SUMMARY

The Lead Firefighter performs work to control and extinguish fires, rescue persons endangered by fire, and reduce or eliminate fire hazards at the VA Medical Center in Tomah, WI.

Certifications Required:

• Firefighter II
• Hazardous Materials, Operations Level
• Emergency Medical Technician (National Registry or Wisconsin State)
• Fire Apparatus Driver/Operator - Pumper
• Incident Command Systems ICS-100 & 200
• National Incident Management Systems ICS-700 & 800
• Fire Inspector II
• Fire Officer I

QUALIFICATIONS

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position.
DRIVER’S LICENSE: All applicants must possess a current, unrestricted valid state Driver’s License.
To qualify for this position at the GS-8 level: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-7) in the federal service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Lead Firefighter (Basic Life Support). 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. At this level, assignments would have been performed independently, with little or no supervision, only consulting with the supervisor when unusual problems are encountered. Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week.
This position includes Selective Placement Factors (skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration.
The Selective Placement Factors for this position are:

** Copies of certifications must be submitted at the time of application

• Current and valid Certification as Firefighter II (IFSAC or Pro Board)
• Current and valid Hazardous Materials Certification at the Operations or Technician Level (IFSAC or Pro Board)
• Current and valid National Registry or State of Wisconsin Emergency Medical Technician certification
• Current and valid Certification as Fire Apparatus Driver/Operator - Pumper (IFSAC or Pro Board)
• Current and valid Certification as Fire Officer I (IFSAC or Pro Board)
• Current and valid Certification as Fire Inspector II (IFSAC or Pro Board)
• Successful completion of Incident Command Systems courses ICS-100 & 200
• Successful completion of National Incident Management Systems courses ICS-700 & 800

Note: Fire Instructor I certification must be obtained within 24 months of employment.
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.

You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:

• Attention to Detail
• Decision Making
• Interpersonal Skills
• Oral Communication
• Selective Placement Factor
• Technical Competence

IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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.
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 can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Physical Requirements: Must maintain an adequate level of physical fitness to react quickly and have the stamina to endure the physical exertion and stress of firefighting, they must complete 1 hour of physical activity per day per the NFPA 1500 and annually complete a Fire Department Physical Agility Test outline in NFPA 1500 and NFPA 1583. Fire Department personnel must complete an annual Firefighter physical with Employee Health to be cleared for duty. Incumbent must maintain physical condition to don personal protective equipment consisting of coat, helmet, boots, gloves, bunker pants, and self-contained breathing apparatus, which weighs 75 pounds. Incumbent must wear this equipment when responding to and during all emergency calls regardless of temperature. Incumbent is expected to enter buildings and atmospheres that are unsafe due to fire, oxygen deficiencies, etc. and perform very strenuous types of work carrying heavy equipment and victims. The requirements of the job are such that the incumbent must maintain alertness, self-control and emotional stability when working under conditions of stress, confusion, panic and where physical injury or death are present.
Working Conditions: Include heavy physical exertion, extreme heat, smoke, and dust in enclosed smoke-filled places, in alltypes of weather. Incumbent is subject to overtime call-back and mandatory overtime to ensure mandatory compliance with minimum crew staffing requirements.
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: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).
Your responses to the assessment questionnaire will be reviewed along with the information provided in your resume and supporting documentation to determine if you are qualified for the position. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered and/or you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.
The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate’s abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

Candidates who apply under All U.S. Citizens announcements will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. Qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The categories are defined as follows:

• Best qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position;
• Highly qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the requirements of the job;
• Well qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the job; and
• Qualified - applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors.

Application of Veterans’ Preference: Category rating and selection procedures place those with veteran’s preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligible applicants that meet the eligibility and qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category (except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher).
It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.
Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

IF YOU ARE RELYING ON YOUR EDUCATION TO MEET QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

Major duties and responsibilities include:

• Serves a work leader distributing and balancing workload, instructing employees in specific tasks and job techniques, providing on-the-job training to new employees, and resolving simple and informal employee complaints
• Performs 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 and CPR with AED at medical emergencies
• Drives and operates firefighting apparatus of significant complexity
• Performs other related duties as assigne

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50’s (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• Firefighter II, HAZMAT operations or technician, EMT, Fire Apparatus Driver/Operator - Pumper, Fire Officer 1, Fire Inspector II, and National Incident Management Systems ICS-700 & 800 and Incident Command Systems courses ICS-100 & 200 certifications
• Fire Instructor I
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcrip