Firefighter (BLS/Hazmat)

Firefighter (BLS/Hazmat)

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Martinsburg, West Virginia

Salary Range: $57736 - $75059 Per Year

Job Summary: This position serves as a Firefighter (Basic Life Support/Hazardous Materials Technician) for VA Medical Center Martinsburg, WV, adjacent Federal agencies, and designed mutual aid partners. In addition to firefighter and first responder duties, this position is required to maintain readiness for potential emergencies that call for the provision of basic life support and hazardous material functions.

Major Duties:

• ***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Major duties and responsibilities include: Performs firefighting and rescue operations using proper extinguishing solutions and methods of decontamination. Wears protective gear to prevent accidents, illness, or injury due to encounters with such agents as poisonous gases, radioactive materials, and/or hazardous biological products. Performs crash/rescue (i.e., Helicopters) and firefighting in environments wherein the existence of flammables and explosives makes work operations intense and hazardous. Directs water, operates or deactivates mechanisms and systems, performs standby duty, and remains current on any and all developments which could impact upon the difficulty of rescue and fighting fires/through participation in pre-fire planning and fire prevention exercises. Fully participates in the role of hazardous materials first responder performing duties involving hazardous materials detection, establishment of a "safe perimeter", controlling area access during periods of waiting for the arrival of law enforcement personnel, referencing hazard and response information, and using and maintaining typical hazardous materials response equipment. Performs emergency medical first responder duties through the provision of assistance to those who have become injured via (1) the use of direct pressure and/or tourniquets to stop bleeding, (2) checking for blockages to the airway (3) performing CPR, (4) immobilizing patients for transport, and other comparable functions. Drives and operates fire fighting apparatus to include such items as pumpers and aerial ladder trucks following predetermined routes, or alternate routes as needed, and positioning vehicles at fire/rescue scenes in accordance with designated protocols. Performs non-invasive emergency procedures. Provides patient physical assessments both initial and ongoing and makes decisions based upon the physical exam with regard to priority of patient care. Using protective clothing and the proper equipment, responds to the existence of or the probability for release of hazardous materials with the goal of preventing or establishing control over such release. Plugs, patches, or through other means stops the release of hazardous substances. Evaluates hazardous materials responses and offers suggestions for response improvement. Maintains the fire station and keeps emergency response equipment in good condition. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: 72-hour work week with 24-hour rotating shifts Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved 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 not received.

Qualifications: To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. You may qualify at the GS-7 level if you fulfill the following qualifications: Specialized Experience: At least one (1) year of specialized experience that demonstrated the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the Firefigter (BLS/Hazmat) position. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-6 grade level in the Federal service. 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. -AND- English Language Proficiency: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care position sunless 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- This position includes Selective Placement Factors (skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet them are ineligible for further consideration. The Selective Placement Factors for this position are: Certification as Firefighter I and II (DOD, IFSAC, Pro-Board) Hazardous Materials Operations (DOD, IFSAC, Pro-Board) certification Certification as Driver Operator Pumper (DOD, IFSSAC, Pro-Board) National Registry Emergency Medical Technician Basic or State of West Virginia (EMT-B-) certification. NOTE: COPIES OF YOUR CURRENT CERTIFICATIONS/LICENSE(S) MUST BE SUBMITTED BY THE CLOSING DATE TO RECEIVE CREDIT. -AND- Requirements for Motor Vehicle Operation - Driver's License (Screen Out): Applicants must possess and maintain a current and valid State motor vehicle operator's license of the appropriate classification or kind. Applicants also may be required to pass a practical road test and provide information on their driving record. NOTE: We cannot accept photographs, therefore; please do not submit a copy of your driver's license with your application package. If an interview is requested, you may be required to provide a copy of your current and valid state-issued driver's license. -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 fire service by the time the firefighter reaches the age of 57. 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. Physical Requirements/Work Environment: The work of this position involves extended periods of lifting, heavy moving and restraining of patients. Generally, the work requires recurrent bending, lifting, stooping, stretching, and positioning patients. This frequently occurs under adverse conditions or in confined surroundings. Work may involve adverse weather conditions and long periods of time under stress. The person in this position may be required to lift up to 50-100 pounds. May include heavy physical exertion, extreme heat, smoke and dust in enclosed smoke-filled places. On a regular and recurring basis, the person in this position is exposed to infection and contagious diseases, is required to work in all types of weather conditions, and faces risks and discomforts at the scene of the accidents, to include the possibility of noxious fumes and dangerous substances, requiring to comply with special safety and health precautions and/or to use protective gear. There is also exposure to dangers of high voltage from electrical equipment. As a member of the rescue crew, the firefighter may be involved with the duty of rescue from hazardous permit required confined spaces, fast moving water, high angle above ground rope rescues, rescue from hazardous material spills, below grade rescue, as well as rescue from fire. 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/.

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/12938595. 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, 04/29/2026. 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.

Application Deadline: 2026-04-29