Firefighter (Paramedic)

Summary

This vacancy announcement has been extended. 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.

Duties

• ***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 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

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: 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. 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 Factors 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 https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Requirements

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: Moderate to heavy physical effort is required when reaching, bending, climbing, turning or moving hands, arms and feet in the performance of firefighting duties. Position is required to participate in a physical fitness program. 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 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.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online assessment and submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13041194. The application process is as follows: To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date, 09/09/2026. After submitting the online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you via email notification. The email may be routed to your "Spam" or "Junk" folder. IMPORTANT: If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. Click here for Computer System Requirements. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can re-use the URL sent to you via email and also found in your USAJOBS account under the "Track my application" link for the corresponding application. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To view the announcement status or your application status: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed. Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started. Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume: Prioritize most relevant and recent experience Use concise, results focused language Align language from the job announcement Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies Remove outdated or unrelated experience Use the USAJOBS resume builder Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at: https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit.