Firefighter (Basic Life Support/Hazardous Material Technician) )

Summary

See below for important information regarding this job.

Duties

• As a Firefighter (Basic Life Support/Hazardous Materials Technician (BLS/HAZMAT)), you will be responsible for the following duties:
• Serve as a fully trained member of a firefighting crew engaged in a full range of emergency response to include fire, emergency medical, hazardous materials, specialized rescue, and natural disasters.
• Perform fire suppression, emergency medical, hazardous material, and specialized rescue response.
• Control and extinguish fires, operates hose lines, performs fire ground operations to include forcible entry, ventilation, search and rescue and salvage and overhaul. Use various response tools and equipment to perform fire ground operations.
• Drive and operate a full range of complex vehicles and apparatus to include fire engines, ladder trucks, technical rescue apparatus, medic units, and response trailers operating onboard systems.
• Perform Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) duties to include initial and on-going patient assessment and physical examination.
• Serve as a Hazardous Material Tech reacts to spills/releases or potential spills, releases of hazardous materials for the purpose of control, containment and confinement using materials such as brooms, sand, absorbent pads, and over-pack containers.
• Perform decontamination of victims and response personnel using various specialized equipment, to include but not limited to, chemical detection and monitoring devices.

Qualifications

To qualify for a Firefighter (Basic Life Support/Hazardous Materials Technician (BLS/HAZMAT)), your resume and supporting documentation must support: A. Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular competencies to successfully perform the duties of the position and is directly in or related to this position. To qualify at the GS-07 level, applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 level or equivalent under other pay systems in the Federal service, military, or private sector. Creditable specialized experience includes: Experience performing a full range of firefighting duties such as combating fires, operating hose lines, making forced entries, and search and rescue. Experience conducting hazardous materials offensive operations and decontamination operations. Experience performing or assisting in rescue operations. Experience performing basic life support at the emergency medical technician basic level. Experience determining proper emergency response/equipment needs in an emergency situation. Experience driving and operating emergency vehicles. AND B. SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR (SPF): Department of Defense (DoD) 6055.06-M, "Fire and Emergency Services Certification Program" identifies the level of performance required for all DoD Fire and Emergency Services personnel. The certifications listed below are the minimum mandatory certification requirements for this position. DoD Incumbents shall possess DoD Certifications, or equivalent accredited certifications from the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) or the National Professional Qualifications System (Pro-Board): Accredited Certification: Firefighter I & II Driver Operator - Pumper Hazardous Materials Technician (must be obtained within two (2) years of Entrance-On-Duty. Note: Driver Operator Certification requirements other than Driver Operator - Pumper are determined locally based on duty assignments. State of (Ohio, California, Virginia, Pennsylvania) Certifications: Emergency Medical Technician - Basic** ** If you do not possess a certification for the state in which you are applying, you MUST have National Registry certification and be eligible for reciprocity requirements. Other Requirements: Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation Certification Valid State Driver's License Other training requirements that must be obtained within one year of employment and maintained: Emergency Vehicle Operator, (EVOC), Driver Operator - Aerial. AND C. Minimum Age Requirement: Will be less than 37 years of age at the time of appointment. OR Will be 37 years of age or older at the time of appointment, but meet the following: (1) previously served in a DoD Firefighter position that was approved for Special Retirement Coverage and (2) after appointment to a DoD Firefighter position, be able to complete a total of 20 years of covered service as a Firefighter by the last day of the month in which you reach age 57. 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. Physical Demands The work involves extended periods of heavy moving and lifting. Generally, the work requires recurring bending, lifting, stooping, stretching, and positioning of patients, victims, fire hoses, fire extinguishers, and other equipment. Must be able to wear protective clothing and equipment weighing up to 100 pounds, while working in extreme heat and cold under adverse conditions, such as fire and smoke. Work Environment The employee works outside in all types of weather conditions. Employee is exposed to out-of-control fires, emergency medical scenes, and other dangerous situations. Is also exposed to the possibility of burns and other effects of smoke inhalation, heat, falling materials, explosions, toxic materials, infections, and contagious diseases, and other dangerous substances.

Education

Substitution of education may not be used in lieu of specialized experience for 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 submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: To begin the application process, click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. NOTE: Resumes up to a total of two pages will be accepted. Your resume must not exceed two (2) pages. If your resume exceeds the two-page limit, you will be removed from consideration for this announcement. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/25/2026. After submitting your online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take any additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you both on screen and via email notification. The email may be routed to your "Spam" or "Junk" folder. If you do not receive the email invitation to the assessment and you meet the minimum qualifications for the position, you should contact https://apply.usastaffing.gov/HelpTicket to request the email be re-sent. Requests to re-send invitations to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments must be received by https://apply.usastaffing.gov/HelpTicket BEFORE the close of the JOA. 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. NOTE: Set aside at least 3 hours to take these 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. You may update your application documents and some questions related to your personal information at any time during the announcement open period. However, you will not be able to make changes to questions related to assessing the minimum qualifications and competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics) mentioned in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section above. To make an allowed update to your application, return to your USAJOBS account (https://www.usajobs.gov). There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account at https://www.usajobs.gov. On the Home page, scroll down and locate your job application. Once the job has been located, click the "Track this application" link on the right under the application date. The page will refresh to display the Agency's Application Information page where you can scroll down and review any notifications the agency has sent you. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. 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. 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 here: https://appsupport.usastaffing.gov/hc/en-us/articles/29113644431764-Requesting-an-accommodation. To preview the questionnaire, please go to https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13068513.