Incumbent serves a Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic in the Fire Protection Section of the Safety and Occupational Health Service working a 48-hour shift, 72-hour work week. Primarily, fire protection responsibility includes a 450-bed Medical Center that is part of the VA Maryland Health Care System, consisting of three medical centers, one satellite nursing home, two satellite outpatient clinics and several outreach centers.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/10/2025. 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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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. 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. In order to qualify for this position, you must meet the following Minimum qualification: Specialized Experience Requirements: 1 year equivalent to at least the next lower grade level of GS 7 and experience that demonstrated the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position. 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. A Valid State motor vehicle operator's license is required. Applicant may be required to provide their license at the time of interview. In addition to the minimum requirements, this position requires the the following certifications: Emergency Medical Technician Paramedic (EMT-P) certification in the state of Maryland or the national registry certification. Pro-Board Certification as Operations Level Responders in accordance with Chapter 5, Core Competencies of, in NFPA 472. **To be eligible for employment as a VA firefighter, each potential employee must have received Certification as Firefighter II in accordance with NFPA 1001, and must have received Certification as Operations Level Responders in accordance with Chapter 5, Core Competencies of, in NFPA 472. Newly employed VA firefighters must obtain Fire Inspector II in accordance with NFPA 1031 within 24 months of employment. ** If you do not have all of the above certifications you will be rated ineligible. Certifications MUST be submitted with required documents. Please note failure to submit any required certifications will result in the non-referral of the applicant. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Compliance Inspection Fire Management First Response Oral Communication Vehicle Operation 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: Moderate to heavy physical effort is required when reaching, bending, climbing, turning or moving hands, arms and feet in the performance of firefighting duties. Incumbent is required to participate in a physical fitness program. 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/.
Duties Include but not limited to: Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic (Advanced Life Support) 50% Utilizes all sources of information to investigate and determine the nature of the person's illness or extent of emergency. Performs initial and continuous patient assessment, as well as physical examination to determine patient care methods. Takes, records, and monitors patient's vital signs. Ascertains from patient or bystanders the patient's significant medical history, drug history and history of current event. Manages respiratory and cardiac emergencies to include performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and/or application of automatic external defibrillation (AED). Controls external bleeding with direct pressure and/or tourniquet. Assesses and treats as necessary for shock including providing intravenous access and fluid infusion. Applies appropriate oxygen therapy to patient as dictated by nature of illness and vital signs. Splints and immobilizes fractures and dislocations for transport using spinal boards, traction splints, and other extrication devices. Fire Suppression/First Responder 25% Incumbent responds to fire alarms or other emergencies and calls for assistance from both the Medical Center and the surrounding communities. They perform the duties of nozzleman, hose man, hydrant man or fire apparatus driver/operator as assigned by the shift supervisor. Operating as a member of a team during fire response, the incumbent selects the proper supply or attack hose lines, places these lines in service, selects appropriate tools, dons self-contained breathing apparatus, affects forcible entry into structures, advances a hose line to the seat of the fire, effects extinguishment, and performs search and rescue operations. Additional firefighting responsibility includes selecting, placing and raising ground ladders, ventilating the involved structure to release gases and control the fire, performing salvage duties to protect property not currently affected by the fire and performing overhaul functions to ensure that visible and concealed fire has been extinguished. Incumbent is responsible for adhering to the established Standard Operating Guidelines of the Fire Protection Section as established by the Fire Chief. Fire Safety Inspector 15% Incumbent performs fire safety inspections of the Medical Center on a quarterly basis to identify and eliminate actual or potential fire hazards. Inspection responsibility includes inspecting fire extinguishers for proper type, placement and operating condition, and inspection of fire detection and suppression systems. Incumbent conducts quarterly flow tests of wet and dry pipe sprinkler systems and annual flow tests of fire hydrants, identifying and documenting deficiencies or impairments, and initiating action to assure correction. Incumbent conducts fire drills as assigned by the shift supervisor to evaluate employee knowledge of the fire plan and to identify those areas in need of improvement. Hazardous Materials Operations 10% Incumbent is a first responder to hazardous materials incidents occurring on station and performs as a team member in determining the materials/chemicals involved, the degree of life hazard and potential environmental impact. When requested, incumbent responds with the appropriate equipment to hazardous materials incidents in the surrounding communities. Work Schedule: 72-hour shifts, 144 hours per pay period; 48hrs on then 72hrs off , 48hrs on then 72hrs off , and 48hrs on then 48hrs off , including weekends and holidays. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Firefighter (Paramedic)/PD23161-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: No Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): No Permanent Change of Station (PCS): No