Supervisory Firefighter; Life Support - Deputy Fire Chief

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 Chief's absence.

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…