Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — More than 10 percent of Iowa firefighters were granted national certifications over a four-year period despite failing exams at a state academy, authorities said Wednesday, as hundreds more were notified of the testing errors.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety informed 739 firefighters in 94 departments this week that they should not have been granted certifications by its Fire Services Training Bureau, the agency said.
The department announced in January that 1,706 firefighters and emergency personnel were issued nearly 2,300 improper certifications between 2012 and 2016. A review of tests launched last year found that they did not have the scores they needed to pass written exams and earn certifications in areas such as basic firefighting knowledge, hazardous materials handling and operation of firetrucks.
On Wednesday, the department said the 739 additional firefighters should have been notified at that time because their tests had already been identified as failing as part of the review. But the department recently discovered that the manner in which it used a database to send letters "did not capture the entire group" that was affected, said special agent in charge Steve DeJoode of the State Fire Marshal Division.
The discovery means that 2,445 firefighters have been affected, or more than 10 percent of Iowa's mostly volunteer force. The department has said that additional tests could not be rescored because they were no longer available.
Firefighters had been given until June 30 to retake the tests or be faced with starting the certification process over from scratch. But following the new discovery, the bureau "will be extending retesting through much of 2017," DeJoode said.
Some leaders in the profession worry that firefighters will quit rather than go through with retesting, which the department is offering for free at several locations across the state. The department said Wednesday that 350 firefighters have undergone retesting since it began last month.
The certifications are not mandated by Iowa law but some departments require them to be hired or promoted. Carrying the seals of the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress and the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications, the credentials are also recognized by departments in other states and used as prerequisites for more advanced training.
John McPhee, the former certification and accreditation coordinator for the Fire Services Training Bureau, is accused of failing to properly grade tests for years and simply assigning them random scores. He has pleaded not guilty to misconduct in public office and tampering with records, and is awaiting trial. His attorney hasn't returned messages seeking comment.
The department has also alleged that McPhee failed to schedule a site visit with the national board, costing the bureau its accreditation. DeJoode said the bureau is still working to regain accreditation from that body, known as the ProBoard.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
