Firefighter (Hazardous Materials Technician)
About This Position
This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) solicitation utilizing the DHA for Certain Personnel of the DoD Workforce to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service. About the Position:This position is located at Fort Hood, TX This position is included under the provisions of Special Retirement Coverage (SRC) and may have both a maximum entry age and a mandatory retirement date.
Click here for more information on SRC for Firefighters (Primary/Rigorous)
Qualifications
Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. 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; religious; spiritual; community; student; social).
You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. To qualify at the GS-05 Level: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes experience controlling and extinguishing fires, operating hose lines, making force entries, ventilating structures or performing rescue operations including administering first aid to injured victims.
This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-04).
OR
Education: Four years of education above the high school level in an accredited college or university in Fire Science, Fire Training, or other related fields of study OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To qualify at the GS-06 Level: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes operating firefighting equipment, Including pumps and heavy hand held equipment, and extinguishing agents during emergencies; experience performing emergency medical services under a variety of conditions; experience carrying out orders, effectively fighting fires, and using and maintaining assigned firefighting equipment under conditions of heavy physical exertion and extreme heat and dust in all kinds of weather. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-05).
To qualify at the GS-07 Level: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes controlling or extinguishing fires as a member of an organized military, industrial, volunteer, or governmental fire department or brigade; conducting rescue operations and administering emergency medical aid; and utilizing hazardous material response equipment/supplies to identify and contain hazardous products. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-06).
In addition to meeting the specialized experience requirement above, applicants must also possess the below listed certifications (for their applicable grade) certified through DoD Fire and Emergency Services Certification System, International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC), or the Fire Service Professional Qualifications System (PRO-Board) in accordance with DoD 6055.06-M. GS-05: To qualify, the incumbent must possess the following certifications at the time of application: IFSAC/PROBOARD Firefighter I and II. (Applicants must attach all certificate copies with application) Within 12 months the incumbent must obtain IFSAC/PROBOARD Certification levels: Airport Firefighter, & HAZMAT Operations. GS-06: To qualify, the incumbent must possess the following certifications at the time of application: IFSAC/PROBOARD Fire Fighter I and II, HAZMAT Operations, and Airport Firefighter certifications. (Applicants must attach all certificate copies with application.) Within 48 months the incumbent must obtain IFSAC/PROBOARD Certification levels: Driver Operator ARFF & Pumper, HAZMAT Technician, & EMT GS-07: To qualify, the incumbent must possess the following IFSAC/PROBOARD certifications at time of application: Firefighter I and II, Airport Firefighter, HAZMAT Technician, Driver Operator - Pumper, Driver Operator - Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF), and Emergency Medical Technician - Basic, which must be issued by a State or National Registry. (Applicants must attach all certificate copies with application.) FIREFIGHTER PRIMARY RETIREMENT COVERAGE: This is a primary/rigorous firefighter position under the provisions of 5 USC 8336(c) (CSRS) and 5 USC 8412(d)(FERS).
This position is included under the provisions of Special Retirement Coverage and may have both a maximum entry age and a mandatory retirement date. For more information, follow this link:https://acpol2.army.mil/chra_dodea/ FF_Primary_SRC.pdf Proof of Age: As this is a Firefighter position, your application package MUST include a government issued document indicating your date of birth. Failure to submit this document will result in your application being marked as incomplete and you WILL NOT receive further consideration for this position Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent.
Major Duties
Assignments at any of this level will become progressively more difficult and will be under closer than normal supervision until the full-performance level is reached at the 07.
Responds to alarms, combats fire, and rescues personnel requiring the full performance of firefighting tasks.
Serves as hose person, ladder person, hydrant person, rescue person, nozzle person, salvage person or hand lineperson.
Performs fire prevention inspections of structures, facilities, airfields and areas of the installation.
Operates portable and stationary firefighting apparatus, ventilates buildings and aircraft, evacuates or rescues occupants.
Survey incident sites to identify the materials and containers for presence and concentrations of hazardous materials to stop release of subsequent contamination.
If licensed as an EMT, performs as a member of a team responsible for on scene emergency medical treatment and care of victims of fire, sudden illness, or accidental injury.
Education
EDUCATION CAN BE USED AT THE GS-5 ONLY FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/
How You Will Be Evaluated
Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position.
Veterans and Military Spouses will be considered along with all other candidates.
Additional Information
Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship. One year trial/probationary period may be required. Direct Deposit of Pay is required. Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet. This is a Installations career Field position. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement. When you perform a Civilian Permanent Change of Station (PCS) with the government, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers the majority of your entitlements to be taxable. Visit https://www.dfas.mil/civilianemployees/civrelo/Civilian-Moving-Expenses-Tax-Deduction/ for more information.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS) allowances may be authorized, subject to the provisions of the Joint Travel Regulations and an agency determination that a PCS move is in the Government Interest. Recruitment and relocation incentives may be authorized Student loan repayment may be authorized. Salary negotiations for those candidates who are new to Federal service may be authorized.
Credit for Prior Non-Federal Work Experience and Certain Military Service for Determining Annual Leave Accrual Rate may be authorized.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 03/12/2026 to receive consideration To begin, click Apply to access the online application.
You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12897906).
Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. As a reminder, your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. For additional information, refer to the 'Required Documents' section.
You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted.
Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position.
Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
Your resume selected in USAJOBS will be included, but you must re-select other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application may be incomplete. It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://www.usajobs.gov/applicant/profile/dashboard/), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated.
For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status.
Required Documents
The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist for Public Announcements.As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.1.
Your resume: Please limit your resume to 5 pages. If more than 5 pages are submitted, only the first 5 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.
Your resume may be submitted in any format and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy. For qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week and the dates of employment (i.e., HRS per week and month/year to month/year or month/year to present).
If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you may not receive consideration for this position. For additional information see: What to include in your resume.
- DoD Certificates and NREMT License: Based on the GS level you are applying for you MUST submit a copy of the following: Firefighter I/II, HAZMAT Awareness/Operations/Technician, Driver Operator-Pumper, Driver Operator-ARFF, Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF), certified through DoD Fire and Emergency Services Certification System, International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC), or the Fire Service Professional Qualifications System (PRO-Board) AND If submitting an EMT license it must be certified through the State or National Registry EMT License . If your application package does not contain proof of having these certificates and license , your application will be marked as incomplete and you WILL NOT receive consideration for this position.
Rather than submitting individual DoD certificates, if you have received a Student ID# for the DoD Fire and Emergency Services Certification Program website (https://go.usa.gov/xdsTR) you may provide a copy of your most recent certification transcript. If you do not know your Student ID, you may contact the AFCEC Reach-back Center at [email protected] for assistance. Rather than submitting your EMT License, you may print proof of your current EMT License with NREMT from their website (https://www.nremt.org).
If you are a current federal employee and do not have one of the required certificates due to the DoD F&ES Certification Program delay - You may submit a provisional certificate, memorandum from the Fire Chief requesting the certificates, and/or another document showing completion of the course. PLEASE
NOTE: If selected, you will not be placed into the position until the official certificate has been received from the DoD F&ES Certificate Program.
- Other supporting documents: Cover Letter, optional Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable Proof of Age: As this is a primary/rigorous firefighter position, your application package MUST include a government issued document indicating your date of birth. Failure to submit this document will result in your application being marked as incomplete and you WILL NOT receive further consideration for this position.
This position allows for substitution of education for experience GS-5 ONLY. If you meet this requirement based on education you MUST submit a copy of your transcript with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. See: Transcripts and Licenses
NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you.
You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application.
You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.