PAPILLION, Neb. --
The city of Papillion must start all over with selecting its new crop of firefighters after an investigation revealed that recruits were given test answers ahead of time.
Two current firefighters are accused of giving out the answers.
The setback puts the Papillion Fire Department about three months behind in its hiring process. It'll also cost the city tens of thousands of dollars and inconvenienced 166 applicants.
City officials got suspicious when some applicants scored unusually high on a written portion of the test.
Said Fire Chief Bill Bowes, "It's not unusual to score well, but these candidates scored exceptionally well."
Papillion police investigated and learned two fire department employees had given out the questions and answers.
The employees have remained unnamed. The city has yet to decide how they'll be disciplined.
"A trust was broken. There's a certain honor we like to operate by as public servants," Bowes said.
Bowes isn't sure how many applicants were privy to the questions and answers. He said he was relieved the cheating was caught.
"I would rather have applicants come into their career through a good process rather than one that's tainted," he said.
The fire department is staffed by 35 paid employees and eight volunteers. The new class will add six paid firefighters.
Bowes wanted them hired for the opening of the department's new fire station earlier this month. Now they may not be on in the ranks until January.
Bowes encouraged the 166 applicants who already went through the process to reapply.
He said he was "very sorry" for the predicament and said he was confident those who scored well will score well again or do even better.
The city has yet to decide if those applicants who got the questions and answers before the test will be able to reapply.
Copyright 2009 by KETV.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
