WASHINGTON — Editor's Note: The video above was published on June 2, 2022.
The DC fire department has reported that three fire academy cadets allegedly attempted to cheat on the emergency medical technician (EMT) portion of the exam, according to officials.
This information was discovered after the academy investigated the integrity of the class in response to many people failing the EMT exam. According to officials, the report analyzing the class was finalized last week and it found that three people who "violated the testing process." Officials do not know if any additional people violated the testing process, however.
According to officials, 14 of the 32 cadets in Cadet Class 24 failed two attempts at the EMT portion of the final exam and were academically eliminated from the program on May 20.
In a statement, DC Fire officials said that "it was extremely disappointing because we made extensive efforts to increase academic success in the program." DC Fire said they expanded the class time from 12 weeks to 20 weeks and added more instructors in an effort to lower teacher to student ratios. Additionally, they said that life coaching and tutoring resources were provided and that more time was added between testing to allow cadets to study more.
"We reviewed our program and are confident in our expanded measures to help our cadets achieve, but we must adhere to our academic standards so we ensure DC Fire and EMS delivers the highest quality care to our residents and visitors," said DC Fire officials in a statement.