:

• Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation Certification
• Valid State Driver's License

Note: Other training requirements that must be obtained within two years of employment and maintained: Emergency Vehicle Operator, (EVOC), Driver Operator - Aerial, and Driver Operator - Pumper.

C. Minimum Age Requirement:

• Will be less than 37 years of age at the time of appointment.

OR

• Will be 37 years of age or older at the time of appointment, but meet the following: (1) previously served in a DoD Firefighter position that was approved for Special Retirement Coverage and (2) after appointment to a DoD Firefighter position, be able to complete a total of 20 years of covered service as a Firefighter by the last day of the month in which I reach age 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, 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.

Physical Demands: The work involves extended periods of heavy moving and lifting. Generally, the work requires recurring bending, lifting, stooping, stretching, and positioning of patients, victims, fire hoses, fire extinguishers, and other equipment. Must be able to wear protective clothing and equipment weighing up to 100 pounds, while working in extreme heat and cold under adverse conditions, such as fire and smoke.

Work Environment: The employee works outside in all types of weather conditions. Employee is exposed to out-of-control fires, emergency medical scenes, and other dangerous situations. Is also exposed to the possibility of burns and other effects of smoke inhalation, heat, falling materials, explosions, toxic materials, infections, and contagious diseases, and other dangerous substances.

How you will be evaluated

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

Direct Hire Evaluation: Once the application process is complete, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the job requirements. This vacancy will be filled through a Direct Hire Authority. All applicants who meet the basic qualification requirements will be forwarded to the Selecting Official for consideration. The rule of Three, Veteran's Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to this vacancy. We will evaluate your application for basic eligibility and to determine if your experience meets the basic qualification requirements described in the announcement. All applicants who meet the qualifications and other basic requirement are eligible for referral and selection consideration. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating.

To apply for this position you must provide a complete Application Package. Each Application Package MUST include:

1. Your Resume: IMPORTANT UPDATE: Your resume must not exceed two (2) pages. If your resume exceeds the two-page limit, you will be removed from consideration for this announcement. The resume and required supporting documentation should provide the minimum qualifications and relevant experience for the announced position. Must include the work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment, and duties performed. If multiple resumes are submitted by an applicant, only the last resume submitted will be reviewed for qualifications and referred for selection consideration, if eligible. The resume must not be more than 5MB and should be saved and uploaded as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. Page margins should be 0.5 inches, and font styles must be legible. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text. We recommend using a font like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans.
2. Applicable documents to support the eligibility(s) for which you are applying. Please review the following link for a listing of the additional documents you will need to provide: Supporting Documents

Next steps