Should Seattle firefighters use drones?

(WSB file photo, King County Sheriff’s Office drone)

The Seattle Fire Department is launching a review and feedback process for its proposal to obtain and use up to three drones. The SFD announcement explains:

mThe Emergency Response Aerial Technology – or ERAT – would be used in a limited number of fire, medical or rescue responses where having an aerial view would provide greater safety for firefighter/EMTs, paramedics and residents, and increase firefighting and rescue success.

If approved by the City Council and Mayor, Seattle Fire will use ERAT for specific types of responses, including fires in buildings, brush fires, water rescues, mass casualty incidents, technical rescues, hazardous materials and energy responses.

The department is also proposing to use the ERAT for less common but high-risk operations such as marine fires, railway incidents and after a natural disaster such as an earthquake.

Had such technology been in place in 2025, Seattle Fire would have used the ERAT 2,589 times. For perspective, Seattle Fire received 197,926 calls and dispatched units to 108,763 incidents in 2025.

The ERAT will only provide a livestream of the incident to designated fire personnel. It will not be recorded, nor will other departments or members of the public be allowed to view the livestream.

The announcement opens a one-month period for comment; there’s more information, incluing short and long reports, linked from the city’s Surveillance Technologies Under Review page. One of the documents says the department would get the drones for free via a donation from the Seattle Fire Foundation, but it would expect to spend $60,000 a year maintaining each drone. The department is also having four public meetings, two in person (neither is in West Seattle) and two online – details are here.

Christopher B. July 15, 2026 (6:52 pm)

I really wish “drone” were not such a broad, blanket term as the word is often used in the press in a negative light (like military drones, or nuisance hobbyist drones that cause trouble for low flying aircraft) when in fact there are many positive, creative ways that safely and legally-operated unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been valued added – as flying cameras that lend stunning perspectives for photographers, in the motion picture and television industry, in news gathering, in commercial applications in which they are safer and quieter (not to mention less polluting) than manned aircraft, etc. It’s not a stretch to see a positive use case for the SFD here, in being able to quickly get a bird’s eye view of an emergency scene and/or to help prioritizing resources to the right place in a way that could help them to work more efficiently to save lives and property and also to keep SFD personnel safe. I fully support SFD doing this. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

WSB July 15, 2026 (7:34 pm)

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KCSO refers to them as UAS as does SPD when requesting KCSO’s help, fwiw.
- Barb July 15, 2026 (8:47 pm)
  
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  Agree, this is a no brainer for use by the SFD. King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) refer to drones as sUAS, small Unmanned Aircraft Systems.
  https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/sheriff/courts-jails-legal-system/special-operations/air-support#toc-Drones
  
  However, different use of drones by corporations, for example pizza deliveries, I dread due to further erosion of peace and quiet and impact on nature.

Rhonda July 15, 2026 (8:36 pm)

Sure, why not?

Julia July 15, 2026 (8:40 pm)

I’m surprised they aren’t already being used. Seems like an obviously good idea.

RickB July 15, 2026 (9:09 pm)

My first response was, “Yeah, if they need to or it will help them do their jobs,” but I appreciate the thoughtful approach that seems to taking into account people’s privacy/civil rights and other potential costs. I’m glad they’re not just charging into it.

Erik July 15, 2026 (9:41 pm)

Part of me thinks it’s a good idea but then I think $180k a year when we already have budget problems? They gonna do this with another property tax hike? How will it be funded?

bill July 16, 2026 (8:46 am)

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The numbers work out to 0.1¢ per $1000 assessed value. You’ll be ok.
- WS Person July 16, 2026 (12:19 pm)
  
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  Except for the fact that everything is passed and passed along to homeowners as “Just $x much per 1,000” and they keep adding up. There is no “just X amount” any more.
Frog July 16, 2026 (10:52 am)

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You are right to worry about cost. The $180K for maintaining the equipment is just the beginning. Key question will be: can drone operation be added to the existing workload of existing fire crews, or will they need to add personnel? The fully loaded cost of a firefighter is probably in the range of $300K per year, and how many additional will they need to maintain 24/7 operational capacity for three drones? Not to mention training costs, possible bump to insurance costs, and who knows what else. The cost of adding drone capacity will probably be a few $million per year in total, which is not huge compared to the ~$350 million total budget, but the tax donkey’s back breaks one straw at a time.

Star55 July 15, 2026 (10:29 pm)

YES! If this happens to save my house or a loved one absolutely yes. I have nothing to hide.

Ronald July 15, 2026 (10:39 pm)

Agree Erik…

Val July 15, 2026 (10:43 pm)

This makes sense. Can they also use the drones to issue fireworks citations like Sacramento’s fire department does?

CW July 16, 2026 (7:07 am)

$60K seems a bit much even when you include maintenance and data packages, drone pilot training, licensing, and dedicated staff time. Even if the UAVs come with all the bells and whistles, which I’d expect in order to use in challenging conditions.

Robert July 16, 2026 (10:20 am)

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$60k is really insane. There are some amazing drones for less than $20k.
- WSB July 16, 2026 (10:48 am)
  
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  One commenter above had clearly read the draft SFD detailed report linked above. It goes on to break down the projected cost of $60,000 per year per drone as encompassing a wide variety of other things including training. BTW also in the report, the first drones would be kept on fire stations’ rooftops. The first two are envisioned for stations NOT in West Seattle, though response area could be citywide. The third would be location TBA.

Craig July 16, 2026 (8:37 am)

What are the things flying over West Seattle as soon as it gets dark? I’ve been seeing these huge drones flying consistantly for over a month now. Many of them nightly. It’s odd no one is speaking about this.

WSB July 16, 2026 (10:53 am)

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I’m often out right after dusk, for reasons from walking to returning from events/meetings, haven’t seen any unusual air traffic (and believe me, after almost 20 years of this, I’m attuned to air traffic) – there have been a few helicopters that haven’t shown up on radar. Any video or photos?

Hmmm? July 16, 2026 (10:11 am)

At first glance this seems like a no brainer. But then I note $60 x 3 for annual maintenance?! Wow. Who makes and maintains these drones? The Pentagon? Oh… right. Hmm…