By Leila Merrill
RALEIGH, N.C. — James Adam Berry, chief of the Griffith Volunteer Fire Department, has been arrested and charged with falsifying fire incident reports, WXII12 reported.
Officials said that Berry overstated the number of fire personnel who responded to calls on fire incident reports to the state Fire Marshal’s Office to get a higher fire insurance protection rating for the department. This was between June 30, 2016 and Oct. 8, 2021.
Berry has also been accused of falsifying incident reports to the Forsyth County Fire Marshal’s Office.
He is due to appear in court on March 10.
In addition, Berry is a full-time employee of the Clemmons Fire Department. The Clemmons chief said that Berry’s employment status has not changed.
Forsyth County Emergency Services issued a public statement following the arrest:
“We have been notified of some very concerning allegations involving the Fire Chief of Griffith Volunteer Fire Department in southern Forsyth County. This is an investigation by the North Carolina Office of State Fire Marshal and is being handled by the Forsyth County District Attorney’s Office. Forsyth County remains committed to ensuring fire protection to all citizens of Forsyth County. We have reached out the Board of Directors for the Griffith Volunteer Fire Department via certified mail for an explanation and to ensure steps are being taken to maintain fire protection for the Griffith Fire District. The Forsyth County Manager’s Office and Forsyth County Emergency Services are monitoring the situation.”