Supervisory Firefighter (Basic Life Support) - Deputy Fire Chief

Supervisory Firefighter (Basic Life Support) - Deputy Fire Chief

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Hot Springs, South Dakota

Salary Range: $74678 - $97087 Per Year

Job Summary: The incumbent's primary duty is to serve as a Supervisory Firefighter (Deputy Fire Chief) and provide fire prevention, protection, suppression, and safety for all medical center patients, employees, visitors, structures, and facilities. Incumbent assists in directing the Department's Emergency Medical Services (EMS) program, overseeing fire department medical operations for the Hot Springs Campus. The Deputy Fire Chief acts with full and complete authority in the Fire Chiefs absence.

Major Duties:

• The Deputy Fire Chief provides leadership and operational oversight for fire protection, emergency medical services (Basic Life Support), hazardous materials response, confined space rescue, vehicle and elevator extrication, and other emergency services at the VA Black Hills Health Care System (VHABHHCS), including the Hot Springs campus and a geographically separated site located approximately 90 miles away. Coordinates and maintains command and control of emergency responses across both sites. Plans and directs emergency operations and response strategies. Oversees daily fire safety and prevention practices. Conducts recurring proficiency drills, including quarterly ward drills, station drills, and interim measure drills. Assists the Fire Chief in developing, implementing, and enforcing departmental policies and standard operating procedures. Develops and recommends organizational policy, planning, and procedural initiatives. Assists in coordinating and supervising the EMS Program. Evaluates employee performance, approves step increases, and recommends awards or disciplinary actions as appropriate. Develops and manages monthly work schedules, ensuring equitable assignment of duties and coverage across all shifts. Arranges for the replacement of damaged or depleted firefighting equipment and medical supplies. Uses government purchase methods to procure supplies and equipment, ensuring compliance with VA and federal procurement policies. Prepares and maintains reports on fire protection, prevention, suppression activities, and fire safety inspections (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually). Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:00am-4:00pm with one 24 hour shift Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Firefighter (Basic Life Support) - Deputy Fire Chief/PD203790 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized VA Whole Health Statement: The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

Qualifications: To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/16/2026. 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-11 position, internal employees must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09, and status and external employees at the GS-10. 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. Selective Placement Factor: A Selective Placement Factor (SPF) has been identified for this position for each grade level. Selective Placement Factors (SPF) are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for the position. Applicants who do not meet the SPF are ineligible for further consideration. To be eligible for employment as a VA Firefighter, applicants must have obtained the following certifications as required by VHA Directive 7718 dated June 19, 2020 prior to the closing of the announcement. The following accredited certifications must be submitted with your application. Certification as Firefighter II in accordance with NFPA 1001 Certification as Operations Level Responders in accordance with Chapter 5, Core Competencies of, in NFPA 472. Certification as driver/operator pumper in accordance with NFPA 1002. Certification as Fire Officer II in accordance with NFPA 1021 Certification as Fire Inspector II in accordance with NFPA 1031 or equivalent Fire Inspector in accordance with NFPA 1030. Certification as National Registry Emergency Medical Technician (NREMT) Certification as Hazardous Materials Incident Commander in accordance with NFPA 472 Certification as Fire and Emergency Services Instructor II In addition to the Selective Placement Factor you may qualify based on your experience and as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. For internal VA Black Hills employees to qualify at the GS-11 level, you must have one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09. For status and external applicants to qualify, you must have one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-10. 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. At this level, applicants would have obtained this experience overseeing day-to-day responsibilities for fire safety and fire prevention practices; formulating department policy and operating procedures, implementation, and enforcement of policies; directing firefighter activities; directing practice drills and training classes for firefighters; preparing reports. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Fire Management Industrial Equipment Operation Managing Human Resources Patient Care 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. Maximum Entry Age: For initial appointments, applicants cannot have reached their 37th birthday by the day of appointment. Applicants who have passed the designated entry age limit, but have previously served in a covered position may be eligible, provided 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 they reach the age of 57. Requirements for Motor Vehicle Operation: Candidates must possess and maintain a 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. Mechanical Equipment Operator Qualifications: This position requires the operation of specialized firefighting pumping equipment, mounted pressurized systems, dispensing devices, and/or rescue tools. Candidates may be required to demonstrate the ability, before appointment, to operate the specific equipment to which they will be assigned, or similar related types of hydraulic equipment. Performance Test: Agencies may require candidates to demonstrate satisfactory performance of the minimum physical abilities necessary to perform safely and efficiently the essential tasks of a particular position. The abilities may be demonstrated through prior satisfactory performance in the same or a similar position, or agencies may choose to use a task demonstration. A task demonstration must be directly related to the essential job tasks, and thus, must consist of a sample of operations or steps that reflect a reasonably faithful representation of those selected job tasks. Any demonstration required must be uniformly applied to all similarly qualified candidates; the level of proficiency required cannot exceed that which is required in actual job performance; and reasonable accommodation must be provided where necessary. Medical Requirements: Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0000/fire-protection-and-prevention-series-0081/ Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. 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: All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 01/16/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12860613. 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 and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. 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. If initial application submission is updated and resubmitted with a new resume, only the most current resume will be reviewed for consideration. 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 https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/merit-hiring-plan-resources/applicant-guidance-on-the-two-page-resume-limit/ Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

Application Deadline: 2026-01-16