By Gabrielle Finley
Orlando Sentinel
ORLANDO, FLa. — Orlando's fire chief decided to demote rather than suspend two top administrators who were found to have cheated on a promotional exam five years ago.
Chief James Reynolds' reversal is outlined in a Friday memorandum to firefighters Rudolph Johnson and Brian Will, who have risen through the ranks of the Orlando Fire Department since they took the exam in 2002.
But a union-led organization that calls itself Firefighters for Integrity, which led a boisterous campaign advocating tougher punishments for the administrators, is outraged by Reynolds' decision.
Johnson was demoted by one position — from deputy chief to assistant chief. He was a lieutenant before he took the exam.
"He's still been allowed to gain by his cheating," said firefighter union President Steve Clelland. "It's the most grossly mismanaged investigation I have ever witnessed in 27 years in the fire service.
"What would happen to an attorney if they got caught cheating in law school or on the bar exam? They wouldn't be attorneys today," Clelland said.
Will, a district chief, was demoted to lieutenant, the position he held before the exam.
The firefighters' demotions take effect Monday.
Clelland said the union will file a complaint about Johnson's demotion to the state Ethics Commission.
Neither Reynolds, Johnson nor Will could be reached for comment Saturday. A fire department spokesman would not comment.
Both Johnson and Will appealed their initial suspensions. But instead of throwing out the suspensions, Reynolds moved for a "more appropriate discipline ... "
In his written decision, Reynolds said Johnson and Will "provided no new evidence" that would change the results of the investigation.
Reynolds also said Johnson and Will failed to "respond completely and forthrightly" during the investigation, the memorandum said.
"I am therefore reversing the previously imposed discipline of suspension and instead imposing the discipline of demotion ... ," Reynolds wrote.
Johnson and Will already served 30-day suspensions, which began Sept. 1. But because of the new disciplinary action, they will be reimbursed, according to the memorandum.
Will and Johnson will get $6,935 and $9,034 in back pay, respectively.
But the firefighters will still lose income.
Along with the demotions came an order for a 7 percent reduction in their salaries, the document said.
Even with the demotion to lieutenant and the pay cut, however, Will's salary will equal that of a low-end district chief's salary, Clelland said.
Before the demotions, Johnson was making $108,409 and Will was making $83,220.
Allegations of the firefighters cheating on the exam surfaced in August after the department received a complaint from an anonymous firefighter.
A portion of the exam involved a simulated fire where the firefighters were stationed to take control of scripted mistakes that caused the scenario to become more dangerous.
The anonymous complaint alleged that four firefighters were seen sitting in a car parked outside the city's training center, secretly listening to and recording the radio transmission of the exercise while another applicant was taking the test.
Copyright 2007 Sentinel Communications Co.
