Sioux City Fire Chief Tom Everett says he’s concerned about the impact on smaller departments in the wake of charges against the former state fire training manager for allegedly issuing improper certifications to thousands of firefighters. He says it could be a big problem for smaller rural departments, many who depend on volunteers.

 

He says Sioux City provides its own training, testing, and evaluation to all firefighters.

 

Former State Fire Services Training Bureau certification manager John McPhee was arrested Tuesday on charges of misconduct in office and tampering with records. The Iowa Department of Public Safety revealed that the state bureau issued nearly 23-hundred improper certifications to one-thousand-706 firefighters and emergency personnel between 2012 and 2016.