Possibility of Camden cheating on firefighter test investigated

The New Jersey Attorney General's Office is investigating allegations that questions on a fire-captain exam circulated in a Camden firehouse around the time the test was given, fire officials said.

Since questions that the Camden firefighters answered were also used to test other New Jersey firefighters, the probe may extend beyond Camden, according to firefighters interviewed by investigators.

The state Attorney General's Office, as a matter of policy, would not comment on the existence of the investigation.

"It's an administrative investigation that could turn criminal," said firefighter Kenneth Chambers, president of International Association of Fire Fighters Local 788. "They're investigating to see if there's an inside job."

Investigators have interviewed dozens of firefighters. Chambers said he had represented about 25 in meetings with investigators.

"There was a complaint that there might have been information about the examination that was compromised," said Camden Fire Chief Joseph Marini, who said investigators had not interviewed him. "The investigation is confidential and being done by the state, so I'm not privy to the particulars."

The exam covers a range of topics related to effective, safe firefighting, and firefighters who pass it are eligible to become captains who command teams on fires.

Firefighters said in interviews that a day after the exam was given in May, a firefighter at the Liberty Street station found questions for the oral part of the exam, which the state Department of Personnel administers.

The three-page document was turned over to authorities.

The questions involve highly specific firefighting scenarios, and firefighters said test-takers were never given copies of the questions, even afterward. Other departments took the same exam after Camden, they said.

The investigation apparently has delayed the release of results of the exam statewide, which might slow promotions.

Each test is proctored by officers from other New Jersey fire departments. The first half is written, and the oral portion is monitored on audiotape and videotape.

One motivation to cheat could be financial, Camden Councilman Frank Moran said.

"It is prestigious to be a captain in the Fire Department because of the amount of overtime they make," said Moran, Council's liaison for public safety. "There is a potential for something fishy going on."

Last year, the department's 50 captains collected $1.5 million of the $3.7 million in department overtime, for total average pay of $130,000.

They earned three times as much overtime as regular firefighters, and more than $50,000 more in total pay. One captain earned more than the fire chief.

Moran said the scandal may include other departments.

"This may open a Pandora's box," he said. "This may be something that is going on throughout the state, throughout the country."

In fact, cases of cheating on fire department promotion exams have been reported recently in Orlando, Boston and Baltimore.