The Firefighter is assigned to the VA New Jersey Medical Center Fire Department in the Public Safety Service. The employee responds to fires and other emergencies in areas such as residences, multi-story patient care buildings, outpatient clinics and laboratories, multiple story office buildings, carpenter shop, paint shop, electric shop, general repair shop, warehouse, fuel storage areas, public assembly areas, brush and wooded areas. The position is located in Lyons, New Jersey.

Duties

This position involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed below represent the full performance level of GS-7. At the GS-5 & GS-6 grade levels, you will perform assignments of a more limited scope and with less independence. You will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-7. Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher-level work, and availability of funds. The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Duties include, but may not be limited to the following:

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/09/2024. 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-5 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-4. For a GS-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. For a GS-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6. 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. 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. SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR (SCREEN-OUT) - Several Selective Placement Factors (SPF) have been identified for Firefighter positions in accordance with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Selective Placement Factors (SPF) are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for the position. Applicants who do not meet the SPF are ineligible for further consideration. The SPFs for this position are: Required Accredited Certifications as follows: In accordance with National Protections Association (NFPA), applicant(s) must possess Certification as a Firefighter II and Certification as Hazardous Materials Operations Level Responders. (NOTE: Copy of Certification must be submitted with application) Requires current New Jersey or National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) Certification. (NOTE: Copy of Certification must be submitted with application) Requires a Hazardous Materials Operations Level Certification in accordance with Chapter 5, Core Competencies of, in NFPA 472. (NOTE: Copy of Certification must be submitted with application) Requires a current, valid Healthcare Provider Level CPR Certification. (NOTE: Copy of Certification must be submitted with application) In addition to the requirements above, applicant(s) must meet the following specialized experience requirements to qualify for each grade level as described below: GS-5 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-4 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) providing emergency medical first responder or higher medical level pre-hospital patient assessments by conducting systematic physical examinations to determine patient's condition and treatment; (2) controlling or extinguishing fires as a member of an organized military, industrial, volunteer, or governmental fire department or brigade; (3) rescue operations; (4) detection, reduction, or elimination of potential fire hazards; (5) operation of fire communications equipment; (6) controlling hazardous materials incidents and/or (7) developing, implementing, or providing training in fire protection and prevention. These assignments would have been performed of a more limited scope and with less independence, performed under close supervision, consulting with the supervisor on all matters of importance. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successful completion of a 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university with major study in Fire Science, Fire Training, or other related fields of study. (Transcript Required) OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. Only education in excess of 2 years is creditable for this requirement GS-6: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 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. Assignments would have been performed of a more limited scope and with less independence, performed under close supervision, consulting with the supervisor when problems are encountered; however, the degree of supervisory controls would be less than at the GS-5 grade level. GS-7: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-6 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. Working experience serving as a team member effectively controlling and extinguishing fires; knowledge of firefighting and fire prevention theory and techniques, provide non-invasive procedures following State and Federal Emergency Medical Basic Life Support Protocols; responding to hazardous material incidents; knowledge of fixed and mobile firefighting equipment operation, and/or; the ability to plan, direct, or carry out fire protection and prevention programs and operations. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: CommunicationsCustomer Service (Clerical/Technical)First ResponseMechanicalTechnical Competence 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. 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

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address VA New Jersey Health Care System 385 Tremont Avenue East Orange, NJ 07018 US
• Name: Asaph Blodgett
• Phone: 775-741-6581
• Email: [email protected]