The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Staff Reports
Posted: Sunday, January 21, 2018 11:24 AM
U.S. Secretary Ryan Zinke Says Lessons Can Be Learned From 2016 Wildfres In Gatlinburg To Ensure It Never Happens Again
Secretary Ryan Zinke said there are lessons to be learned in how to prevent this from happening again, both here and in other communities bordering national parks.
"Make sure we don't repeat it, some is moving this dead and dying timber, and creating a little more space between the town," said Zinke.
Secretary Zinke was joined with U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander as they toured the park damage and saw volunteers working on the Rainbow Falls Trail revitalization project. A lack of funding has left many projects like trail rehabilitation on the back table.
Zinke said that lack of funding may have left the park service without everything they needed to handle the November wildfires.
Zinke has reviewed the federal report. He said some of the takeaways include a need for more rangers and technology communications improvements.
"Found that some of our communication systems could not communicate with responders that we needed, so we need to make sure our systems can communicate," he added.
He also noted that local superintendents need to be able to make on-the-ground decisions that would better protect local communities.
"So there's a lot of lessons learned to move on," he said Friday. "I'm convinced that the people participating in it did as good as they could. There was no malice."
Senator Alexander said he's working with Congress and the president to better fund the park service.
"He was sensitive enough to come to Gatlinburg and Sevier County before he released the fire report. So he could talk to elected officials here, people recovering some of the victims. I appreciate his doing that," said Alexander.
The secretary wouldn't give an exact time the report would be released, but that it would be soon.
It's going to cost about $2.5 to upgrade the park's communication system. The park has $1 million secured, and Friends of the Smokies has committed to helping raise the rest of the money.
