Lead Firefighter (Basic Life Support) Job in Grand Coulee, WA

Vacancy No. BOR-CPN-26-IMP-12807776-SP Department Bureau of Reclamation
Salary $55,328.00 to $71,932.00 Grade 8 to 8
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 12/22/2025 Close Date 1/4/2026
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Grand Coulee, WA


Summary

Reclamation is seeking a career professional looking for an opportunity to capitalize on their expertise as a Lead Firefighter (Basic Life Support). You can make a difference in the West by assisting in meeting increasing water demands while protecting the environment.

Duty Location: Grand Coulee, Washington https://www.usbr.gov/pn/about/hr/area-information.html

This job is open to

Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of the hiring agency that posted the job announcement.

Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.

Land and base management

Current or former employees of a base management agency.

Clarification from the agency

See Who May Apply under Requirements for more information on who is eligible to apply for this position.

Duties

- Leading a crew of three or more firefighters, assigned to man a major piece of motorized firefighting equipment such as a pumper, aerial ladder truck, or wildland vehicle in firefighting and rescue operations.

- Directing Firefighting crew in the operation and maintenance of firefighting vehicles and equipment.

- Directing assigned crew in the performance of firefighting and rescue duties at a large hydropower facility, the performance of structural and wildland firefighting duties, and the performance of Basic Life Support duties.

- Leading assigned crew and performs emergency rescue of personnel and a variety of first aid measures to alleviate further injury and prepare the victim(s) for transport to a medical facility.

- Comply with health, safety, and environmental rules and procedures and performs work in a manner that enhances the safety of the work environment.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National.
  • You must be suitable for federal employment, determined by a background investigation.
  • You must submit a resume and supporting documentation (see Required Documents).
  • You must submit eligibility documents for veterans consideration (see Required Documents).
  • You must maintain a valid State Driver's License at all times as the position requires operation of government vehicles on government and public roads. Failure to maintain a valid State Driver's License at all times will result in removal from the position.
  • You will be required to obtain a successful pre-employment physical examination by a licensed physician certifying your ability to perform the duties of this position. A physical exam may not be required if a comparable agency approved examination was performed within the last 12 months. The cost of the exam will be reimbursed by the agency.
  • You will be required to submit to a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment as a condition of employment. This position is also subject to random drug testing.
Who May Apply:
  • Bureau of Reclamation Employees (Competitive)
  • Bureau of Reclamation Employees (Non-Competitive)
  • Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)
  • Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA)

Qualifications

In order to be rated as qualified for this position, the HR Office must be able to determine that you meet the specialized experience requirement - this information must be clearly supported in the resume.

To qualify at the GS-08, you must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 in Federal service. Specialized experience at this level is defined as: 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 and/or; developing implementing, or providing training in fire protection and prevention. Such experience must also demonstrate experience leading a crew of fire fighters or similar personnel.

Required to have and maintain certifications as listed below:
Certification requirements through National Qualifications Board or International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) to meet NFPA standards as:

  • Fire Officer I;
  • Fire Inspector I & II;
  • Fire Instructor I;
  • Firefighter Level I & II;
  • Rescue Technician;
  • NWCG Wildland Firefighter Type II (Red Card);
  • Washington State EMT-B and/or NREMT-B (Screen-out)
These must be verifiable through documents submitted with application package, acceptable documents include copies official training certificates, DOD Certificate completion list, red card and/or official wildland firefighter training completion certificates, etc. Failure to submit documents that support completion of this required training will result in loss of consideration for this position at this time.

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.

Time-In-Grade: Current career or career-conditional employees of the Federal government, or former career or career-conditional employees, who have a break in service of less than one year, are required to meet the time-in-grade restriction of one year of Federal experience at the next lower-grade, with few exceptions outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b).

You must meet all Eligibility and Qualification requirements, including time-in-grade restrictions and any selective placement factors if applicable, by 01/04/2026.

Education

This position does not allow substituting education for experience.

Additional information

Your appointment may be subject to satisfactory completion of a probationary or trial period. If you are serving a probationary or trial period, your appointment will terminate the day before the anniversary date of your appointment (or sooner) unless your supervisor determines that finalizing your appointment would advance the public interest, meet the organizational goals and mission of the Department, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service.

Reclamation has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.

DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including applicant rights and responsibilities, please visit https://www.e-verify.gov/

This position is designated as a MODERATE RISK Public Trust position. It requires a fully completed and favorably adjudicated Public Trust Suitability Background Investigation (T2S or T2RS or equivalent) that is current (within the last 5 years). This is a condition of employment.

Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must certify registration with the Selective Service System or that the applicant is exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Go to: https://www.sss.gov

This is a bargaining unit position represented by International Association of Fire Fighters Local Union F-304.

Note: The maximum entry-age for this position shall not exceed age 37 unless you have sufficient prior Federal civilian firefighter experience or you are a preference eligible veteran. If you are a preference eligible veteran, you may be eligible for this position after your 37th birthday. You must supply a copy of your Defense Department Form 214 (DD-214) along with Standard Form 15 (if applicable) and any associated documentation in accordance with the instructions in this vacancy announcement. Failure to provide this documentation with your application will result in loss of eligibility to receive a waiver of the maximum entry age requirement.

In order to fulfill their mission, firefighters may be scheduled in a 48-hour-on and 48-hour-off tour of duty. Eight hours in a work status per 24 hrs, the remaining time, 16 hours per 24hrs, is in a standby status, during which time the employee is at the station or nearby on the Project available to respond to any emergency. The standby time is used for rest, meals, and recreational activities.

Resume headers may be slightly larger but must remain legible. All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression. Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.For more information, click here.

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How you will be evaluated

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

Please limit your resume to no more than 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide to the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Leadership
  • Technical Competence
In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of additional assessment(s), including a minimum qualification questionaire and a structured resume review. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

The application questionnaire can be previewed here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12807776

Your answers will be verified against information provided in your resume. Your resume must clearly support the responses to all the questions by addressing experience, education, and/or training relevant to this position. You must make a fair and accurate assessment of your qualifications. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than what is apparent in the description of your experience, competencies, skills, and/or education/training (or that your resume/application is incomplete), you could be rated ineligible or your score could be lowered.

Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies with the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s). Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration. You may choose to opt in of having your information shared with other agencies when applying for this position. If an agency requests a copy of a certificate you are on, you will be notified.

Required training certificates: Fire Officer I; Fire Inspector I & II; Fire Instructor I; Firefighter Level I & II; Rescue Technician; NWCG Wildland Firefighter Type II (Red Card); Washington State EMT-B and/or NREMT-B (Screen-out)

Required Documents

Please submit the supporting documents outlined below applicable to your claimed eligibility status and the position and grade to which you are applying. Failing to submit required documents will result in non-consideration due to an incomplete application package.

RESUME: You must submit a resume that demonstrates how skills and experiences through job duties meet the qualifications and requirements listed in the job announcement to be considered for the job. Each job experience must include dates of employment including start and end dates (month and year), work schedule (full-time or part-time), and hours worked per week. Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text.

PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL: Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act/achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process. If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.

FEDERAL EMPLOYEES: Competitive Service current and/or former federal employees eligible for Promotion, Reassignment, Transfer, Reinstatement, etc. You must submit a copy of your SF-50, verifying highest rate of pay and documenting career or career-conditional status in the competitive service (Tenure 1 or 2) for which the applicant is claiming eligibility. Do not submit award SF-50s. If you are applying for a higher grade and your SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you meet the one year time-in-grade requirement so you will need to provide an SF-50 which clearly demonstrates you meet the time-in-grade requirements (examples of appropriate SF-50s include Promotions, Within-grade Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s with an effective date more than one year old). For more information, click here.

CAREER TRANSITION PROGRAMS: Permanent Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. You must submit a copy of your most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location. To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including selective factors, education and experience requirements) and score at least 85.0 on the assessment questionnaire as established, and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. For more information, click here.

VETERANS: Veterans preference eligible under VRA (GS-11 and below only), VEOA, 30% or more Disabled, or Disabled Veterans Enrolled in a VA Training Program. If you are claiming eligibility based on veterans preference entitlement, you must submit a copy of your latest Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (copy indicating character of service) or other proof of your service which includes character of service. If claiming disability preference, you must also submit the disability letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs or Armed Service and the Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, Standard Form 15. For more information, click here.

LAND MANAGEMENT WORKFORCE FLEXIBILITY ACT: Current or former land management agency appointees. You must submit (1) a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, that reflects having initially been hired under competitive examining procedures to a time limited (temporary/term) appointment; (2) a copy of SF-50(s), Notification of Personnel Action(s), that reflect having served under one (1) or more time-limited (temporary/term) appointments by a land management agency for a period totaling more than 24 months without a break in service of two (2) or more years; and (3) a copy of your Performance Appraisal Plan and/or Supervisor Memorandum that reflects having performed at an acceptable level during each period of service. For more information, click here.

PUBLIC LAND CORPS: Former PLC members. You must provide a copy of your signed Certificate of Non-Competitive Eligibility and clearly state in your resume time served and duties performed on an appropriate conservation project. For more information, click here.

OTHER HIRING AUTHORITIES: Applicants claiming eligibility based on a Special Hiring Authority must submit applicable proof of eligibility as outlined in the following site(s): Special Hiring Authorities, Schedule A, Peace Corps & AmeriCorps, Interchange Agreement, Military Spouse.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

Applications (resume, assessment questionnaire, and supporting documentation) for this vacancy MUST be received online BEFORE midnight Eastern Time (Washington, DC time) on 01/04/2026. To apply, click the blue APPLY ONLINE button at the top of the page.

Do not submit photographs with the application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - applicant must remove any images from badges, licenses, etc.

Agency contact information

BOR C-PN Region 9 Human Resources Office
Email
bor-sha-cpnjobs@usbr.gov
Address
Grand Coulee Power Office
Bureau of Reclamation
Grand Coulee Power Office
Hwy 155 P.O. Box 620
Grand Coulee, WA 99133
US

Next steps

Upon successful submission of the application packet, you will receive a confirmation email from USAJOBS. If you do not receive this email confirmation, the application has not yet been accepted by the system.

After all application packages have been received, resumes and supporting document(s) will be reviewed to ensure applicants meet the basic qualification requirements. Each applicant who meets the basic qualifications will be further evaluated on the information provided in the resume, application questionnaire, and other assessment criteria identified in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section above. Best-qualified applicants will be referred to the selecting official. After making a tentative job offer, a suitability and/or security background investigation will be conducted. A final job offer is typically made within 40 days after the deadline for applications. Applicants should monitor their status for positions with the Bureau of Reclamation by regularly checking their public status notifications in the USAJOBS profile.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.