VCSAR Team 1 runs an Academy each year for prospective members.
If you enjoy the outdoors, learning new skills, and working as part of a team, you may be an excellent candidate for SAR.
You must be at least 21 years old and in good standing with the community. Search and Rescue is hugely demanding and requires highly trained and physically fit members. Good physical condition and the desire to learn and help others are required.
If you would like to dedicate the time to become a volunteer member of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team, please fill out the online application at the link below. Please be patient, as we only conduct physical ability tests and interviews once per year but will keep you updated with these events. Teams also have a limit on the number of members and maybe full at any given time. Once offered a spot on VCSAR1, you will undergo a thorough background check by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department and receive notification of the probationary requirements.
Please read all the information on this page to ensure a good fit.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Significant Time Commitment
Each team member can spend hundreds of hours per year on team activities, including meetings, training, events, and calls for service. Meetings are one weeknight per month and training is one weekend day per month for all team members. For probationary members, and optional for most of the team, there will be one additional weeknight and one extra weekend day of training per month for the first six months. To be prepared for call-outs, the team must also attend to administrative tasks and check and clean equipment monthly and after training, events, and call-outs. Those deeply committed to the team can give many hours per month of their free time.
Calls for Service
All team members are on-call 24 hours a day, 365 days per year, and are paged to respond by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Air Unit/Substation.
During holidays and summer, when there are a lot of people in the backcountry, we can get swamped. We are always on-call for incidents like vehicle-over-the-side accidents and missing individuals. Additionally, the Sheriff’s Office may call us to aid in evidence searches or body recoveries, so we consistently receive calls throughout the year.
The duration of calls for service can vary tremendously depending on the type of request, location, weather, etc. Rescue situations where the subject’s location is known can last between a couple of hours to over a day, depending on the area, terrain, and conditions. In search situations, the call can last anywhere from an hour to several days.