KLICKITAT COUNTY – On April 19th, 2023 at approximately 11:30am, the Klickitat County All-Hazards small Unmanned Aerial Systems team was requested for it’s first mission. The mission was for a missing person somewhere near the Leidl Campground off of the Glenwood Highway. The team arrived in the Klickitat County Department of Emergency Management’s Mobile Command Post at approximately 12:30pm. While on scene, the team had up to two aircraft in the air at any given time for a total of approximately 6 combined hours of flight time.
Due to the training and exercises the team accomplished in the months prior, they were able to safely deploy and use their equipment to find the missing person. The missing person was located alive by the small unmanned aerial systems team in the late afternoon the same day. After which they provided the Search and Rescue teams with the exact location of the missing person. The team then changed its mission from searching to over watching as the rescue team located, evaluated, and prepared the person for transport.
The found missing person was evaluated and then evacuated by Search and Rescue and Klickitat County Emergency Medical Services personnel to an awaiting ambulance. The person was then transferred to an awaiting nearby Lifeflight Helicopter for transport to the hospital.
The Klickitat County Department of Emergency Management began the final stages to equip and field a completely grant funded All-Hazards small Unmanned Aerial Systems Team in September 2022. Since November of 2022, the all volunteer, 12 person team was formed and began training on the equipment, policies, and procedures to support all other Klickitat County Emergency Responder Agencies which include Fire Districts/Departments, Law Enforcement, and Emergency Medical Services.
After nearly six months, and approximately 60 hours of training per team member, the unmanned aerial systems team became a mission ready, deployable asset when requested by other Klickitat County Emergency Responder agencies on April 1st, 2023.
The mission of the small Unmanned Aerial Systems Team is to be utilized in circumstances which would, provide better emergency responder safety, enhance data collection, life safety and property protection and to detect possible dangers that could not otherwise be seen. The unmanned aerial systems can also be utilized in any circumstance where other means and resources are not available or are less effective.
The all-hazards small unmanned aerial systems team is not a part of, or directly associated with any other Klickitat County Emergency Responder agencies. But is rather a team made up of members within the Klickitat County Department of Emergency Management’s Volunteer Program. The department’s volunteers also man and operate the Emergency Operations Center, the Mobile Command Post when needed during natural and man-made emergencies, and events that affect the people Klickitat County.
Anyone interested in becoming a member of the Klickitat County Department of Emergency Management volunteer program can find more information, and a volunteer application packet at https://www.klickitatcounty.org/249.