Training Suspended After Baltimore EMTs Accused Of Cheating

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- There are serious questions surrounding the Baltimore Fire Department after Emergency Medical Services students were caught cheating on their certification.

Derek Valcourt explains it's a scandal that could put your safety in jeopardy.

Fire Chief James Clack is disappointed in what he calls a "serious mistake" by a few that tarnishes the reputation of hundreds of men and women in his department.

When lives are on the line, knowledge matters.  That's why fire paramedics must pass state certification testing.  But a state agency that conducts those tests found what amounts to cheating.  They say a recent class of about 20 Baltimore City cadets had a copy of that test in advance.

It's upsetting to Clack.

"From what I understand, they had taken the test already when one of the state examiners found a test -- supposed to have been a confidential test -- out in the open and from there they launched an investigation," Clack said.

The testing took place at the Public Safety Training Facility in North Baltimore on June 14.  Clack says he does not yet know whether fire academy instructors or cadets were to blame.

"We're going to find out," he said.

In fact, the city fire marshal's office is already conducting a full investigation into the incident, during which all EMS training has been temporarily suspended.  Cadets will be retested before they can work on the streets.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is troubled by the allegations.

"Cheating from any city employee will not be tolerated and it's unbecoming from a member of our fire department so I support the chief suspending training while we do this investigation," Rawlings-Blake said.

"We just want to make sure that they can pass any test that the state wants to give us.  We want to make sure our EMTs are fully qualified to be on the street and we are certainly going to do that," Clack said.

The city investigation into the cheating scandal is expected to take about two weeks. 

The president of the firefighters' union told WJZ he had no comment on the story.

The testing for paramedics and EMTs is overseen by the Maryland Institute of Emergency Medical Services Systems.