About

It varies tremendously. In rescue situations, where the location of the subject is known, the call can last anywhere from a few hours to much of a day, depending on the location and terrain. In search situations, the call can last anywhere from an hour to several days. For long calls stretching over days, members typically do one or more 12-hour shifts.

We cover all of Ventura County’s 1,873 Square Miles of terrain. This includes Mount Pinos, the Hungry Valley Recreational area, Los Padres National Forest, and the Santa Monica Recreational area. Assisting other teams will take us from right next door into Santa Barbara, Kern, and Los Angeles Counties to more distant regions in California and beyond.

There is some funding from the Ventura County Sheriff’s department. This goes towards the team’s significant expenses for equipment such as ropes, rescue hardware, stretchers, medical and trauma treatment equipment, and so forth. This is insufficient to cover expenses. The team also receives donations from charitable foundations, grateful individuals and families. Fundraising and grant applications require significant effort and account for a major portion of the team’s funds for purchasing vehicles and other equipment. Team members also supply their own basic equipment.

No. Everybody is a volunteer, providing their own time for training, team administration, and searches. We each provide the required personal equipment. We are regularly asked about employment or career opportunities. Because everybody is a volunteer, the normal concepts of employment or career do not apply.

VCSAR has a certified dog team. The dogs and their handlers are trained extensively in search operations as well as Area, Trailing, and Cadaver location.

We work with a variety of other EMS agencies. On any call, we can be working closely with Ventura County Fire, Forest Service, State Parks, other SAR teams, LA County Fire, EMS Providers, and CHP. This close interaction with other emergency services requires that every team member be highly trained and that we work in a professional manner.

Yes, each County in the state has their own team. In larger, more diverse counties like Ventura, there are seven search and rescue teams which include, Fillmore, Ojai, and East Valley Mountain Teams, Underwater/Dive Team, Posse Team; Medical Team; and the Dog Team. Counties such as Los Angeles County also have several teams.

Because of the large variety of mountain and wilderness situations the team can be exposed to, it is difficult to provide “from the ground up” training in all areas. The objective of team training is to enhance existing skills, not teach novice ones. Potential team members should have outdoor experience in activities such as hiking, climbing, mountaineering, back country skiing, and navigation. Experience working in a variety of environments is very desirable since we can be working in 100+ degree weather or in the snow. No one joins the team with a full set of skills, but if you have never hiked a trail, VCSAR is not for you.

A related subject is equipment. It’s assumed that aspiring team members are already experienced “outdoors-type” people. As such, they are likely to own the appropriate outdoor equipment, such as backpacks, boots, clothing, and so forth. Team members must be able to travel through a mountain environment in any weather for extended periods of time, and thus need the personal equipment required to do this. Specialized equipment is provided by the team; however, the vast majority of equipment required is normal outdoor gear and must purchased by the applicant. Those starting with nothing can spend several hundred dollars on gear. It is recommended that applicants wait to purchase gear until equipment is discussed in the academy.

This point cannot be emphasized enough. The team will consume a very large proportion of your once-free time. Team members are expected to attend a minimum of 70% of the trainings and 50% of the call-outs. While everyone is a volunteer, VCSAR is looking for people who are willing to give more than the minimum. Many calls occur outside of work hours, but your employer must be able to tolerate you suddenly leaving. If you travel often and thus are not often available when required, you probably cannot commit to the team.