Search and Rescue, along with Air Unit members, participate in rescue operations in and around Ventura County. The highly trained members of the Air Unit also participate in medical emergency transports, patrol operations, pursuits and firefighting support.
The Sheriff’s Search and Rescue (SAR) team is organized by members of the Department who participate in SAR as a collateral assignment.
The SAR team counts among its members many civilian volunteers who bring with them much-needed expertise, including advanced medical skills and climbing and backcountry knowledge. When called upon, these deputies and their civilian volunteers put aside their daily lives and put their training and skills to work to aid those who are missing or lost.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Aviation Unit provides a wide variety of functions, and the impressive skills of Sheriff’s Pilots are drawn upon continuously as they maneuver their distinctive aircraft virtually everywhere, in all conceivable conditions, when help is needed. Many stranded or injured hikers have been safely rescued from Ventura County’s rugged backcountry and flood-swollen streams. Water-drop helicopters can deliver water payloads to inaccessible fires, and can also swiftly deploy fire hand-crews to flash spots.
