Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/13/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-08 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: (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. Selective Placement Factors: The applicant must possess the following accredited certifications in National Pro Board or International Fire Service Congress (IFSAC): - Certification as a Firefighter 1 and 2 in accordance with NFPA 1001 - Certification as Hazardous materials awareness and operations NFPA 472 - Certification as NREMT Paramedic VA Directive 1695, OR certification from State Of Maine as a Paramedic AND - Must have a valid state driver's license. * Newly employed VA firefighters must obtain Fire Inspector I/II in accordance with NFPA 1031 within 24 months of employment. AGE REQUIREMENT: Title 5 U.S.C. 3307 authorizes the head of any agency to establish a maximum entry age for the original appointment of individuals to the position of Firefighter. For initial appointments, applicants cannot have reached their 37th birthday by the day of appointment. Applicants who have passed the designated entry age limit noted, but who have previously served in a covered position may be eligible to re-enter the fire service if they: Meet all applicable qualifications for the position; and Will be able to complete a total of 20 years of covered and creditable Federal firefighter service by the time the Federal 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. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Critical Thinking Fire Management Organizational Stewardship Technical Competence 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; religions; 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: Work requires the ability to perform strenuous physical activity for a long period of time, in an emergency. Activities involve prolonged period of time standing, walking, bending, crouching, and carrying heavy firefighting tools and related equipment associated with the performance of such duties as maintenance, testing, inspections, drills, suppression, and patient transport. Work Environment:- The work environment is varied. Work is performed indoors and outdoors, in areas where it is dirty, dusty, noisy, or greasy, outside hot and cold, inclement/bad weather, and occasionally in areas where there is danger of exposure to asbestos dust from insulation.- Work involves exposure to fires, noxious gases from burning materials, handling of frightened persons, and other non-intrinsically safe environments. Firefighting hazards are recurring and require the use of specialized firefighting safety equipment, clothing, and procedures. Applicants for positions that have duties of an arduous or hazardous nature must meet the medical standards described below. 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 of an applicant regardless of whether the condition is named below. Remediable defects or curable diseases will not exclude a person from consideration, but proof that such eligible register before persons otherwise qualified may be considered for appointment under civil service rules. 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/.