Firefighter (Basic Life Support/Hazardous Material Technician)

There are two (2) positions located in the Fire Department of the Facilities and Engineering Service at the VA Central Arkansas Healthcare System - Eugene J. Towbin Healthcare Center in North Little Rock, AR. The Firefighter (BLS/HMT) is responsible for operating all extinguishing agents, sprinkler systems and standpipe risers, performing work to control and extinguish fires, rescuing persons endangered by fire or other hazardous situations, and reducing or eliminating potential fire hazards.Qualifications: Minimum Requirement: The following are minimum requirements for appointment as a Firefighter (Basic Life Support/Hazardous Material Technician) in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). One of the following minimum requirement criteria must be met to be qualified for this position.

• Specialized Experience (GS-07): You must have one (1) year of specialized 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. (CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Your resume must show complete information for each job entry, such as beginning and ending dates of employment, duties performed, and/or total hours worked per week.)

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SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR: This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (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 requirement for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. (COPY OF CERTIFICATION REQUIRED: If you do not submit a copy of required certification, your application may not be reviewed.)

The Selective Placement Factors for this position are:

• To be eligible for employment as a VA firefighter, each potential employee must have received Certification as Firefighter II in accordance with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1001 and must have received Certification as Operations Level Responders in accordance with Chapter 5, Core Competencies of, in NFPA 472. ~AND~
• Certification as Hazardous Materials Technician in accordance with Chapter 5, Core Competencies of, in NFPA 472. ~AND~
  To be eligible for employment as, or promotion to, a VA driver/operator, each employee must have received certification as Driver/Operator Pumper in accordance with NFPA 1002. ~AND~
• All fire department personnel who are involved in Emergency Medical Services must meet the following requirements: Emergency Medical Technician certification in the state in which the VA fire department is located or the National Registry certification.

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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.

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DRIVER'S LICENSE: You must possess a current valid Driver's License from a State. (We cannot accept photographs, so please do not submit a copy of your license with your application package. You may be required to show your valid driver's license at the time of your interview.)

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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:

• Emergency Care
• Fire Management
• Leadership
• Stress Tolerance
• 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.

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: IMPORTANT: There is no educational substitution at this grade level.Employment Type: FULL_TIME