Firefighter; Life Support

Overview

This position is located at the Department of Veterans Affairs - Veterans Health Administration within the Fire Department Service at the Lyons - New Jersey VA Medical Center. The firefighter performs work to control and extinguish fires, provide emergency and non-emergency medical care and transport, rescue persons endangered by fire, and reduce or eliminate potential fire hazards during a work shift of 72 hours per week on a rotating basis.

To qualify for this position applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement – 03/11/2026. 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‑05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS‑04. For a GS‑06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS‑05. To qualify for a GS‑07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS‑06.

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. AGE REQUIREMENT:
This position has 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 meet all applicable qualifications for the position and 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.

LICENSE REQUIREMENT:
This position requires a valid state driver's license.

SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTORS:
Selective Placement Factors are knowledge, skills, abilities or other worker characteristic basic to and essential for satisfactory performance of the job. They are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet them are ineligible for further consideration. You must submit copies of your certifications with your application to receive credit. The following certifications are required for GS‑05 and above.

Copies of your certifications and/or documentation of these certifications in your resume is required.

• Certification by the National IFSAC as a Pro‑Board Firefighter II.
• Certification by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) or New Jersey State EMT.
• Certification by the National IFSAC as a Pro‑Board Hazardous Materials Operations.

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‑4 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include – but are not limited to: controlling or extinguishing fires as a member of an organized military, industrial, volunteer, or governmental fire department or brigade;

rescue operations; detection, reduction, or elimination of potential fire hazards; operation of fire communications equipment; controlling hazardous materials incidents and/or developing, implementing, or providing training in fire protection and prevention.

Education:

Successful completion of a 4‑year course of study in an accredited college or university with major study in Fire Science, Fire Training, or other related fields of study is qualifying for GS‑5.

Special…