The Tulsa Fire Department has failed to stay on pace with its goal of inspecting a third of the city's fire hydrants each year, data show.

Firefighters inspected about 28 percent of the city's hydrants in 2008, short of their desired pace to check all of the city's hydrants every three years.

The department didn't inspect any hydrants in 2007, said Capt. Michael Baker, spokesman for the Tulsa Fire Department. Baker said the department spent the year trying to make the inspection process more efficient.

But even the fire department's three-year inspection goal doesn't reach some industry standards.

Many experts recommend annual fire hydrant inspections to ensure that the devices work properly during emergencies.

The American Water Works Association, a Colorado-based nonprofit agency aimed at improving the supply and quality of drinking water, is a go-to authority for hydrant inspections. It recommends that hydrants be inspected each year.

"All hydrants should be inspected regularly, at least once a year, to ensure their satisfactory operation," the association's guideline reads. "In freezing climates, dry-barrel hydrants may require two inspections per year."