This incumbent serves as the Assistant Fire Chief (Training Officer) in the Fire Section, Public Safety Service at the Battle Creek VA Medical Center (BCVAMC). The BCVAMC is primarily a Neuropsychiatric facility with 360 beds consisting of inpatient, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Substance Abuse, Nursing Home, Palliative Care, and Dementia Units. There is also a Transitional Living Program and a youth training program sponsored by the Michigan Army National Guard.

Duties

Incumbent is responsible for assisting the Chief, Fire Section with the overall management and supervision of the fire protection, rescue, hazardous materials response, emergency medical basic and advanced life support, and fire prevention services and other fire-related programs of the BCVAMC. The incumbent will assist the Chief, Fire Section with the responsibility of the direct supervision of 15 FTEE and 10 Intermittent staff consisting of two 0081-GS-10 Supervisory Firefighters, one 0081-GS-10 Supervisory Firefighter (Paramedic), six 0081-GS-09 Firefighter (Paramedics), three 0081-GS-08 Fire Inspectors, three 0081-GS-07 Firefighter (Basic Life Support), three 0640- GS-06 Medical Care Transportation Technicians (Paramedics), and seven 0640-GS-05 Health Technician Aids. The fire protection and prevention programs require special procedures and equipment, and continuous review, innovative methods, and techniques based on the Veterans Affairs (VA), Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA), and The Joint Commission (TJC) standards, that necessitates constant communications with various managers and supervisors in fire protection and prevention. Duties will include but not be limited to: Incumbent works Monday through Friday, 8-hour days consisting of one 24-hour tour of duty per week which averages to 112 hours per pay period to accomplish the goals and mission of the BCVAMC. The incumbent will occasionally work overtime for staffing purposes. Serves as the Incident Commander (IC) on fire, hazardous materials, and confined space emergencies. Develops a training program, provides instruction, and provides overall program oversight to the program.. Assists the Emergency Management Specialist with associated tasks.. Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing. Performs Emergency Medical Services Program (EMS) oversight. Coordinates and schedules assigned tasks to subordinates. Provides direct supervision and completes supervisory level tasks, such as performance appraisals and disciplinary actions. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8 hour day schedule consisting of one 24-hour tour of duty per week, averages 112 per pay period. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Assistant Fire Chief/PD91423O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/30/2023. 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-10. 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. SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR: This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (SPF) which is a prerequisite to appointment and represents minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet the SPF are ineligible for further consideration. The SPF for this position is: Current, valid state Driver's License. [A REDACTED COPY OF YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE IS REQUIRED]. If you do not submit a copy of your driver's license, your application will not be reviewed. Incumbent is required to possess a valid state driver's license and employee must participate in a drug testing program. Incumbent must be certified within the first 24-months of appointment at the following levels: Fire Officer III, Fire Instructor II, Fire Inspector II, Hazardous Materials Incident Commander, and NIMS ICS-100, 200, 300,400, 700 & 800. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-10 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) 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. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Education and TrainingEmergency ManagementFire ManagementPartnering 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 emergency situations. Activities involve prolonged periods of time standing, walking, bending, crouching, and carrying heavy firefighting tools in excess of 50 pounds and related equipment associated with the performance of such duties as maintenance, testing, inspections, drills, suppression, and transport of persons. Work also involves the operation of motor vehicles. Work Environment: Work involves exposure to fires, noxious gases from burning materials, handling of frightened persons, and other non-intrinsically safe environments. Firefighting hazards are recurring and require the use of specialized firefighting safety equipment, clothing, and procedures. Emergency medical responses will require the use of body isolation precautions (BSI) because of the possibility of exposure to bloodborne and airborne diseases. 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Battle Creek VA Medical Center 5500 Armstrong Road Battle Creek, MI 49037 US
• Name: Jamie Cole
• Phone: (269) 832-1641
• Email: [email protected]