Firefighter (Hazardous Materials Operations)

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.

GS-03
General Experience: Six months of general experience which included work experience or military service that demonstrated the ability to follow directions and to read, understand, and retain a variety of instructions, regulations, and procedures and that otherwise demonstrates the ability to perform or learn to perform the duties of the position.
OR
Education/Training: One year of education above the high school level related to fire protection and/or prevention OR six months of appropriate firefighter training.
OR
Combination of Education/Training and Experience: A combination of education/training and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 6. Then divide your semester hours of education by 30 and/or months of firefighter training by 6. Add the two percentages.

GS-04
Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes: (1) Fighting fires as a member of an organized fire department or brigade; (2) Performing rescue operations; and (3) Controlling hazardous materials incidents. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-03).
OR
Education: Two years of education above the high school level in an accredited college or university in Fire Training, Fire Science, 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 compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of education by 60. Add the two percentages.

GS-05
Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes: (1) Fighting fires as a member of an organized fire department or brigade; (2) Performing rescue operations; (3) Inspecting structure to detect and remedy potential hazards, and (4) Controlling hazardous materials incidents. 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 compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of education by 120. Add the two percentages.

GS-06:
Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes 1) Fighting fires as a member of an organized fire department or brigade; (2) Performing rescue operations; (3) Inspecting structure to detect and remedy potential hazards, (4) Controlling hazardous materials incidents, and (5) Conducting training in fire protection and prevention. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-05).

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job at the GS-06 grade level, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone -- no substitution of education for experience is permitted.