Summary This Firefighter (Intermediate Life Support) position is in the Fire and Security service at the VA Maine Healthcare System, located at the Togus, ME location. This position is full-time at 48-72 hours per week. Responsibilities The incumbent serves as one of two Firefighter (Intermediate Life Support, Advanced EMT) in the Fire Department at the Togus VA Medical Center. Duties may include, but are not limited to: Performs such firefighting duties as determining the nature and extent of the fire, the appropriate action required to mitigate the fire, laying and disconnecting hose lines, directing fire streams, operating firefighting equipment, ventilation of burning buildings, performing evacuations and rescues, administering appropriate emergency treatments, etc. Drives and operates the two fire engines and other Fire Department vehicles. Operates fire pumps, foam generators, nozzles, and other similar firefighting equipment. Performs checks, tests, and maintenance on Fire Department vehicles and equipment. Responds to all structural fire alarms and medical emergencies at the Medical Center and rural communities surrounding the Medical Center with mutual aid agreements. Provides non-invasive and invasive medical procedures as authorized by Maine Emergency Medical Services and/or the Medical Center Medical Director or his/her designated physician. Performs routine maintenance and/or inspection of fire extinguishers, tools, firefighting equipment, fixed fire protection equipment, and related items. May assist in training new Fire Department employees of the Medical Center to ensure they are familiarized with the fire apparatus, the fire protection systems, and the Medical Center's buildings. May be assigned to conduct emergency medical services continuing education classes for other Firefighter Advanced EMTs or Firefighter Emergency Medical Technicians, as well as other Staff, Veterans, or Visitors requesting training. When requested, the incumbent will perform other miscellaneous functions required such as: on campus patient transports, deceased Veteran transports, search and rescue operations, snow removal, after hours maintenance emergencies, and elevator reset/rescues. Conducts fire and life safety inspections of patient and employee living areas, office areas, medical treatment areas, warehouses, maintenance shops, recreational facilities, food service areas, storage buildings, construction areas, etc. Assists with pre-fire planning, draws evacuation route blue prints, familiarizes themselves with fixed fire protection systems and equipment, building construction, location of hazardous materials, and emergency shut off valves. Conducts and documents fire and safety training for Veterans, Staff, Volunteers, and Visitors during New Employee Orientation and upon request. Conducts scheduled fire and evacuation drills in healthcare, ambulatory healthcare, business, and assembly occupations. Performs radio and telephone communications; operates fire alarm systems; prepares written reports, and makes required entries in logbook; files records on equipment, work, tests, maintenance, etc. Responds to hazardous materials incidents; performs such duties as detection of the presence of hazardous materials, securing the area, identifying the hazardous material, controlling further spillage, mitigating danger to bystanders, and coordinating clean up procedures. Assists Hazardous Materials Technicians and other hazmat personnel. Maintains and cleans hazardous materials response equipment and supplies including protective clothing, self-contained breathing apparatus, wet and dry agents. Prepares Interim Life Safety Measure (ILSM) inspection paperwork searching for unsafe conditions that could possibly endanger Veterans, Staff, Volunteers, and Visitors of the Medical Center. Work Schedule: TBD; This position involves rotating shift work, forty-eight (48) to seventy-two (72) hours per week. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Firefighter (Intermediate Life Support)/PD02677A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Must pass pre-employment physical examination. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/13/2025. 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-08 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. 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 a Firefighter 1 and 2 in accordance with NFPA 1001 Certification as a Fire Inspector 1 and 2 in accordance with NFPA 1031-Must be obtained within 24 months from date of hire Certification as Apparatus operator pumper (driver/operator) NFPA 1002-Must be obtained within 24 months from date of hire Certification as Hazardous materials awareness and operations NFPA 472 Certification in NRAEMT AEMT certification level (AEMT or Paramedic) VA directive 1695, OR State of Maine License for AEMT Must possess a valid State Driver's License. NOTE: We cannot accept photographs; therefore, please do not submit a copy of your license with your application package. If an interview is requested, you will be required to provide a copy of your current, valid-state issued Driver's License. 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 as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: 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. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Critical Thinking Fire Management Organizational Stewardship 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. The firefighter must be able to lift in excess of 50 pounds and have the physical ability to perform firefighting duties while wearing personal protective equipment that weight between 50-70 pounds. Work Environment: The work environment is varied. Work is performed indoors and outdoors, in areas where it is dirty, dusty, noisy, or greasy, outside hot and cold, inclement/bad weather, and occasionally in areas where there is danger of exposure to asbestos dust from insulation. Work involves exposure to fires, noxious gases from burning materials, handling of frightened persons, and other non-intrinsically safe environments. Firefighting hazards are recurring and require the use of specialized firefighting safety equipment, clothing, and procedures. 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/. Education There is no educational substitution at this grade level. A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Notifications: Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees. Interchange Agreements with Other Merit System: Employees who occupy medical or medical-related positions and were appointed under 38 U.S.C. 4701(1) or (3) [formerly 38 U.S.C. 4104 (1) and (3)] must be serving in a full-time position without time limit and have served continuously for at least one year in this other merit system to be eligible to convert to the Title 5 System. Some exceptions to this rule may apply if you have previously acquired tenure under a Title 5 appointment. Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and @type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held. This position is a AFGE Bargaining Unit position. Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
