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Despite Scandal, Tulsa Firefighters Ace Tests
TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- Despite a recent scandal involving falsified training records, Tulsa firefighters passed a battery of tests showing they have the necessary emergency medical skills, officials said.
The Medical Protocol test administered to 127 firefighters show a 100 percent pass rate of those tested. Another 11 firefighters who were on vacation will be given the exam later, said Fire Chief Allen LaCroix.
"Firefighters have stepped up to the plate and they have proven once and again they are one of the finest in the nation," LaCroix said.
In mid-January, the Fire Department released the results of an Oklahoma State Department of Health investigation that began after the agency received a complaint from one of the Fire Department's paramedics.
The state probe indicates that some firefighters admitted they could not truthfully account for all of the continuing education units they reported. The units are required for recertification for emergency medical technicians and paramedics.
The firefighters told state investigators they were instructed to use dates from a provided list, even though they couldn't account for their class attendance, and that a date was fabricated for a hazardous-materials class.
Overall, LaCroix said, he thinks firefighters were put in a bad position.
"I think on the administrative side, the documentation wasn't there for firefighters to accurately fill out their records and we asked them to do it anyway," he said.
Mayor Kathy Taylor said the results show what officials already believed when the scandal broke: "The public was always safe."
The issue, she said, was "sloppy and inaccurate record keeping, which we have rectified."
LaCroix said this incident has made for a better department "because we have learned the importance of documentation."
In addition to the development of an ethics education program for the fire personnel, the City Auditor's Office is conducting a probe into the department's training records. An internal investigation also is being conducted by the City Attorney's office, Human Resources and Fire Department Command staff.
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Information from: Tulsa World, http://www.tulsaworld.com
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The Medical Protocol test administered to 127 firefighters show a 100 percent pass rate of those tested. Another 11 firefighters who were on vacation will be given the exam later, said Fire Chief Allen LaCroix.
"Firefighters have stepped up to the plate and they have proven once and again they are one of the finest in the nation," LaCroix said.
In mid-January, the Fire Department released the results of an Oklahoma State Department of Health investigation that began after the agency received a complaint from one of the Fire Department's paramedics.
The state probe indicates that some firefighters admitted they could not truthfully account for all of the continuing education units they reported. The units are required for recertification for emergency medical technicians and paramedics.
The firefighters told state investigators they were instructed to use dates from a provided list, even though they couldn't account for their class attendance, and that a date was fabricated for a hazardous-materials class.
Overall, LaCroix said, he thinks firefighters were put in a bad position.
"I think on the administrative side, the documentation wasn't there for firefighters to accurately fill out their records and we asked them to do it anyway," he said.
Mayor Kathy Taylor said the results show what officials already believed when the scandal broke: "The public was always safe."
The issue, she said, was "sloppy and inaccurate record keeping, which we have rectified."
LaCroix said this incident has made for a better department "because we have learned the importance of documentation."
In addition to the development of an ethics education program for the fire personnel, the City Auditor's Office is conducting a probe into the department's training records. An internal investigation also is being conducted by the City Attorney's office, Human Resources and Fire Department Command staff.
___
Information from: Tulsa World, http://www.tulsaworld.com
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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