TULSA, Okla. — Friday morning, the Tulsa Fire Department (TFD) and the City of Tulsa welcomed some of the city’s newest residents by hosting a fire safety event.

Tulsa Fire Chief Michael Baker, Public Information Officer Andy Little, and a few other firefighters introduced new Tulsans to the level of care they can expect from TFD.

“Information can be difficult to disseminate when you have a language barrier,” Little told us at the event. “So we try to find creative ways to bridge those gaps, and we believe that everybody deserves to have good information, in a timely manner, so that they can make decisions to keep their family safe.”

The entire presentation was translated into Spanish so new residents and firefighters could ask each other questions about common misconceptions, and free services residents have at their disposal.

“A lot of immigrants that we speak with talk about how they didn’t trust government from where they came from. So that’s another barrier. They don’t want to call because they’re unsure of what response they’re going to get, how they’re going to be treated,” Little said.

“When our firefighters come to your home, or wherever you are in need of help, we expect them to treat you like family.”

The event was held at TFD’s Tulsa Fire Safety Training Center in north Tulsa as part of the city’s Welcoming Week 2022.

Little says TFD is preparing to release one of their first all-Spanish fire safety checklists for residents soon. He says they’re also hoping to hold an all-Spanish open house event at their newest station, Station 33 in east Tulsa, in the near future.

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