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Summary This position is located in the Fire Department of Facility Management Service at VA Finger Lakes Healthcare System - Bath VA Medical Center in Bath, NY. Responsibilities ***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** DESIGNATED DRUG-TESTING POSITION: 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. Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test result is received. The Firefighter (Basic Life Support/Hazardous Material Technician) is responsible for performing work to control and extinguish fires, rescue persons endangered by fire and reduce or eliminate potential fire hazards. The Firefighter (BLS/HMT) also serves as a pre-hospital provider who is trained at the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Basic Life support level to care for patients in transport by ambulance to a hospital. Major duties and responsibilities include but not limited to: Serving as a team member effectively controlling and extinguishing fires Combating fires in a variety of settings including residences, a 7 store hospital, multiple story office buildings, carpenter shop, paint shop, electric shop, general repair shop, warehouse, fuel storage areas, public assembly areas, bush and wooded areas Providing stand-by as required for hazardous operations such as confined space entry, helicopter landings and liquid oxygen delivery Performing daily preventative maintenance inspections of apparatus and equipment and basic operator maintenance Providing non-professional medical care as ambulance driver and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Providing assessment of patient to physician or nurse who relies on these observations to provide additional treatment Maintaining proper serviceability of ambulance equipment and replacing medical and expendable supplies Performing fire inspector duties in areas where hazards are expected to be encountered and pre-fire planning by physically going through structures with supervisors and locating any possible hazards as well as established fire protection systems Responding to incidents including accidents occurring in one of the VA buildings as a member of the Medical Center Hazardous Materials Response Team (HMRT) Performing other related duties as assigned Work Schedule: Irregular, 24 hour shifts Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved 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 You may be required to serve a probationary period 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) Qualifications MINIMUM REQUIREMENT: The following are minimum requirements for appointment as a Firefighter (BLS/HMT) in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), which all applicants must met. 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. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (i.e., GS-06) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. 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.) AND 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. (NOTE: COPIES OF YOUR CURRENT CERTIFICATIONS/LICENSE(S) MUST BE SUBMITTED BY THE CLOSING DATE TO RECEIVE CREDIT.) The Selective Placement Factors for this position are: Certification as Firefighter II in accordance with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1001 ~AND~ Certification as Hazardous Materials Operations Level Responders in accordance with Chapter 5, Core Competencies of, in NFPA 472 ~AND~ Emergency Medical Technician certification in the state in which the VA fire department is located (i.e., New York) or the National Registry certification ~AND~ Certification as Fire Apparatus Driver/Operator in accordance with NFPA 1002 AND DRIVER'S LICENSE: You must possess a current valid Driver's License from a State. (NOTE: We cannot accept photographs, therefore; please do not submit a copy of your driver's license with your application package. If an interview is requested, you may be required to provide a copy of your current and valid state-issued driver's license.) AND 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. AND 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 firefighter service by the time the 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. Medical Requirements: Applicants for positions that have duties of an arduous or hazardous nature must meet the medical standards described at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0000/fire-protection-and-prevention-series-0081/. Since individual positions may not include all such duties, a physical condition or impairment may be disqualifying for employment only if there is a direct relationship between the condition and the nature of the duties of the specific position to be filled. Employees in positions involving firefighting duties or other duties involving arduous physical exertion may be subject to periodic (e.g., annual) medical examinations following appointment to determine fitness for continued performance of the duties of the position. (See 5 CFR 339.) Any serious deviation from sound medical condition may be grounds for rejection, regardless of whether the condition is named below. Remediable defects or curable diseases will not exclude a person from consideration, but proof that such defects have been remedied or the disease cured must be received during the life of the eligible register before persons otherwise qualified may be considered for appointment under civil service rules. NOTE: Newly employed VA firefighters must obtain Fire Inspector II in accordance with NFPA 1031 within 24 months of employment. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Compliance Inspection Fire Management First Response 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: The incumbent must pass a fitness for duty physical. This physical will include examinations for both firefighter and hazardous materials response. The medical examination will include a history relating to the handling and exposure to hazardous materials and the incumbent's ability to wear any required personal protective equipment including respirators, under conditions including temperature extremes that may be expected at the work site. 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 (excluding ambulance) 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. 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. Additional Information 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.