It’s 9am and Ventura County’s Search and Rescue helicopter 9 is at Camarillo base, waiting to go. On board - Sergeant and Crew Chief Kelly Roark and pilot Chris Tamburell, are seated in the front.
My seat is behind Sergeant Roark, and I'm facing firefighter and paramedic Casey Lee from Ventura County Fire Dept. Next to me is Lee Chapman — another crew chief, and opposite him is medic Dr Neil Cambey .
This is a training flight, but could just as easily be a real-life call, and the difference between life and death.
"We do this daily, several times a week just to keep the crews sharp and ready to do what they gotta do," said Roark.
The pilot expertly guides the helicopter to a ridge to the south of Camarillo grade and we hover low, without touching the ground – but low enough for Chapman to safely step from the helicopter. And we leave, circle and come back around to pick him up. I am holding my breath at the proximity of the rocks and mountains — it feels close enough to touch.
"It's called mountain flying...but we do confirmed landings, [or] we could be at the beach one minute...and two hours later we are at the top of Mount Pinos trying to help a person that's lost out there," explained Roark. "And we could get a law enforcement call in one of our local cities, Camarillo, Thousand Oaks or Newbury Park and you have to do a completely different type of flying where you're in an urban environment."
It’s medic Neil Cambey’s turn to play the patient this time. He’s winched to the ground, before we leave for a few minutes, and then practice winching him back in to the chopper. Cambey is one of a crew of volunteer medics who fly with Search and Rescue.
"He's here today, not getting paid — he's here cos he likes what he does," Roark tells me.
"We have a core group of volunteer paramedics, nurses and doctors that come down here on a weekly basis and do this stuff for free and it's absolutely amazing what these guys do," said Roark.
Roark recalls the first time he stood on the skid of the aircraft as it was around several hundred feet above the ground in the air and admits it could be "terrifying," but says practicing the rescues maneuvers takes away a lot of the nerves.
"The more we do it, the more you get used to it," he said.
This helicopter is one of a fleet based in Camarillo, which feature the same distinctive yellow paintwork – but this a newer model than some – nicknamed the Firehawk, as it can also have a water bucket hooked beneath to fight fires.
"This air unit is extremely unique in Southern California," he points out. "We do everything out of it - fires, rescues, law enforcement."
They close the doors, training is over and we head back to base. In a real situation, there could be an injured person on board - or sometimes – said Roark – it’s someone who is stuck in a remote area who has run out of water.
"The most common one we get is injured mountain biker or injured hiker. Recently it's been heat exhaustion, 'I'm out of water', 'I'm tired', 'I don't know where I am', 'my cell-phone's dead,'" said Roark.
He reminds me that whatever the reason for rescue, it's a free service to the public.
"We don't charge people to come and get them," he said.
