Fourteen members of the Fire Department, including three battalion chiefs, have used fake diplomas in an attempt to secure promotions the past several years, the Department of Investigation said yesterday.

Starting in 2002, the members bought diplomas for between $500 and $800 from the fictional St. Regis College and its affiliates. The college described itself as an “online distance learning institution” accredited by the “Liberian Ministry of Education,” according to a report by the Department of Investigation.

The Fire Department has credit requirements for firefighters seeking promotion. To reach the deputy chief position, for example, candidates must pass a test and provide a transcript that shows they have 40 college credits.

A spokesman for the department, Deputy Commissioner Francis Gribbon, said the department stopped accepting diplomas from St. Regis in 2003 and instituted changes to prevent similar problems in the future. The department is reviewing the Department of Investigation report to determine whether any disciplinary action should be taken against the men, he said.

A battalion chief, Daniel O’Gara, was the first to buy a diploma, and he subsequently told several other members seeking promotions how to do it, the report said. Among the members who the report said bought diplomas are three battalion chiefs, two deputy chiefs, five captains, two lieutenants, and one firefighter.