Fire Protection Specialist

National Park Service • Homestead, FL

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Fire Protection Specialist serves as the Park Fire Inspector at Everglades National Park in Homestead, Florida. The position is responsible for fire and life-safety inspections of park facilities and provides technical support for structural fire prevention, suppression operations, and firefighter training. The specialist maintains training records to track team members’ compliance with annual and biennial requirements; assists with fire-origin and cause investigations; prepares incident and supplemental technical investigation reports; represents the park in coordination meetings about integration with the Emergency Communication Center and response computer system; and maintains records in National Park Service record-management systems.

The work is performed in both an office and field environment. While mostly sedentary, field assignments involve recurring physical exertion, including walking, bending, hiking, carrying, and climbing. The incumbent must maintain incident qualifications for arduous activities and exposure to live-fire conditions. Field work may involve fire, heat, chemicals, and loud noise, and may require protective clothing or equipment, including a self-contained breathing apparatus. Travel throughout the United States is approximately 3–5 days per month; the position also requires operating a vehicle for inspections at park locations.

Employment conditions include U.S. citizenship, background and drug screening, medical examinations and physical-fitness determination, a valid driver’s license and driving-record documentation, wearing a uniform, and obtaining a government travel charge card. The employee may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime, or shift work and to travel overnight. Fire Investigator qualification must be obtained within one year of entering on duty. A one-year probationary period or two-year trial period applies. The position is suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship.
• Successful background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Negative pre-employment drug test and participation in random drug testing.
• Physical-fitness determination and medical examination by an authorized government physician before appointment, with periodic medical examinations during employment.
• Valid driver’s license; submit a Motor Vehicle Operator’s License and certified driving records from all states where licenses have been held.
• Wear a uniform and comply with National Park Service uniform standards.
• Obtain a government charge card for travel and, if required, maintain a charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.
• Obtain Fire Investigator qualification within one year of entering on duty.
• Be at least 18 years old.
• Current IFSAC or Pro Board Fire Instructor I certification.
• Current IFSAC or Pro Board HAZMAT Awareness and Operations certification.
• Current IFSAC or Pro Board Fire Inspector II certification, or the new 2024 Fire Inspector certification.
• Prior structural firefighting experience; qualifying experience may include volunteer, paid-call, federal, or equivalent non-federal structural firefighting.
• At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-08 grade level, such as fire-prevention inspections, leading an all-hazard response team, applying NFPA and International Fire Code knowledge, emergency-management methods, fire-inspection reporting, fire suppression, or advanced structural-fire and emergency-medical training.
• Meet federal time-in-grade requirements if applicable.
• Serve a one-year probationary period or two-year trial period.
• Provide work-history documentation showing hours worked per week where required to evaluate qualifying experience.

Responsibilities

• Inspect park facilities for fire and life-safety compliance.
• Provide technical support for structural fire prevention, suppression operations, and firefighter training.
• Maintain training logs for team members in structural fire and all-hazard disciplines and track annual and biennial training compliance.
• Assist in investigating fire origin and cause.
• Prepare fire incident reports and supplemental technical investigation reports in coordination with safety and law enforcement.
• Represent the park at meetings coordinating system integration with the Emergency Communication Center and response computer system.
• Maintain records in National Park Service record-management systems.
• Instruct components of National Park Service structural-fire training classes.
• Maintain incident qualifications and participate in program activities, including arduous work and live-fire conditions.
• Operate a motor vehicle to conduct inspections at locations throughout the park.

Benefits

• Uniform allowance
• Moving-expense entitlements may be authorized for eligible applicants changing duty station
• Federal employee benefits package; specific benefits depend on position type and eligibility

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed