He’s a volunteer firefighter in Cedar Bluffs, a state-licensed EMT and wants to save lives for a living. But 22-year-old Andrew Coates has one glaring qualification problem, according to the City of Fremont: His parents educated him at home.

According to a report from the FireRescue1 website, Coates applied for a paid position with the Fremont Fire Department in April but was rejected by the City of Fremont’s Human Resources Department because his homeschool diploma wasn’t from an accredited high school. Never mind that homeschooling is perfectly legal in Nebraska.

The original job posting required a high school diploma or GED. After rejecting Coates, the city conveniently added the word “accredited” to its requirements.

Apparently, fighting fires requires more than knowing how to fight fires. You also need the government’s preferred paperwork.

Coates appealed to the city’s Civil Service Commission, which expressed concerns about the original job posting but declined to intervene, saying it couldn’t address city policy.

Meanwhile, Coates hopes another department will give him a chance to turn his volunteer work into a career. He’s also reportedly looking into whatever legal options are available to him.

Here’s hoping the next fire department is more interested in whether he can save lives than where he learned algebra from an “accredited” teacher.