Firefighter (Basic Life Support / Hazardous Materials Technician)

Summary

This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) solicitation utilizing the DHA for Certain Personnel of the DoD Workforce to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service. About the Position: This position is included under the provisions of Special Retirement Coverage (SRC) and may have both a maximum entry age and a mandatory retirement date. Click here for more information on SRC for Firefighters (Primary/Rigorous)

Duties

• Performs firefighting and rescue operations.
• Assigned to a crew engaged in all-hazards response functions.
• Performs emergency medical procedures to provide Basic Life Support (BLS).
• Drives and operates firefighting/rescue vehicles and equipment.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Specialized Experience GS-04: One year of specialized experience which includes: 1) Performing all-hazards response operations as a member of an organized military, industrial, volunteer, or governmental fire department or brigade. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-03). OR Education: Two years of education above the high school level in an accredited college or university in Fire Science, Fire Training, Paramedicine, or other related fields of study. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of education by 60. Add the two percentages. Specialized Experience GS-05: One year of specialized experience which includes: 1) Performing all-hazards response operations as a member of an organized military, industrial, volunteer, or governmental fire department or brigade. 2) Controlling hazardous materials incidents. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-04). Or Education: Four years of education above the high school level in an accredited college or university in Fire Science, Fire Training, Paramedicine, or other related fields of study. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of education by 120. Add the two percentages. Specialized Experience GS-06: One year of specialized experience which includes: 1) Performing all-hazards response operations as a member of an organized military, industrial, volunteer, or governmental fire department or brigade. 2) Driving and operating firefighting apparatus and equipment. 3) Operating as a member of a hazardous material response team. 4) Performing aircraft rescue and firefighting operations. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/ level position in the federal service (GS-05). Specialized Experience GS-07: One year of specialized experience which includes: 1) Performing all-hazards response operations as a member of an organized military, industrial, volunteer, or governmental fire department or brigade. 2) Driving and operating firefighting apparatus and equipment. 3) Operating as a member of a hazardous material response team at the technician level. 4) Performing aircraft rescue and firefighting operations. 5) Performing emergency medical care at the EMT level. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-06). Along with the specialized experience listed above, there are required certifications that will be needed prior to entry for each grade level. GS-0081-04 Firefighter must possess the following certifications through DoD Fire and Emergency Services Certification System, International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC), or the Fire Service Professional Qualifications System (PRO-Board): No certification required Firefighter I (Must obtain within 12 months of appointment) Firefighter II (Must obtain within 12 months of appointment) Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) Operations (Must obtain within 12 months of appointment) Airport Firefighter (Must obtain within 12 months of appointment) GS-0081-05 Firefighter must possess the following certifications through DoD Fire and Emergency Services Certification System, International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC), or the Fire Service Professional Qualifications System (PRO-Board): Firefighter I Firefighter II Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) Operations Airport Firefighter Driver Operator - Pumper (Must obtain within 12 months of appointment) Driver Operator - Aircraft Rescue and Firefighter (ARFF) (Must obtain within 12 months of appointment) GS-0081-06 Firefighter must possess the following certifications through DoD Fire and Emergency Services Certification System, International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC), or the Fire Service Professional Qualifications System (PRO-Board): Firefighter I Firefighter II Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) Operations Airport Firefighter Driver Operator - Pumper Driver Operator - Aircraft Rescue and Firefighter (ARFF) National Registry or equivalent state issued Emergency Medical Technician (NREMT) - Basic (Must obtain within 12 months of appointment) Hazardous Material (HAZMAT) Technician (Must obtain within 12 months of appointment) GS-0081-07 Firefighter must possess the following certifications through DoD Fire and Emergency Services Certification System, International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC), or the Fire Service Professional Qualifications System (PRO-Board): Firefighter I Firefighter II Hazardous Material (HAZMAT) Technician Airport Firefighter Driver Operator - Pumper Driver Operator - Aircraft Rescue and Firefighter (ARFF) National Registry or equivalent state issued Emergency Medical Technician (NREMT) - Basic Maximum Entry Age (MEA) The MEA for Firefighters is 37. An employee originally hired into a covered position must be hired by the last day of the month he/she reaches 37. Maximum Reentry Age An employee who previously served on a covered position may be rehired past the MEA as long as he/she is able to complete 20 years of covered service by his/her mandatory retirement age. The maximum re-entry age for the individual is calculated by determining the total amount of time he/she has served on a covered position and subtracting that from age 57 if a firefighter. The employee's current age is compared to the calculated maximum re-entry age to determine if he/she can be rehired into the covered position.

Education

GS-04/GS-5: FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the 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. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/ GS-06/GS-07: Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

How to apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 09/14/2026 to receive consideration To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13048285). Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. As a reminder, your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. For additional information, refer to the 'Required Documents' section. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. Your resume selected in USAJOBS will be included, but you must re-select other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application may be incomplete. It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan. Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://www.usajobs.gov/applicant/profile/dashboard/), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status.