Cleveland police are investigating possible cheating on an exam given to sharpen paramedics' life-saving skills.

Safety Director Martin Flask said Tuesday that officials believe an employee smuggled a copy of the city-administered test last October from the Fire Training Academy.

About 130 employees in the city's Fire and Emergency Medical Services divisions have taken the test since then, Flask said. If distributed, the copy would have allowed others to cheat on the exam, which paramedics and other EMS workers are required to pass every three years.

"The exam is really an internal exam, above and beyond what's required by the state," Flask stressed in a phone interview. He added in a news release that the incident, "while unfortunate, does not compromise our ability to continue to provide the highest-quality service."

Future tests have been suspended until a new exam is developed.

EMS officials learned that the exam might have been compromised in recent weeks, when they received a computer disc that included a copy of the test. Flask said the disc indicated when and where the test was copied and is likely to help police confirm who made the copy.

Officials believe the person who smuggled the test is a paramedic in the Fire Department. The employee could be fired and face criminal charges, depending on the outcome of the investigation, Flask said.

Lt. Thomas Stacho, police spokesman, said there is no timeline for the investigation. At least some of the paramedics who have taken the test since it was copied will be interviewed, he said.

Known as the Paramedic Functioning Test, the computerized exam always was administered online. Officials created the test with help from the city's Physicians Advisory Board and the Public Safety Department's medical director. The test emphasizes the "most current medical protocols and procedures," according to a news release issued by the city.

City Councilman Kevin Conwell, who chairs the council's Public Safety Committee, was upset Tuesday evening when he learned the test might have been compromised.

"I'm going to burn a memo off to the safety director, get some specifics," Conwell said. "If push comes to shove, if I don't get the right answers, I'm going to call for a hearing."

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