Tulsa County Seeking To Stop Berryhill Fire Department From Performing Commercial Safety Inspections

Tulsa County is trying to stop the Berryhill Fire Department from doing safety inspections at commercial property, claiming it alone has authority to conduct them.

The Berryhill Fire Chief said Tulsa County does fewer inspections and charges more, and doesn’t give his department information it needs to protect firefighters and the public.

“My job is to make sure the community is well informed of fire hazards. I can't do that if I don't get the reports back from the County,” said Fire Chief Michael Hall.

He said he’s filed open records requests to get the reports without success.

“And when we have a fire alarm in the middle of the night, I don't even know who to call to come manage their building, and I have yet to see a County inspector on any of our fires to do an investigation,” he said.

Tulsa County Commissioners approved a letter to the State Fire Marshal’s office claiming Berryhill’s actions were illegal and should be stopped. The state gave Berryhill the authority to do the inspections in an unincorporated where Tulsa County also has the same authority.

The State Fire Marshal’s office said Monday it has not received the letter but would likely refer it to the Attorney General’s office for an opinion.

Berryhill is represented on the County Commission by Karen Keith, who offered no comment when contacted Monday. The Public Information Officer for the County said no one was available Monday to discuss the decision to send the letter.