The primary goals of the lifeguard operation are to prevent drowning within the designated lifeguard area, to provide appropriate medical care to ill and injured visitors and to respond appropriately to incidents outside of the lifeguard area. The purpose of the position is to provide protection to visitors and to the resources. As a Surf Lifeguard at one of two protected beach units. The incumbent may be located in either district of Assateague Island National Seashore.

Duties

- Supervises park visitors by enforcing safety measures, providing information, and using a safety flag system to ensure compliance and cooperation. - Performs ocean surf rescues and provides medical care at the emergency medical responder level or higher, while participating in search and rescue operations. - Inspects beach areas to maintain park resources and correct deficiencies, reporting unrectified issues to appropriate personnel. - Educates visitors on laws, safety regulations, and park policies, conducting surf safety presentations to highlight potential hazards and wildlife interactions. - Manages found items by reporting and safeguarding them, and ensures accurate data entry for daily reports and incident records. - Maintains, inspects, and stores assigned equipment for immediate readiness and drives to various district locations as needed. Physical Demands: The duties affiliated with this position are considered rigorous; as such, the incumbent will be required to meet prescribed medical standards prior to employment in accordance with RM-57. The work requires daily strenuous physical exertion including running ½ mile or more with heavy rescue equipment, swimming long distances against currents and strong surf with heavy victims in tow and lifting and carrying heavy persons through large breaking waves. The incumbent will be using various rescue devices such as rescue fins, rescue kayaks and rescue paddleboards in the ocean surf zone environment where they may be paddling, swimming, and kayaking long distances through large breaking waves to execute effective rescues. The employee is required to exhibit an uncorrected visual acuity of 20/40 or better in each eye or a best corrected (contact lenses or spectacles) visual acuity of 20/20 or better. The work of the employee regularly includes long periods of sitting, standing, and running over uneven terrain. The employee will also be driving ATVs in adverse weather conditions. The duties of the position requires daily running and swimming and the employee must meet the prescribed physical requirements as measured by a timed swim of 500 yards in less than 10 minutes and a run of 1.25 miles in 12 minutes or less. Strenuous exertion is required in search and rescue operations. Work Environment: Most of the work is performed outdoors subject to weather variances such as extreme heat or cold, rainy conditions, and high UV indexes, cold water temperatures, large waves, and marine organisms. The employee is frequently exposed to high risk and potentially dangerous situations when involved in emergency response situations requiring the use of a wide range of personal protective gear. Emergency operations will require entry into hazardous environments, exposure to dangerous persons, animals, substances, and potential exposure to infectious diseases. The terrain can be uneven and consists of soft or hard packed sand mixed with seashells and other debris. This is an open continuous announcement, in which applications are collected over several months, and have multiple cut-off dates. Applications will be considered throughout the open period of the announcement. **INITIAL CUT OFF IS Thursday, January 16, 2025** Additional referral certificates will be issued when a hiring official exhausts current certificate and/or additional vacancies need to be filled. Government Housing may be available. Please contact the hiring manager(s) for availability.

Requirements

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-05/19/2025-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience. To qualify for this position at the GS-4 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least six months of general experience AND six months of specialized experience. General experience is any type of work that demonstrates your ability to perform the work of the position, or experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject areas of the occupation. Examples include working as a lifeguard at the YMCA, counselor at a summer camp, work as a leader with Boy Scout/Girl Scout clubs. Specialized experience is experience which is in the occupation of the position to be filled, in a related occupation, or in one of the specialized areas within that occupation, which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been at least equivalent to the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression of the occupation in the organization. Some examples of specialized experience are a) aid or assistant in the issuance of authorized property, and in the maintenance of inventory control and accountability for such property in a recreation facility; b) aid or assistant in a hotel or resort recreation service, with duties such as setting up areas for games, tournaments, and other organized group recreational activities; c) aid or assistant in the organization and administration of recreation activities, such as preparing calendars, maintaining attendance records, and providing information concerning schedules and activities; d)summer aid in a State or national park, with duties related to the recreational activities of visitors to campsites, trails, picnic areas, nature and raft centers, and boating and fishing areas (e.g. demonstrating camping techniques and park safety, conducting nature tours, and overseeing farm animal areas provided for children). You must include hours worked per week in your resume. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of 2 years of study above high school that included at least 12 semester hours in courses related to recreation (e.g., basic psychology, group dynamics, physical education, arts and crafts, etc.). You must include transcripts. -OR- Successful completion of a combination of work experience and education (includes 6 semester hours in courses related to recreation (e.g., basic psychology, group dynamics, physical education, arts, and crafts, etc.)) when added together would equal 100 percent of the needed qualifications for the position. You must include transcripts. Volunteer Experience: 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.

Education

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Contacts

• Address Assateague Island National Seashore 7206 National Seashore Lane Berlin, MD 21811 US
• Name: Becky Olson
• Email: [email protected]