Controversial Exam for D.C. EMT's

WASHINGTONfrom ABC 7 News -

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A plan to raise standards in the D.C. fire department is stirring up a controversy.

Some firefighters are losing their jobs because they can't pass a tough new exam for emergency medical technicians.

The new exam is part of an agreement with the family of murdered New York Times reporter David Rosenbaum. Now the department is agreeing to give recruits more chances to pass the test just to keep their jobs.

Graduation day was a proud moment for JaQuante' Staton. Born and raised in D.C., he always dreamed of becoming a firefighter. After six months of training, he made it.

"You have to understand, my whole family was there at graduation. They were proud of me, they were cheering for me. To have it stripped away just a couple of months later, it's not fair," said Staton.

Staton's dream was shattered when he was among the 28 percent of firefighters who failed to pass a new national registry exam for EMTs, put in place after graduation. Staton had already passed state standards.

"I'm not disgruntled. I'm sad actually. I'm sad that they would spend the money on me to graduate, shake hands with the mayor and the chief of the fire department and then fire me," said Staton.

"It was definitely a wakeup call because by no means have I ever considered myself a failure. I still don't. It was just one of those things. It was an unfortunate event and I did the best I could," said Evan Pace who was also terminated.

Both Pace and Staton say they studied extensively on their own, but that the department offered no instruction.

"There were questions about bears and what would we do if someone got attacked by one," said Pace.

You have like 30 guys sitting in one class with no instructor, said Ronnie Williams.

Even some veteran firefighters are having trouble. Williams fought fires for six years, but has now been on the bench for 11 months. He failed the test multiple times, he says because of his dyslexia. Williams is still on the city payroll.

"I haven't done nothing on a fire truck. And that's what I wanted to do to serve my city," said Williams.

When asked what he did for work everyday, Williams responded "Just go down there, sit in the classroom, get on the computer, do some test-taking online and try to find some ways to pass this national registry," he said.

"It is not true that the recruits have sat in a classroom without an instructor. There are independent study times," said Dr. James Augustine, acting medical director with D.C. Fire & EMS.

The department says there is training as well as mentoring programs for those who need extra help, both of which are disputed by six firefighters that were interviewed.

"You have to take a look at yourself in the mirror and say did I do everything that I could do to pass this test? Did I study on my own? Did I ask for help?," said Kenneth Crosswhite, deputy fire chief.

After our interview the department said it now plans to bring Staton and Pace back for three more attempts at passing the exam.

And this time, officials say they'll make sure the new recruits have every opportunity to prepare.

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