Would Gatlinburg fire records be released if not for citizen, media pressure?
After eight months of delay, officials with the city of Gatlinburg and Sevier County say they will release public records related to the November 2016 fire that killed 14 people. (Read story in Knoxville News Sentinel) It's worth contemplating whether they would be doing this if not for the continued pressure of citizens and the state's news media. Many of the Gatlinburg fire records requested are basic: Incident reports, E-911 call recordings and emergency radio traffic. Citizens still question why an evacuation wasn't ordered, or at least wasn't ordered until the fire was already burning down structures. And so far, the answers from officials just haven't seemed enough. Citizens deserve [...]