OKLAHOMA CITY — Governor Kevin Stitt’s newly created wildfire response activity drive launched its preliminary report.
In March, Stitt fired the state forester, accused him of doing a nasty job and fired two additional Oklahoma Forestry Services (OFS) employees for speaking to the media about it.
Thriller activity drive releases preliminary wildfire response findings
The lethal wildfires burned tons of of houses, together with one in all Stitt’s properties close to Luther.
The findings from the “working group” have been extremely anticipated as a result of many within the trade have criticized Stitt for the firings and his feedback that the response was a failure.
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Olive Hearth Chief Jason Dobson mentioned the investigation shouldn’t be headed by Stitt’s appointed Secretary of Public Security and Secretary of Agriculture.
“It’s his handpicked individuals, they’re going to inform him precisely what he desires to listen to, and in the event that they don’t, he may hearth them,” mentioned Dobson.
Governor Stitt advised 2 Information that they’d not launch the names of the people within the group, solely the 16 organizations they symbolize. The organizations vary from OFS and emergency administration to the Workplace of Religion-Primarily based Initiatives and “native hearth chiefs.”
Read the one-page report here.
“It lists Tulsa Hearth and Oklahoma Metropolis hearth, why doesn’t it record different hearth departments being represented? ‘Native hearth chiefs’ may be very obscure,” mentioned Dobson.
Dobson and a number of off-camera sources inform 2 Information almost all “areas of concern” listed are already well-known, being addressed, or requested for –and denied—funding.
Wanted enhancements embody extra coaching, improved statewide mitigation, elevated coordination, and altering county burn ban necessities. Dobson mentioned with county burn bans, the largest subject is a scarcity of enforcement.
“In our county, we’ve got had county burn bans and we’ve got notified our sheriff’s workplace and so they gained’t write a quotation for it,” he mentioned.
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Dobson agrees that recruiting volunteer firefighters wants extra assist.
2 Information requested the governor’s workplace if he, or a consultant from the group, have been obtainable to speak. We additionally emailed the Oklahoma Division of Agriculture. We didn’t hear again from both on that request.
2 Information has filed a couple of open data request in an effort to get extra details about the duty drive. We requested for the assembly dates and instances, the agenda, the assembly minutes, and handouts. We have been advised the governor’s workplace doesn’t possess any documentation like that.
A spokesperson mentioned they may launch the names of the people within the activity drive ultimately, however not proper now.
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