Army Fire Dept Fort Rucker Alabama

[Doug7899]

I just received my notification that I was not selected for the GS-3 position of firefighter at Fort Rucker. It stated that I was not among the top selected and that I was not being considered.

Now I am a veteran, with 5 pt preference, and am not disabled in anyway. I was under the impression that this was "ENTRY" level and with 16 open positions, I was hopeful that I would get a call to be hired. I am getting very frustrated in the FEDEAL Hiring system and am about to give up on serving my country again in a civilian capacity. I along with other have served our country and I am sure I am not the only one who is being turned down... but when it says I am not among the top qualified for an "ENTRY" level position... it get me wondering what they are looking for. I am a firefighter already,a nd have EMT and HazMat training... if anyone has answers please write me back, and explain this.

I have and will always want to be a firefighter and will do nothing to stop this dream.

Thanks,
Doug

[arffnick]

Don't get too discouraged. There are many people applying for fire jobs, and the the selecting official doesn't get to see every name and resume of those who applied (I can only speak on the Army side of the house). On our last few opening the department I work for had over 400 people apply for a few positions. The Chief only saw about 50 names on the referral list. There is no telling how the regional civilian personnel office creates the list, but the Chief has to use this list to hire from.

There are quite a few openings in Army and DoD right now. My advice to anyone applying is to be flexible when applying for jobs. Go where the jobs are, don't wait for the local base to open a position, you may be waiting a while.

My final bit of advice is this....When you start, keep your mouth shut and your ears open. I see new firefighters come in with 4-8 years of line-standby experience come in the door and think that they should be company officers immediately and complain that they are only GS-07's. Many people have worked these jobs before us, and many will after us. The ones that are remembered are the hard workwers and the Sh*tbags. Which one do you want to be remembered as?

Now, before anyone bites my head off, just take what I wrote at face value. I was a 4 year Air Force fire guy, I have volunteered, worked in a rural paid department, a municipal department and currently work in an Army fire department in management (yeah, I know - I'm a bastard)...Like most AF guys and girls, I had little structural experience until I worked at a base with a heavy mutual aid agreement (Nellis AFB - Las Vegas). Truth be told, I'd almost rather hire a Marine or Army veteran and send them to the Academy. Many of them proved themselves in combat (read - shooting the enemy) rather than "deploying" to Al Udeid.

I'm off my soap box.....rip away!

[Doug7899]

Thanks for the advice sir... just to clear the air here... I am a former Navy Corpsman, and a current part-time paid firefighter in a suburb of Cleveland Ohio... I am one of those guys who sits back and takes it all in... I have schooled many a guy who "Knows" it all... I would rather learn more than be "taught" how things are done... if you know what I mean...

I am just really wanting to get in the DoD bad...and am willing to go anywhere... and I have applied all over... not much here in Ohio let me tell you.

Thanks again for the advice sir...much appreciated and will be taken to heart.

By the way... any openings at your base?

[Bostondude]

hey arffnick...can you explain something, im just trying to acquire some information about the process. Does an individual take the DOD classes (FF 1/2 etc.) and then go to the Academy? or are you supposed to go to the Academy first, and is it payed for by the Dept? Reason I ask is because Im taking the classes through my regular job and I was hoping I could sit down with the management at my local base and discuss going to the Academy through them.

[FWDbuff]

Doug- if you are a vet and believe you may have been passed over, you should probably file an inquiry with your local elected (federal) official.

[FEDVVFAC]

Doug, What your message means it that your resume most likely didn't even make it out of the computer rating system. I would look and look again at your resume and the multitude of job listings in usajobs. Use the words in the job description but don't cut and paste. The computer picks up on certain super-secret key words when filtering out the thousands of applications for each announced position. Next, your veterans perference is a good thing but don't bank on it. Most folks applying for fed jobs have a 5 point (some even 10) so basically you are on a level playing field. Finally, even if it is listed as an entry level position, don't you think others will be applying just to get the foot in the door? A lot of those other applicants might very well have all of the certificates for GS-7 (and above), but still will take a 3 job knowing it is a start and they will get increases almost automatically. Think of it this way: as a hiring official, would you hire someone you are going to have to send to the DOD academy for basic firefighter and other requisite certifications for the full performance level, or would you prefer to hire someone who already has the certifications? My best advice to you: ask a current fed employee to look at your resume and offer suggestions to make it better and then go on base and meet the fire chief so he MIGHT remember a face if/when your resume gets to his desk. Make sure your resume is current for ALL branches of the military (they each have thier own websites and recruiting/hiring procedures). I know for a fact Navy SW Region is chronically short and are almost always begging for people. I hope this helps and if there is anything I can do to assist please don't hesitate to ask.

[Doug7899]

FEDVVFAC,

Can i ask you to look at my resume and give me suggestions on how to make it more market friendly? Also I just received an e-mail from the assistant chief at china lake and he said my resume was under review...which i was happy about.

Any other info you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
Doug

[fireman53d]

If you are applying thru ARMY CPOL, you have to make it thru the RESUMIX selection. The system is designed to look for certain key words that are important to whoever wrote the job description.
A GS-3 is basic entry. Every Joe off the street will apply for it from all over the U.S.. I'm sure they're were more than 16 veterans applying. Why not get your FF1 and FF2 certs then apply? That will give you the leg up over all the other non-certified applicants.

[gamedic8571]

I am a NREMTP with 2 1/2 years exp as a Medic. I am a volunteer FF with 3 1/2 years of exp. I am trying to get in as a DoD civillian firefighter. Is there anything I can do shy of getting ny NPQ FF1 and FF2 that will up my odds? I dont have veterans preference, but I am scheduled in Feb to take the ACLS instructor course. I could sure use some help on this, yall. I will be willing to travel ( I live in Ga), but I cant go anywhere till next may ( my wife is in medic school).

[DFurtman]

they may not even look at you without vets preference... sorry.. I've been rejected before because I forgot to attach my DD-214.

-Damien

[panthers]

Not to stir the pot, but there are a lot of 5 point vets out there looking for jobs, so than kind of null and voids your 5 point status with other 5 pointers Appling for the same job with more certs. Since the war anyone who deploy over to Iraq or Afghanistan will automatically become a 5 point vet. Certs are a key to a lot of jobs. One more thing just look at some of these post on here you can get a lot of info from these guys who have been in the DOD system a while.

[FWDbuff]

I am a NREMTP with 2 1/2 years exp as a Medic. I am a volunteer FF with 3 1/2 years of exp. I am trying to get in as a DoD civillian firefighter. Is there anything I can do shy of getting ny NPQ FF1 and FF2 that will up my odds? I dont have veterans preference, but I am scheduled in Feb to take the ACLS instructor course. I could sure use some help on this, yall. I will be willing to travel ( I live in Ga), but I cant go anywhere till next may ( my wife is in medic school).

Yes. Get the following IFSAC/Pro-Board Certs:

-Fire I & II
-Officer I
-Inspector I
-D/O Pumps
-D/O Aerials
-D/O ARFF
-Haz Mat Tech

When you have all of the above,
-Officer II
-Inspector II

Having all of these certs will get you in the door faster than a 5 point vet who does not have them. You also have the potential to get hired at a larger pay grade.

[JTFIRE80]

Let's not forget BRAC...best of luck to anyone not already in the system because it's going to be hard as all heck to get in.

[DFurtman]

Yes. Get the following IFSAC/Pro-Board Certs:

-Fire I & II
-Officer I
-Inspector I
-D/O Pumps
-D/O Aerials
-D/O ARFF
-Haz Mat Tech

When you have all of the above,
-Officer II
-Inspector II

Having all of these certs will get you in the door faster than a 5 point vet who does not have them. You also have the potential to get hired at a larger pay grade.

Hell, I have;

FF1&2
ARFF
D/O Pumper
D/O ARFF
D/O MWS
Haz Tech (currently working on HazMat IC)
Inspector I
Instructor I
Officer I
FAR 139 Certified

5 vets preference points and licenses for almost everything in the USAF Fire inventory

and I'm still having a bitch of a time trying to get on full time.. best of luck to you though!

-Damien

[techresqman]

Don't forget about EMT

[ShredddinCali]

Hell, I have;

FF1&2
ARFF
D/O Pumper
D/O ARFF
D/O MWS
Haz Tech (currently working on HazMat IC)
Inspector I
Instructor I
Officer I
FAR 139 Certified

5 vets preference points and licenses for almost everything in the USAF Fire inventory

and I'm still having a bitch of a time trying to get on full time.. best of luck to you though!

-Damien

i dont understand how your having a hard time getting on. are you not filling out your resumes "properly", you know, with all the KSAs and such so it doesn't get denied by the computer filters?

[DFurtman]

i dont understand how your having a hard time getting on. are you not filling out your resumes "properly", you know, with all the KSAs and such so it doesn't get denied by the computer filters?

My resume looks good and I understand a job isn't going to be handed to me overnight. Right now I only have 2 applications out.. hoping to hear from either one soon.. I think what's killing me is not having my EMT-B.. a potential cross country move soon is what's keeping me from starting my EMT-B now.. I'll start my EMT-B shortly after I get an answer regarding the cross country move.

-Damien

[Doug7899]

Ok... here's a question for you.... How does one get IFSAC/PROBOARD Certs as a civilian... without being near a base to get your DoD ???

[panthers]

Ok... here's a question for you.... How does one get IFSAC/PROBOARD Certs as a civilian... without being near a base to get your DoD ???

If I was able to read this right. You need to go to a fire school that is IFSAC or PROBOAD certified. There are many schools around the U.S. Once you have those certs and when a DOD department hires you, then you covert them to a DOD cert. Most schools are IFSAC or PROBOARD. If you are in AL. I know there are many schools close to Ft. Rucker that are IFSAC. If you can not find a IFSAC school and all else fails go to google and surf the web...

[164thDelta]

Alabama Fire College is ProBoard and many of the DOD firemen from NAS Pensacola attend classes there as regulars. try to get on with a local fire department and usually you can get them to sponsor you to attend fire college. In Arkansas if you are a fireman either career or volunteer, you can go to school cost free with a department sponsoring you and they are an IFSAC academy so you can get your FF1 and FF2, Hazmat Ops and Awareness. After completing school there, attend Alabama Fire College, Texas A&M or TEEX for your ARFF and then you have all of the courses you need to be more competive. the last way to do it is go back into the air guard or Air Force Reserve, pick fire protection and go to Goodfellow for 3 months of fun filled firefighting training at one of the best schools in the world giving you DOD certs.