By Cody Bozarth, Jacksonville Journal-Courier, Ill.
March 24--The Illinois Department of Public Health has suspended the paramedic license of Beardstown's acting fire chief after it was found that he was not qualified to possess it.
According to a notice of violations from the state, fire chief Darin Paul held a paramedic license, even though he had completed less than 10 percent of the required clinical training hours.
Beardstown Mayor Bob Walters said Paul is no longer working for the city's ambulance service as one of its staffed paramedics, but his position with the fire department is not affected.
In its notice, the Department of Public Health claims that Paul completed fewer than 50 clinical training hours out of a required 500 hours and, therefore, never legally qualified to sit for an exam to receive a paramedic license.
It further claims that Paul pressured or persuaded a subordinate to falsely certify him as having completed the clinical hours.
State Department of Public Health spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said Paul has requested a hearing, but a date for that hearing has not been set.
Walters advised the City Council this past week about the situation. He said Paul has held a paramedic license for two or three years.
"From what I've seen, I don't see where he has any grounds to appeal it myself," Walters said. "It's just a requirement. Requires so many hours of training and he didn't do that. ... Might be trying to maintain his basic EMT license."
Walters said Paul received some pay from the Ambulance Service when working as an ambulance paramedic, but the pay he received didn't affect the city.
"We would have had to pay someone to fill in," Walters said. "We're required to have one licensed paramedic per ambulance to do the work paramedics do."
The salary set by the city for Paul in his capacity as fire chief and director of the city's ambulance service would have been the same -- and will remain the same -- because holding a paramedic's license is not a requirement for that job.
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©2013 the Jacksonville Journal-Courier (Jacksonville, Ill.)
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