Orlando Fire Fighters Speak Out Against Accused Cheaters

October 3, 2007 – Orlando, FL Local 1365 fire fighters want to know why two fire department chiefs caught cheating on their promotional exams were not given stiffer punishments.

As part of their “Firefighters for Integrity” campaign, Orlando fire fighters are going door-to-door requesting that the public demand that the mayor and city council members treat the allegations more seriously. Fire fighters have also requested that the City’s Civil Service Board reject the discipline.

"A first-grader knows that if you get caught cutting in line at the water fountain you go to the back of the line," says Steve Clelland, president of Local 1365. "We have never tolerated dishonesty in this department, and it should not be tolerated."

In 2002, Deputy Chief Rudolph Johnson and District Chief Brian Will were being considered for promotions to district chief when, as a City of Orlando investigator later found, they used a department radio to listen in as other fire fighters took the same promotional exam they were taking the next day.

“By listening in on the live-burn portion of the test, the two knew which building was being used and what the problems were,” explains Clelland. “They had an unfair advantage over the others.”

After passing the test, Johnson and Will were promoted to district chief. Johnson has since been promoted twice.

It wasn’t until earlier this year that City officials received an anonymous complaint and an audio recording of the cheating. City investigators could clearly hear Johnson and Will talking while listening to the exam.

After investigators found them guilty, the two were suspended for 30 days, but allowed to keep their promotions.

“We strongly believe that both of them should have been demoted to the positions they had before the tests and appropriately disciplined from there,” says Clelland. “A light sentence like this sends the wrong message – that lying and cheating aren’t that big of a deal.”

To learn more, visit the Firefighters for Integrity web site.