Firefighters Honor Fallen Colleague At Bellevue Ceremony

BELLEVUE, WA — A large group of firefighters from around the region gathered over the weekend in Bellevue to honor the life of Jay Schreckengost, a deputy Seattle fire chief who died in November during a hunting trip in Kittitas County.

Schreckengost was found last month following a lengthy search operation after he disappeared while scouting for elk on Nov. 2. The Kittitas County Sheriff's Office said evidence pointed to an accidental fall from a slope in rugged and slick terrain. Search teams recovered his bost in the Wenatchee-Okanagan National Forest near Cliffdell on Nov. 14.

On Sunday, firefighters from Seattle, Bellevue and other neighboring agencies gathered for a memorial service on the Eastside, alongside Shreckengost's family and friends who helped lead the search.

"Jay worked his way up from firefighter through the ranks to deputy chief, serving 31 years with the Seattle Fire Department as a dedicated public safety professional for the residents of Seattle," the Seattle Fire Department wrote in a social media post. "He touched many lives along the way and will be forever remembered by all who knew him. Rest in Peace Jay, we'll take it from here."

More than 160 members of Seattle Fire worked with dozens of local agencies to search for Schreckengost during the 12-day effort.