During team training today, the team stopped at the grave of fallen teammate Jef Dye, who was killed while trying to help a person in need several years ago. Attending were team members who were there with him that day. He is well remembered by the team, the County, and especially his loving family.
Each December, close to Christmas, the Fillmore Search and Rescue team purchases, wraps, and distributes gifts to children in need. A small team drives one of the VCSAR1 trucks out to each home and is in turn gifted with the joy of beaming children and parents. The effort starts weeks in advance. Children to receive gifts are identified, and the…
This weekend the team set out from the station up to Mutau Flats. We focused on preparation for our upcoming MRA certification test on Search, so teams were given search coordinates and objectives. We also tested our mobile radio repeater, which worked quite well. Combined with our recently acquired Starlink capability, our communication and electronic tracking have been upgraded significantly.…
Intensive Search Training Over the course of a full weekend, including Friday night, a large group of the Fillmore SAR Team attended a special tactical search training course run by Fernando Moreira. Moreira is an expert tracker and teaches all levels of public safety from the Federal Government to local agencies and specializes in training SAR teams in the art…
Mountain Fire Fallout In early November, our team was requested to assist the Office of Emergency Services and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office (OES/VCSO) in conducting Fire Damage Assessment in the Mountain Fire burn areas. As shown in the nearby burn map, the fires affected many homes in the Camarillo and surrounding areas. To assist with evacuation and damage assessment,…