This Firefighter (Basic Life Support) position is in the Facilities Management service at the VA Maine Healthcare System, located at the Augusta, ME location. This position is full-time at 72 hours per week.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/15/2025. 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-05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-04. For the GS-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. For the GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. 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. Selective Placement Factors: The applicant must possess the following accredited certifications in National Pro Board or International Fire Service Congress (IFSAC) (in Accordance to VA Directive 7718): Certification as Firefighter II, in accordance with NFPA 1001; Hazardous Materials Certification at the Operations Level, in accordance with Chapter 5, Core Competencies, in NFPA 472; Must obtain within 2 years of hire. State or national registry Emergency Medical Technician certification; Certification as Fire Apparatus Driver Operator, in accordance with NFPA 1002; Must obtain within 2 years of hire. AGE REQUIREMENT: Title 5 U.S.C. 3307 authorizes the head of any agency to establish a maximum entry age for the original appointment of individuals to the position of Firefighter. For initial appointments, applicants cannot have reached their 37th birthday by the day of appointment. Applicants who have passed the designated entry age limit noted, but who have previously served in a covered position may be eligible to re-enter the fire service if they: Meet all applicable qualifications for the position; and Will be able to complete a total of 20 years of covered and creditable Federal firefighter service by the time the Federal firefighter reaches the age of 57. Prior service in covered positions and creditable towards retirement may be subtracted from the applicant's age to determine if the Federal firefighter meets the maximum entry age. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04 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; (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. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a successful completion of a 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university with major study in Fire Science, Fire Training, or other related fields of study is qualifying for GS-5.. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond . You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Emergency Care Fire Management First Response Hazardous Materials Patient Care Technical Competence 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. Physical Requirements: Work requires the ability to perform strenuous physical activity for a long period of time, in an emergency. Activities involve prolonged period 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 patient transport. 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/.
This position involves rotating shift work, seventy-two (72) hours per week. The Fire Department operates 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, utilizing a two-platoon systems in which employees are assigned to alternating shifts. Major duties and responsibilities include: Performing fire protection and suppression duties Participates in all aspects of structural and land firefighting operations and rescue Serves as a hazardous materials first responder Performs first inspections and fire alarm maintenance Performs patient triage, employing a variety of established emergency medical techniques, methods, and equipment to stabilize the patient for transport Provides Basic Life Support CPR with AED at medical emergencies Drives and operates firefighting apparatus of significant complexity Drives an ambulance under non-emergency and emergency conditions Performs other related duties as assigned Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: TBD; This position involves rotating shift work, seventy-two (72) hours per week. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Firefighter (Basic Life Support)/PD04015A, PD03047A, and PD00447A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized