Recreation Assistant

Clarification from the agency

Open to All U.S. Citizens

Duties

Perform lifeguard services during assigned tours of duty, accomplishing search and rescue, lifesaving, and preventive life guarding. Provides information on park regulations to the public. Patrols beach areas on foot advising visitors of hazardous lake and swimming conditions. Advises supervisor of safety problems and assists in the operation of the First Aid and Lifeguard Services Center, as requested. Prepares rescue reports and maintains records, as necessary. Performs other park support duties (such as festival assistance, garbage pick-up, and inventories), as weather conditions and/or workload requirements dictate. Position requires wearing the full assigned uniform and operation of an all-terrain vehicle.

Area Information
Government Housing NOT available.
Indiana Dunes National Park is a 15,000-acre park located at the southern tip of Lake Michigan, approximately 45 miles southeast of Chicago, Illinois. The park is among the top 10 most visited National Park units annually. Small towns and resort communities on the beaches of Lake Michigan, and farms, interspersed with large tracts of woodlands and wetlands, surround the park. All services are available in the communities, to include schools, colleges, shopping, and other major amenities. The park hugs 15 miles of Lake Michigan's southern shoreline, and includes several historic districts, and over 50 miles of horse, bike and hiking trails over rugged dunes, mysterious wetlands, sunny prairies, meandering rivers, and peaceful forests The park also surrounds the 2,000-acre Indiana Dunes State Park, and a large residential environmental education center. The Park is the birthplace of the science of ecology and has one of the most diverse plant communities in the National Park Service system. The park further supports several geographically dispersed units within the park. The area has weather typical of the Midwest with temperatures normally ranging from 0 degrees in the winter to 90 degrees in the summer. No government housing available, however, many reasonably priced houses and rental properties exist in the surrounding communities.

Physical Demands: Requires standing, walking, running, lifting, and carrying heavy items over hazardous sands and rough terrain during periods of environmental and psychological stress. Strenuous exertion under severe environmental conditions is required in search, rescue, recover, and boat operations. Some assignments are sedentary. May be required to meet/maintain park administered tests (or equivalent); 1. Swim 500 yards in 10 minutes or less; 2. Recover a 10-pound weight from 12 feet of water; 3. Swim 25 yards under water with one breath; 4. Successfully demonstrate proper water rescue techniques; and 5. Demonstrate proper techniques for handling neck and back injuries.

Working Conditions: Work is performed indoors and outdoors, the majority being outside and possibly subjected to extreme weather and/or terrain. Search, rescue, recovery, and ATV/UTV operations require exposure to potentially dangerous conditions.

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 must also 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 are required to possess a current Lifeguard Certification, First Aid Certification, & CPR Certificate at time of application. You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided. You may be required to work evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work. Applicants must be at least (1)18 years old or (2) at least 16 years old and: (a) Have graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or (b) Have completed a formal vocational training program; or (c) Have received a statement from school authorities agreeing with their preference for employment rather than continuing their education; or (d) Be currently enrolled in a secondary school and either work only during school vacation periods or work part-time during the school year under a formal student employment program.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-04/19/2024-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.

SELECTIVE FACTORS:
You must be at least 16 years old.
AND
This position requires you to have several (non-expired) certifications:
1) Lifeguard Certification
2) First Aid Certification
3) CPR Certification
You must submit a certificate or card for each. Candidates who do not meet these requirements, or do not submit proper documentation, will receive no further consideration for this position.

- AND -
To qualify for this position at the GS-04 grade level, you must possess one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

EXPERIENCE: At least six months of general experience AND six months of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-03 grade level in the Federal Service. General experience is any type of work that demonstrates your ability to perform the work of the position. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. This experience would include performing lifeguard duties. You must include start/end months and hours per week worked.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of 2 years of study above high school that included at least 12 semester hours directly related to this recreation assistant position. (e.g., basic psychology, group dynamics, physical education, etc). You MUST submit a copy of your transcripts indicating degree earned and credit hours to qualify based on education. A copy of your official transcripts will be required before entrance on duty, if selected.
-OR-
Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You MUST submit a copy of your transcripts indicating degree earned and credit hours to qualify based on education. A copy of your official transcripts will be required before entrance on duty, if selected.

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 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 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.

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