As part of the city’s surveillance ordinance, the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) held its first public meeting recently to address a proposal to begin using drones when responding to emergencies.
“It’s a tool for us to have real-time awareness [but] we want to keep community trust,” said Fire Chief Harold Scoggins. “The Seattle Fire Department has spent 130-plus years developing trust with the community. We don’t want to do anything to compromise that trust. We’ve done a great job with that over the years.” Scoggins addressed a group of community members at El Centro de la Raza on Beacon Hill.
There were no questions asked during the public comment portion of the meeting, which is required in Seattle any time new surveillance resources are under consideration.
Seattle’s surveillance ordinance was first passed in 2017 and requires all departments to get city council approval before acquiring or deploying new surveillance technology. In addition to holding at least one public meeting, departments must produce a full report, which includes a privacy assessment.
Scoggins reiterated several times that video captured by the drones would not be recorded or available to the public. He said only a handful of trained fire personnel would have access to a live-stream of the footage during emergencies.
The three drones would be affixed to the rooftop of different stations and would be deployed directly to active scenes. Scoggins said there are a number of potential uses for the drones, including building fires, water rescues, brush fires, hazardous materials or environmental emergencies and during natural disasters.
“The impact is time. What we know is, when we can get on a scene with better information, we can make real-time [decisions] that will have an impact on a life,” he said. Once the public input phase of the proposal is complete, the department will formally ask the city council to consider the program. The department said it hopes to begin using drones in either December 2026 or early 2027.
