ORLANDO, Fla. --
An Orlando firefighter will be demoted for reportedly lying about co-workers texting to cheat on a promotions test.
WFTV broke the cheating allegations last month and, in years past, firefighters were disciplined for cheating on the same test. But this time, the chief says the allegations were made up.
The firefighter said she got a text message with answers the day before the tactical exam she took to become a lieutenant. She told a dozen firefighters that story and one of them told her superiors.
But Fire Chief John Miller said an internal investigation found no evidence of firefighters cheating on a lieutenant promotion exam last month, so Renee Bishop was demoted from engineer to permanent firefighter because she reportedly lied when she said she had gotten that text with the answers.
"Why in the world would someone want to say there was cheating when there wasn't?" WFTV reporter Daralene Jones asked Miller.
"That's a good question. I can't speculate," he said.
Twenty-five firefighters were interviewed. Cell phone records were checked. And, while there was no evidence of direct cheating, the investigation did find a current lieutenant had sent a text message to another firefighter who was taking the exam.
That text had pictures of a scenario similar to one on the test, but investigators called it merely coincidental because the lieutenant regularly sent and discussed various scenarios with interested engineers to assist them in test preparation.
Besides the verbal allegation of cheating, Bishop had also texted other firefighters about the exam. In one she said, "I'm a wreck … there are too many guys that know what's on the test. It's not fair."
Investigators said, "While these texts might imply somebody has confidential information there was no evidence" and "it could be explained as normal test paranoia."
"Can people be absolutely certain that this is not a cover up? Can you assure the public of that?" Jones asked Miller.
"Well, I can," he said.
Bishop is appealing the demotion to firefighter, and will be represented by the union. As part of the demotion, her pay is cut by $3,500, which would take her to $67,000 a year.
Copyright 2011 by wftv.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
