Fire Chief

As the Fire Chief the incumbents overall management and supervision, administrative, operations, fire prevention, training, and health and safety responsibilities for the entire fire and emergency services division, without traditional supporting deputy or assistant chiefs. The FHM FD is an all hazards fire and emergency services response to the Fort Harrison Montana VA Campus including 41 residential low-income veteran housing units and complex surrounding mutual aid jurisdictions. As the Fire Chief for the Fort Harrison VA Medical Center the incumbent provides overall management and supervision, administrative , operations, fire prevention, training and health and safety responsibilities for the entire fire and emergency services division, without traditional supporting deputy or assistant chiefs other duties may include but not limited to: Ensuring the success of the Joint Commission Compliance, The Fire Chief must comply with and enforce extensive policies, VA Directives, and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards. Oversees the fire and emergency service operations, fire prevention, department safety and health, and training division duties. The Fire Chief serves as the on scene incident commander on complex emergencies, directing activities and personnel, requesting resources, transmitting instructions to firefighters on the scene or other personnel as to the procedures to be followed. The chief also serves as an operations employee covering empty shifts throughout the year and must maintain full annual training and fitness requirements. The Fire Chief is the Contract Officer Representative (COR) for the FHM and Miles City fire sprinkler systems and extinguishers, COR for the FHM and Miles City fire alarm panel system, COR for FHM mutual aid agreements, and the primary point of contact for the Fort Harrison Natiotional Guard agreement. Works with supervisors, leaders, group coordinators, or committee chairs to direct, coordinate, or oversee work; or provide similar oversight of contractors Exercise significant responsibilities in dealing with officials of other units or organizations or in advising management officials of higher rank Assure reasonable equity of performance standards and rating techniques between organizational units and assuring equity in assessment of contractor work Direct multiple programs or major program segments with significant resources Make decisions on work problems presented by subordinate supervisors/leaders Evaluate subordinate supervisors or leaders and serve as the review official for evaluations they prepare for non-supervisory employees Make or approve selections for non-supervisory subordinate positions Recommend selections for subordinate supervisory positions Hear and resolve group grievances or serious employee complaints Review and approve serious disciplinary actions involving non-supervisory employees Make decisions on non-routine, costly, or controversial training needs and requests Determine whether contractor work meets standards to authorize payment; Approve expenses comparable to WIGI, extensive overtime, and employee travel Recommend awards and bonuses for non-supervisory employees and changes in position descriptions, subject to higher level approval Find and implement ways to eliminate or reduce significant bottlenecks and barriers to production, team building, and improving business practices. Plan work to be accomplished by subordinates, set and adjust short-term priorities, and prepare schedules for completion of work Assign work to subordinates based on priorities, consideration of the difficulty of work and capabilities of employees; Evaluate work performance of subordinates Give advice, counsel, or instructions to employees on work and administrative matters Interview candidates for subordinate positions, recommend appointments, promotions and reassignments, Hear and resolve complaints, refer group grievances and serious, unresolved complaints to a higher level Work Schedule: 0800-1700 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 0800-0800 Wednesday; (position works a 56- or 60- hour schedule and may be required to cover empty shifts) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Fire Chief/PD130380 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/12/2026. 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 you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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 as described below: Individual Occupational Requirements Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: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. 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/. Requirements For Motor Vehicle Operation: For those positions requiring employees to drive motorized firefighting equipment, candidates must possess and maintain a valid State motor vehicle operator's license of the appropriate classification or kind. Applicants also may be required to pass a practical road test and provide information on their driving record. See 5 CFR 930 and the "General Policies and Instructions" section of this Manual for additional requirements for motor vehicle operators. 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. Medical Requirements: Applicants for positions that have duties of an arduous or hazardous nature must meet the medical standards described below. Since individual positions may not include all such duties, a physical condition or impairment may be disqualifying for employment only if there is a direct relationship between the condition and the nature of the duties of the specific position to be filled. 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. Maximum Entry Age: Title 5 U.S.C. 3307 authorizes the head of any agency to establish a maximum entry age for the original appointment of individuals to the position of firefighter. 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. Remediable defects or curable diseases will not exclude a person from consideration, but proof that such defects have been remedied or the disease cured must be received during the life of the eligible register before persons otherwise qualified may be considered for appointment under civil service rules. Professional Certifications: The Fire Chief must have the following certifications for employment: Firefighter 1, Firefighter 2, Hazardous Materials Awareness certification, Hazardous Materials Operations certification, Hazardous Materials Incident Commander certifications, Driver Operator, Fire Inspector 1, Fire Inspector 2, Fire Instructor w1, Fire Instructor 2, Fire Officer 1, Fire Officer 2, Fire Officer 3, Fire Officer 4, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification, Incident Command (100, 200, 300, 400, 700, & 800), Wildland firefighter within 12 months. You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. All applicants must have all required professional certifications. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. There is no educational substitution at this grade level.