Still no sign of missing Seattle Fire deputy chief in Eastern Washington

The search for missing Seattle Fire Department Seattle Fire Department Deputy Chief Jay Schreckengost has ended for Sunday night with still no sign of him.

It’s now been five days since anyone heard from Schreckengost. His family and search and rescue teams from at least 15 different agencies have been looking for him.

After several long, strenuous days, the search for the missing deputy fire chief is straining resources and people. But everyone at the search site says they believe it is just a matter of time until they find him. Their big worry is the weather, which is mostly fine now, but snow could come at any time.

“Avid outdoors man, avid hunter,” said battalion chief Erik Hotchkiss.

He has worked with Schreckengost for 25 of the 31 years the deputy chief has been with the Seattle Fire Department. The frustration of not finding him after nearly a week is growing, even though he is missing in rugged, steep terrain.

“Because if something had gone wrong, Jay’s the kind of man who would have known what to do to help, take care of himself,” Hotchkiss said. “Create a shelter. Whatever it is.”

Those who know and love Deputy Fire Chief Schreckengost said he would also have the equipment to survive even in cold, mountainous conditions.

Schreckengost last texted his family last Tuesday. He told them he was leaving his rented cabin near SR 410 to scout for elk. His son was coming the next day and they were going to hunt together. But he did not check in that night. When his son arrived Wednesday with no sign of him, he called for help.

“We were able to have air support from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, a Chinook helicopter,” said Inspector Chris Whitsett, Kittitas County Sheriff’s spokesman. “A helicopter from Chelan County came down and helped. We have drones from a couple of different counties that are searching. And all of those provide intelligence.”

The fruitless search so far is taking a toll even on a veteran like Inspector Whitsett. He still has hope of finding Schreckengost, alive.

It has been emotional.

“It’s challenging and frightening,” Whitsett said. “It’s a frightening thing to be in this kind of tough wilderness for a long time.”

The search each day begins before first light and ends as night falls. Rescuers have plans to search for Deputy Chief Schreckengost until Friday. Of course, everyone here hopes they will find him — alive — long before that.

— ORIGINAL STORY —

First responders in Central Washington are working to find Seattle Fire Department Deputy Chief Jay Schreckengost, who is missing in Kittitas County.

Schreckengost was last seen at the Squaw Rock RV Resort and Campground in Naches, where he stayed to go hunting, according to family.

Now there is a race against Mother Nature as some bad weather on the way could hinder search efforts.

“He did text his wife, says I’m going to go hunting and I’ll talk to you later and she hadn’t heard from him since after that,” said Casey Schilperoort with the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office.

On the day Schreckengost went missing, he headed over into Kittitas County, where he had planned to go elk hunting.

Schilperoort said they knew something was wrong when his truck was found up the road from where he was last seen on State Route 410.

“Normally, people don’t leave their vehicles unattended for a long amount of time,” Schilperoort said.

An area around the truck has become the epicenter for the search and rescue operation.

As of Thursday morning, more than 50 volunteers have been on-site, including dozens of firefighters from the Seattle Fire Department, searching for Schreckengost.

There are seven search and rescue crews, four K-9 teams, drones and infrared technology being used in the search.

“We’re there to help people and now we have to help one of our own. And so there’s a big push for help and it’s real touching,” Schilperoort said.

The crews are now up against the clock as a weekend of nasty weather makes its way over the site of the search and rescue operation.

“Not only do we have to fight the weather, the cold, the wind and the rain, and of course it had been snowing up there just a little bit. But then it takes a toll on all of the folks that are up there trying to search for him,” Schilperoort said.

Schreckengost’s family is also over at the site with search and rescue crews trying to find their loved one.

The Seattle Fire Department released a statement Thursday saying they are hopeful and praying that he is found safe and well.