Sheriff Terrence told the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 15 that the Sheriff’s Office has received a surplus training helicopter and is working with Northwest Helicopters to determine whether a locally based aviation program is feasible.

The helicopter, which the sheriff said “was recently flown as recent as last year” and arrived with avionics, a spotlight and other equipment, was provided at no cost by the surplus program; the department paid $10,000 for the installed equipment, the sheriff said. He described a proposed operating arrangement under which Northwest Helicopters would provide pilots and maintenance while the county would provide fuel and some operating costs.

The sheriff said the aircraft would be used for search and rescue, marine response, missing-person searches, pursuit mitigation and other public-safety missions. He described advantages over boats for marine calls and compared endurance and speed with drones: “You can get anywhere in the county on a helicopter in 10 minutes,” he said. He also noted operational limits: the aircraft cannot be flown in extremely poor weather and the program would be contingent on continued services from Northwest Helicopters.

Why it matters: Commissioners and public-safety partners said local air assets could reduce response times and provide critical situational awareness during floods, fires and pursuits. Emergency management’s Ben Miller said a local aviation asset would improve documentation for potential FEMA reimbursements after floods and assist in damage assessment and response. Chief Hurley of the county fire chiefs said the county fire chiefs “see it as an asset that would be utilized” by the county’s special operations rescue teams.

Board direction and finance questions: Commissioners pressed the sheriff on insurance, ongoing maintenance costs, pilot availability, and the need for a mission-ready radio that the sheriff said costs about $94,000. The sheriff said current insurance estimates run about $12,000 a year and that Northwest Helicopters’ volunteer and experienced pilots help keep insurance costs lower. Commissioners asked whether an MOU or contract with Northwest Helicopters is in place; the sheriff said no MOU had been finalized and the county had not yet negotiated detailed agreements.

Fundraising and donation fund request: Sheriff Terrence said the department has received private donations (he cited two donations totaling $36,000) and asked the board to create a mechanism to accept and track donations earmarked for an aviation program. Commissioner Fournier moved — and the board adopted — a direction for the county manager and staff to work with the sheriff’s office to research establishing a donation fund or similar mechanism to receive and manage contributions for an aviation program. The board vote on that direction was recorded as unanimous.

Next steps and caveats: County staff said the donation-fund research and a memorandum of understanding with Northwest Helicopters will come back to the board for review. The sheriff and county staff emphasized that, even with board support, standing up an operational aviation program would likely take six months to a year and that the county is seeking grants, donations and other non‑general-fund sources to limit general-fund exposure.

Votes at a glance: The board voted unanimously to direct the county manager and staff to research establishing a donation fund for an aviation program and report back to the board.

Ending: County staff said they will meet with Northwest Helicopters, return with a draft MOU and with options for funding the radio and other remaining equipment. Commissioners also asked staff to identify other counties’ approaches for receiving donations to public‑safety programs.