Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone
A former Pennsylvania firefighter is facing criminal charges for submitting fraudulent training credentials and driving fire apparatus without a license. Steven Bartholomew, 55, served as a fire captain for the Paxtang Fire Company No. 1, a position he was given in part due to the falsified credentials he presented.
Bartholomew is now facing seven counts of forgery, ten counts of reckless endangerment, and ten counts of driving without a license. Swatara Township Police allege that Bartholomew submitted phony training certificates to the fire department purporting to have been issued by the University of Maryland – Fire and Rescue Institute. He also reportedly drove fire apparatus to emergency scenes and for non-emergency purposes.
Fox43 quoted Swatara Township Police Chief Thomas R. Stauffer as saying:
- While serving in the position of fire captain, he was responsible for the safety and well-being of fellow emergency responders and the public, a position which necessitates the completion of advanced training and experience.”
- By serving in this position under the false pretense of advanced training and experience, he recklessly endangered those whom he was entrusted to protect.
