Summary Incumbent works under the general supervision of the Associate Director at the Chillicothe VA Medical Center and is responsible for the overall management and supervision of the fire protection, rescue, hazardous materials response, inspection, emergency medical Advanced and Basic Life Support (A/BLS), Pre-Hospital Care, and fire prevention services and programs for the Chillicothe VAMC and associated CBOCs. Relocation/Recruitment Incentive may be authorized for highly qualified candidates. Responsibilities Duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to: Implements policies and procedures of higher authorities, ensures compliance with Federal laws and standards, VA directives, policies, SOGs, and safety criteria by fire department personnel. Directs the Assistant Chiefs in daily fire protection inspection functions and participates in the same on a routine basis. Directs and oversees inspections, testing, and minor repairs of building fire protection and fire alarm systems, fire hoses, and extinguishers, and conducts flushing of firefighting water distribution systems. Maintains discipline and order among groups of persons in emergency situations to ensure a successful resolution of any incident. Prepares documentation of inspection results and corrective actions. Makes recommendations for the elimination of such hazards from all other buildings and structures. Responsible for establishing performance standards and evaluating performance of assigned employees. Exercises supervisory responsibility for a firefighting and fire protection inspection team and provides general guidance for the Fire Section. Oversees the departments training program. Plans and initiates the initial response within the capabilities and competencies of available personnel, personal protective equipment, and control equipment. Develops, coordinates, and implements programs, policies, regulations, and procedures and serves as technical advisor to management on all matters pertaining to fire protection and prevention. Oversees/monitors all aspects of the Chillicothe VAMC Fire Section's Ambulance Program. Provides technical support upon request to facility Service Chiefs and supervisors in aspects of fire protection and medical emergency activity at the Chillicothe VAMC. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8 hour day schedule consisting of one 24-hour tour of duty per week, averages 112 hours per pay period. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Fire Chief/PD93112-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized. 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) 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, 01/22/2026. 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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. 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-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: (1) inspecting, controlling or extinguishing fires as a member of an organized military, industrial, volunteer, or governmental fire departmentor 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: Administration and Management Planning and Evaluating Technical Competence Financial Management Leadership Managing Human Resources Certification: VA fire department staffing at VA medical facilities that provide off-campus ambulance transport by the fire department, must include personnel trained to the level of Emergency Medical Technician Basic (EMT-B) or Emergency Medical Technician Paramedic (EMT-P). You must have attended and successfully completed a State of Ohio or Nationally registered certification class for Emergency Medical Technician Basic (EMT-B) or Emergency Medical Technician Paramedic (EMT-P) and must maintain such certification to meet requirements of this position at this level. A copy of certification must be submitted with application package. Certification: To be eligible for employment as a VA Fire Chief, each applicant must have certification as Fire Officer IV in accordance with NFPA 1021, certification as Fire Inspector II in accordance with NFPA 1031 and certification as Hazardous Materials Incident Commander in accordance with NFPA 472. A copy of certification must be submitted with application package. Proof of Certification includes: Nationally (International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) or National Professional Qualifications Board (ProBoard)) Fire Fighter I & II in accordance with NFPA 1001, Driver Operator Pumper in accordance with NFPA 1002, Fire Officer I, II, III & IV in accordance with NFPA 1021, Fire Inspector II in accordance with NFPA 1031 and Hazardous Materials Operator and Hazardous Materials Incident Commander in accordance with NFPA 472 and NIMS ICS-100, 200,300,400, 700 and 800. Preferred Experience: Experience managing fire protection and prevention programs, overseeing disciplinary actions and performance evaluations and managing a fire department training program. 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 situation. Activities involve prolonged periods 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 transport of persons. 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 / dangerous 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 physically injurious hazards. Firefighting hazards are recurring and require the use of specialized firefighting safety equipment, clothing, and procedures. The Firefighter/EMT can be exposed to airborne/blood borne pathogens, blood, vomit, and other infectious diseases transmitted from a patient, staff member or visitor to the VAMC. 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. 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 Receiving Service Credit for 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.
