Firefighter (Paramedic)

Summary

This position serves as a Firefighter (Paramedic) in the Fire Protection Section at the Veterans Maryland Healthcare System, Perry Point, MD. The Fire Protection Section is responsible for fire prevention, fire protection and fire suppression activities.

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Duties

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***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION***

Duties may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Utilizes all sources of information to investigate and determine the nature of the person's illness or extent of emergency.
• Performs initial and continuous patient assessment, as well as physical examination to determine patient care methods.
• Takes, records, and monitors patient's vital signs.
• Ascertains from patient or bystanders the patient's significant medical history, drug history and history of current event.
• Manages respiratory and cardiac emergencies to include performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and/or application of automatic external defibrillation (AED).
• Establishes communication with receiving facility and provides appropriate information through verbal report of patient condition and treatments provided, as well as estimated arrival time.
• Employs proper emergency medical techniques, treatments, and equipment to stabilize the patient and initiate transport as soon as possible.
• Prepares appropriate patient care reports and ensures documentation is appropriately filed.
• Responds to fire alarms or other emergencies and calls for assistance from both the Medical Center and the surrounding communities.
• Functions as driver/operator and is responsible for the efficient and safe operation of fire and rescue apparatus.
• Operates the Medical Center's emergency communications center and ensures that all fire alarms, supervisory alarms, and other emergency communications equipment are continuously monitored.
• Performs fire safety inspections of the Medical Center on a quarterly basis to identify and eliminate actual or potential fire hazards, including inspecting fire extinguishers for proper type, placement and operating condition, and inspection of fire detection and suppression systems.
• Performs as a first responder to hazardous materials incidents occurring on station and performs as a team member in determining the materials/chemicals involved, the degree of life hazard and potential environmental impact.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Rotating shifts of 72 hours per week.

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.

Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the 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
• Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
• 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 ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification 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) - See "Required Documents" below for details.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION AT THE GS-9 GRADE LEVEL, APPLICANTS MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA:

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY (SCREEN OUT): 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

DRIVER'S LICENCE (SCREEN OUT): You must possess and maintain a current and valid state-issued driver's license. NOTE: We cannot accept photographs, therefore; please do not submit a copy of your driver's license with your application package. Driver's License will be verified during interview.

AND

SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR (SCREEN-OUT): Selective Placement Factors (SPF) have been identified for this position. Selective Placement Factors (skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristics basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job) are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet them are ineligible for further consideration. NOTE: CERTIFICATIONS/LICENSE(S) MUST BE SUBMITTED BY THE CLOSING DATE TO RECEIVE CREDIT.

The Selective Placement Factors for this position are:

• Current and valid Firefighter I Certification in accordance with NFPA 1001
• Current and valid Firefighter II Certification in accordance with NFPA 1001
• Current and valid Emergency Medical Technician - Paramedic Certification in accordance with the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians
• Current and valid Fire Apparatus Operator (Driver/Operator) Certification in accordance with NFPA 1002
• Current and valid Hazardous Materials Operations Certification NFPA 472

AND

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: 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. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented in your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week to be credited.

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.

AND

MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS: Applicants for positions that have duties of an arduous or hazardous nature must meet the medical standards described at: 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.

In addition to meeting the criteria above , Quality Ranking Factors* have been identified to help determine which of the basically qualified applicants are likely to be better qualified for a position.

The quality ranking factors for this position are: Fire Inspector I Certification and Fire Inspector II Certification in accordance with NFPA 1031. These certifications are not required for employment; however, they must be obtain within two (2) years of employment for continued Federal employment.

* Quality Ranking Factor s are skills, knowledge, abilities, or other worker characteristics which could be expected to result in superior performance on the job. Quality ranking factors will not be used for screening but may be used as ranking criteria. Applicants with higher proficiency levels may rank above those with lower proficiency levels on a quality ranking factor.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Additional information

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

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.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 80 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.