The Boston Fire Department has suspended 54 firefighters who allegedly faked medical training certifications, according to The Boston Globe.
The department's yearlong inquiry into their involvement in the scheme that included more than 200 EMTs in the state concluded on Thursday.
"They did not follow established procedures when they were going to be recertified," department spokesman Stephen McDonald told the newspaper. "The state made us aware of it, and we did an investigation."
Last year, two instructors were accused of falsifying records for 213 EMTs and giving credit for training classes that never occurred.
The fire department's investigation found 20 of the 54 firefighters twice received falsified certifications, according to the newspaper report.
Those firefighters face 45-day suspensions without pay while the others who did it once will be given 15-day suspensions without pay.
All of firefighters will be made to repay the stipend the department offers them to take the courses, which are not required.
The Department of Public Health has since outlined steps to prevent training fraud, including mandating ethics training or monitoring the courses.
