VIDEO: The search for 26-year-old Neil Gehring in Olympic National Park has entered its 10th day, with rescuers turning to technology in an effort to find him. Members of Seattle Mountain Rescue are assisting with the search. Among the tools being used are drones and artificial intelligence, technology that is increasingly becoming part of the search-and-rescue toolkit.

For Daniel Hwang, the value of that technology is personal. Hwang was climbing near North Bend when he fell about 30 feet, breaking several bones and tearing a lung. The impact left him struggling to breathe. “I couldn’t get a good breath in,” Hwang said. But help arrived within minutes.

“Ten, 15 minutes later,” Hwang recalled, “like somebody was there.” That response is what Seattle Mountain Rescue has provided for decades. The mission has remained largely the same: find people in trouble and get them out safely. But the tools rescuers use to do that are changing.

KREM-TV CBS 2 Spokane

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Bellevue is expanding its use of drones as first responders to police or fire scenes. A one-year pilot program launches this fall and will enable patrol officers to quickly deploy drones to an incident location to collect key information.

“The Drone as First Responder program is a true force multiplier for the Bellevue Police Department,” said Police Chief Wendell Shirley. “This city resource will empower our officers to respond to calls for service faster, safer, and with greater precision across the city. This program ensures we maximize our capabilities and deploy our resources with efficiency.”

Drones can also show if an emergency response is needed at all. In Redmond, police saw an 18.8% drop in officer-initiated responses in 2025 because initial information from drones indicated the calls did not require an officer.

KOMO-TV ABC 4 Seattle

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Eastside Fire and Rescue wants its Board of Directors to approve a 15% budget increase at its Sept. 10 meeting.
“They gave us a bare-bones budget two years ago,” said Ray Austin, President of IAFF Local 1762. “So we’re way behind as it is and we’re just trying to stay current.”

Austin was among dozens of EFR members who filled council chambers to lay out their case before Issaquah City Council on Tuesday night. Austin says most representatives on the EFR Board of Directors support its 15% increase, but Issaquah’s rep. has proposed a lower number. “Issaquah has been advocating for a 10% increase which is not enough,” said Austin.

EFR members shared stories of not making it to calls due to fire trucks breaking down and urged Issaquah’s rep, Issaquah City Councilmember Lindsey Walsh, that this budget increase is needed to keep up with demands.
EFR Firefighter Corentin Morel says calls have shot up 221% since 2019 and it costs $1,272 per emergency call in Issaquah, which he believes is 57% below market rate.

“The city of Issaquah enjoys a champagne level of service on a Coors Light budget,” said Morel. Austin says any increase below their request of 15% would come at a cost to safety. “It’s not about saving money; it’s about saving lives. It’s about having all the equipment, people, and resources to respond when somebody calls 911,” said Morel.

KIRO-TV CBS 7 Seattle

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Long View Fire Department in Catawba County uses a rescue truck that responded at Ground Zero in New York City.

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Weatherford council approved a design-build contract for Fire Station 5.

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