Father, son resign, firefighter exam results scrapped after cheating allegations
Norwalk's mayor said an investigation found a firefighter may have fed exam answers to his son during the entry-level firefighting exam
By Laura French
NORWALK, Conn. — A father and son both resigned from their positions working for a Connecticut city after allegations of cheating involving an entry-level firefighting exam.
Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling said an investigation conducted by an external law firm found that the father, who was a Norwalk firefighter at the time of the exam, may have fed exam answers to his son, who worked in another municipal position in the city, during the test, according to The Hour. The results from the exam were also scrapped as a result of the investigation.
The investigation focused on concerns raised by the company that oversaw the exams that two firefighters who were involved in the testing process did not recuse themselves despite the fact that their sons were taking the exam.
The investigation found there was not enough evidence to prove that one of the firefighters under investigation was involved in cheating or disobeyed orders to recuse himself from helping conduct the tests, and he did not face disciplinary action. However, another firefighter "might have supplied answers to his son," the city said in a statement, according to The Hour.
The father and son were both placed on administrative leave by the city pending disciplinary hearings, but both resigned before any disciplinary action could be taken.
The Norfolk Fire Commission voted to scrap the recent results from the entry-level firefighting exams and to no longer continue participating in the State of Connecticut Firefighter Testing Consortium after the incident.
The Hour reports that Fire Chief Gino Gatto previously stated there were 683 applicants for the exam, and that 583 had passed the written test.
