A Lexington firefighter whose EMT-Paramedic certification has been permanently revoked by the state Dept. of Public Health told investigators that as an instructor he was "just trying to help fellow EMTs" by giving them cards for training courses they did not complete.

Mark Culleton, an EMT-paramedic instructor for the Clinical Training Center of Boston Medical Center, has had his EMT-paramedic certification permanently revoked following an investigation by the state Dept. of Public Health. Culleton is also a paramedic with the Lexington Fire Department and Atlantic Ambulance Service.

The Dept. of Public Health began its investigation on Culleton after an anonymous complaint was received that an EMT-paramedic at Atlantic Ambulance Service had received an Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) card without having attended a required course.

EMT-paramedics are required to complete an ACLS course every two years in order to have their certifications renewed by the Dept. of Public Health.

According to the complaint investigation report, obtained from the Dept. of Public Health, a class said to have been held at the Burlington Police Department on Feb. 21 for two basic EMTs and three EMT-paramedics was never held, yet, a course roster was submitted by Culleton to the Clinical Training Center for processing.

EMTs on that roster admitted to receiving American Heart Association CPR cards and ACLS cards without attending the class, investigators found.

In an April 28 interview with the Dept. of Public Health, Culleton told officials he was "just trying to help fellow EMTs who were experiencing some hardship" and were under deadline to renew their CPR or ACLS cards.

He said he made up the test scores, and that those on the course roster did not take a written test or attend a class with him on Feb. 21. Culleton also admitted that he took money from some of the individuals he'd given cards to, though not all because of financial difficulties, the report says.

The investigation found that 67 people whose names appeared on course rosters submitted by Culleton had never attended a course, and the majority worked at Atlantic or Cataldo Ambulance services.

Lexington Fire Chief William Middlemiss said he found out about the investigation on Culleton on April 27, and that since then Culleton has been on paid administrative leave. The department is also conducting its own investigation, he said, which has not been completed. 

Six Lexington firefighters are also on the Dept. of Public Health's list of 214 EMTs who are receiving sanctions from the state for allegedly having false EMT recertification course records.

Those firefighters, who will lose their certifications for nine months starting July 1 are Joseph Foley, Aaron Paskalis, John Ritchie, George-Arthur Robinson, Mark Schofield and Ken Tremblay. 

Middlemiss said any further action against those firefighters will be taken handled at a future date. The department also has enough firefighters and EMTs to cover its shifts, he said. 

"At this point it will not hamper our efforts within the town," he said. "We have sufficient staff to handle that."