Firefighter
What you'd do
This position is located at the Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center (MWEOC), Fire Services Branch. MWEOC is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, approximately 60 miles west of Washington, DC. The ideal candidate for this position will have experience in hazardous firefighting and rescue operations and currently hold the necessary firefighter certifications for the position.
Major duties
What will I do in this position if hired? In this position, you will serve as a Firefighter (Paramedic/Hazardous Materials Technician), responsible for following firefighting standards and techniques, performing procedures and firefighting operations. Typical assignments include: Using, operating and maintaining firefighting trucks and equipment (lines, hand tools, pumps, nozzles, foam generators. Operating specialized equipment to control and extinguish hazardous fire situations in a variety of structures. Performing advanced assessment and treatment of patients. Providing fire and safety training to supervisors and employees using a wide variety of materials, publications, exhibits, protective devices and visual aids. Extinguishing fires in situations involving hazards that are difficult to recognize and providing methods to reduce or eliminate. Firefighter Requirements at all grade levels: Maintain current EMS certification held upon hiring (EMT-P). Work Rotating shifts, including weekends, holidays and overtime when directed. Participate in tests and exercises during non-duty work hours, nights, weekends, holidays, when recalled. Report for duty during inclement weather, natural disasters, and other emergency situations directed by the Fire Chief (subject to recall to duty). Wear a uniform and safety apparel in accordance with established policies/procedures. Wear various Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to include respirators, masks, self-contained breathing apparatus, and armored vests, and equipment. Subject to periodic (e.g., annual) medical examinations following appointment to determine fitness for continued performance of the duties of the position. Successfully complete an annual Job Performance Test. Participate in a cardiovascular physical fitness program. Perform temporary duty travel for the purpose of obtaining specialized training and other fire and emergency service duties. Must pass a annual physical. Meet and maintain physical agility and stamina standards established for this position. What else do I need to know? At FEMA, our mission is to help people before, during and after disasters, and every employee at FEMA has a role in emergency management. Every FEMA employee has regular and recurring emergency management responsibilities, though not every position requires routine deployment to disaster sites. All positions are subject to recall around the clock for emergency management operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the employee's official position description. Travel requirements in support of emergency operations may be extensive in nature (weeks to months), with little advance notice, and may require employees to relocate to emergency sites with physically austere and operationally challenging conditions. Promotion Potential: Future promotions will be dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the continuing need for an employee assigned to the higher level, and administrative approval.
What you need to qualify
The qualification requirements listed below must be met by the closing date of this announcement. To qualify for this position at the GS-05 level, you must possess one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-04 level in the Federal government, which has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Experience may be obtained in the federal government, a state or local government, or private sector, and must demonstrate the following: Utilizing and maintaining firefighting and emergency equipment AND, Performing advanced life support functions (i.e., resuscitation, intubation, decompression) AND, Participating in worksite inspections to evaluate potential hazards. AND In addition to the minimum qualifications described above, you must possess the following minimum certifications to be considered qualified for the position. These are required to be uploaded at time of application, or the applicant will be found not qualified. Firefighter I Hazardous Materials Awareness Current State or National Registry Paramedic To qualify for this position at the GS-07 level, you must possess one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-06 level in the Federal government, which has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Experience may be obtained in the federal government, a state or local government, or private sector, and must demonstrate the following: Utilizing and maintaining firefighting and emergency equipment AND, Performing advanced life support functions (i.e., resuscitation, intubation, decompression) AND, Applying hazard and risk assessment techniques during hazardous materials incidents, OR Using chemical, biological, radiation (CBR) equipment. AND In addition to the minimum qualifications described above, you must possess the following minimum certifications to be considered qualified for the position. These are required to be uploaded at time of application, or the applicant will be found not qualified. Firefighter I Firefighter II Hazardous Materials Awareness Hazardous Materials Operations Driver/Operator Pumper Current State or National Registry Paramedic To qualify for this position at the GS-09 level, you must possess one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-08 level in the Federal government, which has equipped you with the skills needed to successfully perform the duties of the position. Experience may be obtained in the federal government, a state or local government, or private sector, and must demonstrate the following: Utilizing and maintaining firefighting and emergency equipment AND, Performing advanced life support functions (i.e., resuscitation, intubation, decompression) AND, Performing hazard and risk assessment techniques during hazardous materials incidents AND, Using, operating and maintaining chemical, biological, radiation (CBR) equipment. AND In addition to the minimum qualifications described above, you must possess the following minimum certifications to be considered qualified for the position. These are required to be uploaded at time of application, or the applicant will be found not qualified. Firefighter I Firefighter II Hazardous Materials Awareness Hazardous Materials Operations Hazardous Materials Technician Driver/Operator Pumper Driver/Operator Aerial State or National Registry Paramedic Please read the following important information to ensure we have everything we need to consider your application: Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position. Your resume serves as the basis for experience related qualification determinations, and you must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience and education (if applicable), as it relates to this job opportunity. Please use your own words, be clear, and specific when describing your work history. We cannot make assumptions regarding your experience. Are you qualifying based on your work experience? Qualifications are based on your ability to demonstrate in your resume that you possess one year of the specialized experience for this announcement at a comparable scope and responsibility. To ensure all of the essential information is in your resume, we encourage you to use the USAJOBS online Resume Builder. If you choose to use your own resume, it must contain the following information organized by experience/position: (1) job title, (2) name of employer, (3) start and end dates of each period of employment (from MM/DD/YY to MM/DD/YY), (4) detailed description of duties performed, accomplishments, and related skills, and (5) hours worked per week (part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience). Federal experience/positions must also include the grade level, occupational series and dates in which you held each grade level. Are you a current or former FEMA Reservist/Disaster Assistance Employee (DAE)? To accurately credit your experience from intermittent positions and Reservist Deployments, you must list the dates (from MM/DD/YY to MM/DD/YY) of deployments that are relevant to your qualifying experience, along with the job title and specific duties you were responsible for during each deployment. Determining length of General or Specialized Experience is dependent on the above information. Failure to provide the above information in your resume may result in your application being found "not qualified. 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 provides valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. For additional information on crediting experience and/or education, please reference the OPM General Schedule Qualification Standards.
Before you apply
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