Duties

EARLY CONSIDERATION: 02/03/2023. All applications submitted by 11:59 pm EST will be considered. As vacancies remain, applications received after 02/03/2023, will be considered, on an as needed basis

BE SURE TO READ THE ANNOUNCEMENT AND SUBMIT ALL REQUIRED DOCUMENTS.

Temporary positions not-to-exceed 1039 regular hours in a service year may be terminated sooner or extended depending on management needs.
Duties:

• Receive a variety of training on the functions and responsibilities of a surf lifeguard related to visitor education, visitor protection and protection of the resources; including over 100 hours of pre-season training which includes EMS training, surf lifeguards skills training and physical fitness training
• Learn the skills of surf lifeguard work, standard operating procedures, and how to properly supervise and use safety control measures on an ocean lifeguarded beach, including compliance with rules and regulations, assisting visitors, providing ocean rescue, emergency medical services and search and rescue.

• Perform ocean surf rescues inside and outside the designated lifeguard area and provide appropriate medical care to injured and ill park visitors at the emergency medical responder level or above.
• Protect park visitors through the use of safety controls such as enforcement actions, safety directions, information signs and a safety flag system in order to gain visitor cooperation and or compliance.
• Provide safety contacts and enforcement actions with the visitor, educating, informing and directing them on laws, rules, and regulations of the area.
• Conduct daily assessment of surf zone conditions and weather conditions, collect data, post data, communicate and interpret information to the public and park staff.
• Provide surf safety interpretive presentations to the public throughout the summer which are presentations designed to educate the visiting public on the various hazards one may encounter in the surf zone or at the beach and educate visitors on how to assess the risks and avoid the dangers.
• Educate and direct visitors on parks policies dealing with human / wildlife interaction.
• Work as part of a team to conduct search and rescue. Operates off-road vehicles (ATV's) as one of their means of emergency response. Provides visitor assistance and emergency response anywhere within the park when called upon.
• In order to ensure non-degradation of park resources, inspects beach areas such as berm, beach face and walkway accesses onto beach. Upon discovery of deficiencies, makes corrections whenever possible and reports uncorrected deficiencies to appropriate personnel.
• Responsible for accurate data entry onto daily stand report, beach information signs and case incident records. Document all protected beach and first aid incidents on the appropriate forms according to federal and agency guidelines.
• Inspect, maintain, and be responsible for the condition and storage of assigned equipment and ensures that it is ready for immediate use and store equipment properly at the end of the day.

Area Information: Assateague Island National Seashore (ASIS) is a 37 mile long barrier Island along the coast of Maryland and Virginia, located approximately 130 miles east of Washington D.C. ASIS is managed by the National Park Service with a mission to protect and preserve our national natural and cultural resources while providing for the enjoyment of these resources by visitors. Assateague serves as a public land where visitors can come to relax, recreate and immerse themselves in the resource. Popular activities include walking the beach, swimming, surfing, wildlife viewing, birding, crabbing, fishing and kayaking. Assateague receives approximately 2.4 million visitors annually. ASIS has two lifeguarded beach areas; one located in the Maryland district and the other located in the Virginia portion. Assateague State Park, located in the Maryland District, also provides a lifeguard service.
Physical Demands: Duties are considered rigorous, and required to meet prescribed medical standards prior to employment. Requires daily physical exertion to include running 1/2 mile or more with heavy rescue equipment, swimming long distances against currents and strong surf with heavy victims in tow and lifting and carrying heavy persons through large breaking waves. Will use various devices such as rescue fins, rescue kayaks and paddleboards in the ocean surf zone environment where they may be paddling, swimming and kayaking long distances through large breaking waves to execute effective rescues. Required to exhibit an uncorrected visual acuity of 20/40 or better in each eye or a best corrected (contact lenses or spectacles) visual acuity of 20/20 or better. Driving ATV's in all weather conditions.

Must meet prescribed physical requirements by a timed swim of 500 yards i less than 10 minutes and a run of 1.25 miles in 12 minutes or less.

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
• Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
• You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use.
• You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You may also be requested to submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you.
• You may be required to complete training and operate a four-wheel drive vehicle.
• Must pass a pre-employment physical
• You will be required to wear a National Park Service Lifeguard.
• Work schedules will be full time and part time. Part time may be 16-32 hours per week. Expect to be 32 hours per week.
• You will be required to work weekends and holidays.
• Upon selection, the candidate must be able to pass the Assateague "Surf School" program. The candidate must be able to pass the ARC First Responder Cognitive Exam with a score of 80 percent or better along with a pass or fail on the practical exam. Candidate must pass surf lifeguard skills training practical and cognitive exam. Incumbent must be able to successfully complete a timed ocean swim of 500 yards in less than 10 minutes, and complete a timed 1.5 mile run in less than 12 minutes.
• Required daily in-service training regimen includes a 2000-yard run (1.14 miles), followed by a 500-yard ocean swim, followed by a run/swim/run combination of 100 yards each.
• Applicants must be at least 18 years old due to the hazardous work (ie. driving a motor vehicle, etc.)

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-05/06/2022-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience.

To qualify for this position at the GS-4 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

EXPERIENCE: At least six months of general experience that demonstrates my ability to perform the work of the position such as, but not limited to, dealing with the public, maintaining supplies/equipment and following oral and or written instructions, etc., AND have six months of specialized experience performing lifeguard duties (also, developing and administering a swimming program; serving as a swim instructor). You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least at least two years of study above the high school level that included at least 12 semester hours in courses related to recreation (e.g., basic psychology, group dynamics, physical education, arts and crafts, etc.). You must include transcripts.
-OR-
Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. You must include transcripts.

Volunteer Experience: 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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your 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.

Additional information

GOVERNMENT HOUSING MAY BE AVAILABLE.

this announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.
Non-Competitive Rehire Eligibility: Temporary seasonal employees can only maintain their non-competitive rehire eligibility if they work no more than a combined total of Temporary NTE less than 1040 hours anywhere in the National Park Service (NPS) within their established service year. Accordingly, non-competitive rehire eligibility allows for re-appointment to the same position or another position appropriate for temporary appointment with the same qualification requirements (5 CFR 316.402[b][7]), based on series and grade, anywhere in the major subdivision (NPS).

If you have held a temporary seasonal appointment in the past 12 months and have already worked the maximum temporary appointment less than 1040 hours during that period, you are still welcome to apply. However, please be aware that exceeding the limit of 1040 hours in your established service year will result in the loss of your non-competitive rehire eligibility.

The limit can be exceeded by working multiple temporary seasonal positions that result in a combined total greater than 1040 hours. The limit also can be exceeded by working a single temporary seasonal appointment that exceeds 1040 hours, unless granted an exception by OPM.

Employment may be terminated at any time due to fluctuations in funding levels, project needs, employee performance, or other considerations.
Working Conditions: Work is performed outdoors where you can be subjected to weather variances such as extreme heat or cold, rainy conditions, and high UV indexes, cold water temperatures, large waves adn marine organisms. Can be exposed to high risk and potentially dangerous situations in emergency response, requiring the use of a wide range of personal protective gear. Emergency operations will require entry into hazardous environments, exposure to dangerous persons, animals, substances and potential exposure to infectious diseases. Terrain can be uneven and consist of soft or hard packed sand mixed with seashells and other debris.

Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting for duty in this position will be the responsibility of the selected employee.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document that you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application. Click the following link for more information, https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Alternate_Application_Information .