Allegations of issuing false fire training certificates has lead the arrest of a former Iowa State Fire Training Services Bureau employee.
John McPhee, who served as the Certification and Accreditation Coordinator at the bureau, was charged with felonious misconduct in office, a Class D felony, and tampering with records, an aggravated misdemeanor.
Investigators determined that McPhee improperly issued 2,278 out of the 9,231 certifications between 2012 and 2016, according to the Des Moines Register.
State Fire Marshal Special Agent said McPhee scored the written exams for certifications.
McPhee, and former bureau Chief of Training Randal Novak were placed on leave last year when questions about certifications started popping up.
"There was insufficient information to press charges against anyone else," Gorsh told the newspaper. "The only one they had evidence to press charges on was John McPhee."
According to the investigation, 1,706 fire and emergency responders received improper certificates and will be offered the chance to retake the examinations for free.
"It happens all over the country — some people just don’t pass the exams," Gorsh said. "But we passed scores in some cases when we shouldn’t have."
