Tennessee Firefighting Commission schedules hearing after alleged certification fraud; suspends related instructor credential

The Tennessee Firefighting Commission voted July 29 to notify an individual that the body will hold a formal disciplinary hearing after legal staff reported evidence that the person submitted multiple forged certificates to the commission.

Legal counsel told commissioners the investigation found an allegedly falsified Firefighter II certificate and multiple additional forged documents, while the individual retained a live-burn certification and more recent HMA/HMO documents that appear genuine. Legal recommended two options: seek the individual’s agreement to decertify the wrongfully acquired credentials and bar participation in commission programs for 10 years, or file formal charges and hold an adjudicatory hearing. Commissioners voted to proceed with a hearing.

Why this matters: Certifications issued by the Tennessee commission carry IFSA C/ProBoard accreditation seals used by other states and employers. The commission said it must act to protect the integrity of those credentials and to make sure employers and the public can rely on the credentials the commission issues.

What commissioners decided and ordered - The commission voted to issue a notice of a formal hearing to the individual and have staff pursue service and scheduling of the hearing. Legal will prepare the notice and steps toward an administrative hearing before an ALJ; the hearing date will be set with the commission’s October meeting in mind. - Commissioners also voted to flag the individual’s account in the commission’s records and to take immediate administrative steps regarding the person’s Tennessee-issued credentials. - Citing a lack of the required prerequisite (Firefighter II), the commission voted to revoke the person’s Fire Instructor I credential pending formal proceedings.

Commissioners and staff quoted - Maribel (Legal counsel): legal staff “believe that this individual has created false certificates for at least 4 disciplines within the fire service.” - Commissioner Henry (mover): made the motion to require the individual to appear for a hearing. - Commissioner Sullivan (second): seconded the motion to require a hearing.

Process notes and next steps - Legal advised the commission that, under the commission’s procedures, the respondent will receive approximately 30 days’ notice of a hearing and the opportunity to respond; if the respondent does not appear after proper service, staff may seek a default hearing. - Staff will flag the individual’s Acadis record so future users who inspect that account will see the pending action; if the commission makes a final adverse finding, staff said it can request that IFSA C/ProBoard remove or invalidate the affected accreditation numbers in their registries.

Context: how the commission handles certification integrity The commission’s legal and accreditation teams explained that different documents in the person’s record appear to have different provenance: some certificates show valid IFSA C/ProBoard numbers and appear to have been legitimately issued, while others include numbers that belong to different individuals or otherwise appear forged. Commissioners said the immediate administrative actions (flagging the account and revoking the instructor credential for lack of the prerequisite) are interim steps while staff prepares the formal adjudicatory process.

Ending The commission clerk will publish the hearing notice after legal finalizes the charging documents. The hearing will provide the individual an opportunity to contest the charges; a final commission order is expected after presentation of evidence at that hearing.