The incumbent is assigned to the Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System's (CAVHCS) Fire Department in the Safety and Emergency Management Service. The Firefighter/EMT responds to fires and other emergencies in residences, multi-story patient care buildings, psychiatric care units, community living centers, outpatient clinics and laboratories, electrical shop, general repair shop, warehouse, natural gas station, E85 pumps, fuel storage areas, public assembly areas, brush, and wooded areas.

Qualifications:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/28/2026.

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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6 level. 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:

Basic Requirements:

Individual Occupational Requirements:

Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 and above): Experience that demonstrated the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA5 s) to perform successfully the duties of the position. 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.

Grade Determination:

Specialized Experience GS-7: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-6 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: is Performing fire/rescue and firefighting duties at large hospital complex/ campus consisting of fuel tanks, multi-story buildings housing non-ambulatory, nursing home and mental health patients; warehouses, residential housing and apartment complexes; Operating fire extinguishing equipment during firefighting operations to minimize damage; Verify the presence and/or concentration of hazardous materials through use of monitoring equipment to prevent environmental contamination to properties; Formulate written hazardous material incident reports to document potentially hazardous spill areas; Provide patient assessment by conducting systematic physical examination.

AGE REQUIREMENT

Maximum Entry Age For initial appointments, applicant 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 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 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.

Mechanical Equipment Operator Qualifications:

For those positions requiring the operation of specialized firefighting pumping equipment, mounted pressurized systems, dispensing devices, and/or rescue tools, applicants 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.

Medical Requirements:

Applicants for positions that have duties of an arduous or hazardous nature must meet the medical standards described below. 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.

Eyes:

Corrected distant vision must be at least 20 /30 in one eye and 20 /70 in the other eye. Uncorrected distant vision is required only if it is likely that corrective lenses may be lost or broken. If so, uncorrected distant vision must be at least 20 /100 binocular. Ability to distinguish basic colors is required. Applicants must be free from acute or chronic eye disease.

Ears:

Using an audiometer for measurement, there should be no loss of 30 or more decibels in the unaided worst ear at the 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz levels.

Nose, Mouth, and Throat:

Applicants must be free from conditions that interfere with distinct speech, free breathing, or with the use of breathing apparatuses or protective equipment.

Lungs:

Applicants must be free from any pulmonary or chest wall disease or condition that results in not being able to perform the duties of the position.

Heart and Blood Vessels:

The following conditions may be cause for rejection: organic heart disease, valvular or vascular diseases, coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, recurrent syncope, or history of myocardial infarction.

Abdomen:

Acute or chronic disease or inflammation of the abdominal viscera, hernia, or significant enlargement of the liver or spleen that interferes with the performance of the duties of the position will be cause for rejection.

Spine, Pelvic, Sacroiliac and Lumbo-Sacral Joints:

Applicants must have free movement of spine and pelvic joints.

Neurological System:

Degenerative neurological disease or disorder that results in documented evidence of neurological impairment that renders the applicant unable to perform the duties of the position will be cause for rejection. A history of serious mental disease may be disqualifying.

Extremities:

Individuals cannot have anomalies in the number, form, proportion, and movement of the extremities that interfere with function. This includes non-united fractures; nonreducible dislocations; united fractures and reduced dislocations with incomplete restoration of function; amputation of arm, hand, leg, or foot; loss of any skeletal portion of the thumb of either hand; loss of more than the two distal phalanges of the ring or little fingers of either hand; any lose joints; pes cavus, weak foot, or clubfoot; flatfoot with symptoms unresponsive to orthotics; loss or deformity of great toe or any two toes on the same foot; torn cartilage or loose foreign bodies within the knee joint; instability of the knee joint; or inadequately healed surgical procedure.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY

In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless 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. 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/ .