(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.