Failed Communications Impacted Tennessee Wildfire Response

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Records show failed communication systems hampered the response to last fall’s deadly Tennessee fires.

Records that Sevier County began to release in August show that wind and fire on Nov. 28 combined to disable cell towers, melt fiber-optic cables and disrupt radio signals and phone lines, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported.

WATE-TV reports dashcam videos, radio traffic and 911 calls show what dispatchers faced.

“The whole mountain is on fire up here,” one caller says. “We’re trying to make our way down, but I think we’re all going to burn up quick. Can you do something?”

The problems also undermined efforts to send a mobile evacuation alert. Tennessee Emergency Management Agency officials said sending the notice without details would create panic.

“So much was happening so fast,” said Patrick Sheehan, TEMA director. “We were getting conflicting reports. Our liaison was on his way to the scene and stuck in traffic on (U.S.) Highway 321 (outside town). At some point, the news stations told us there was a mandatory evacuation. We tried to re-establish contact with Sevier County. Every redundant system we had in place for a period of time was not working.”

Sheehan finally reached Sevier County Emergency Management Director John Mathews by cell and offered to send an evacuation alert to all cellphones in the area – but not without Mathews’ direction and approval.

“We can’t just say, ‘Evacuate.’ That would be irresponsible,” Sheehan said. “We don’t know whether there are trees or power lines across which roads.”

The only text alert from TEMA that reached anyone was a notice sent hours after the fire began, asking residents to stay off their cellphones. TEMA spokesman Dean Flener said that seemed to open cell access for emergency personnel.

Several people calling 911 in the early hours were told there was no evacuation at that time and that officers would come to their door if they were in danger. But the calls became more urgent as the fire spread, with callers reporting around 7 p.m. they could see widespread fire.

Dispatchers started advising callers to leave if they could, but there was no widespread mandatory evacuation order.

“If you feel like you’re in danger, you need to go,” one dispatcher said. “We’ve got fires burning all over the county.”

The fire began to pick up speed by 7 p.m.

“High winds had now pushed throughout the city, raining embers, causing trees and power lines to fall and fire to spread,” the post-fire summary report states.

Officials were told to activate a flood warning siren system to get the public’s attention. They also began widespread evacuations.