The Nashville Fire Department’s Fire Marshal’s Office is warning business owners not to do business with Tennessee Fire Specialty Systems or Wesley Shaw, 63.
On at least two occasions Shaw took payment to perform fire system inspections or installations at restaurants in Nashville. However, Shaw is not licensed to perform these inspections and the customers who have used his service are not in compliance with required inspections for their businesses.
The most recent incident involved a restaurant where a restaurant hood cleaning service reported not being able to access the system’s fans. A restaurant hood system is a type of ventilation that pulls things like fumes, smoke, steam, and exhaust out of the kitchen and replaces them with fresh air. You may also know it as an exhaust hood or range hood. An NFD Fire Inspector discovered The Fire Marshal’s Office had no record of the owner or manager of the restaurant.
Upon further inspection, the fire inspector found that the hood system was not compliant with current fire code. A tag on the extinguishment system showed that the system had been serviced in June 2022 by Tennessee Fire Specialty Systems and Shaw. This put the restaurant, its employees, and patrons in danger if a fire had started and the hood system not activated.
Shaw has a lengthy history of this illegal activity in the Alabama and Middle Tennessee Area.
In 2018, Shelbyville Charged him with 7 counts of Criminal Simulation and Criminal Impersonation for performing unlicensed inspections at restaurants in Shelbyville.
Shaw tends to target business owned by people whose do not speak English as their first language.
The Fire Marshal’s Office warns businesses that if they have used his service, they should inform the Fire Marshal’s Office and report him to Metro Nashville Police.
The Fire Marshal’s Office also states that any businesses that have used his service should contact a licensed service provider to perform the required inspection, testing, and maintenance for their systems to be in compliance.
You can reach the NFD Fire Marshal’s Office at 615-862-5230 or by emailing [email protected]
