SLO County Sheriff's Office Annual Report 2015

2015 AERO
SQUADRON
OPERATIONS
2015 AERO SQUADRON
SEARCH AND RESCUE SUP-
PORT OPERATIONS
08/09/2015: Search for Three Missing
Juvenile Females in Vicinity of
San Simeon
Mission Description: The Aero Squadron
was contacted at 1800 to search for
three overdue juvenile females who
reportedly drove from Atascadero to the
coast to view the elephant seals. They
were to then drive south to Santa Maria
but were reported overdue. The Aero
Squadron’s newest asset, an R66 turbine-powered
helicopter, was
dispatched along with an observer/pilot
at 1810. A search was conducted along
the coast but concluded due to impending
nightfall. At 2151 we were advised
that the three subjects had returned to
Atascadero safely, reporting their vehicle
had broken down.
Total flight time: 1 hour, 26 minutes
Total man-hours: 5
2015 AERO SQUADRON
TRANSPORTATION FLIGHTS
08/27/2015: Transportation Flight to
Sacramento for Deputy Interview
Mission Description: The Aero Squadron
was contacted with a request to
provide transportation for a deputy to
Sacramento for a law enforcementrelated
interview. What normally would
have required over ten hours of driving
was accomplished in about 6.5 hours,
including meeting time.
Total flight time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Total man-hours: 8
09/20/2015: Flight to San Diego to
Retrieve Dive Team Member
Mission Description: We were contacted
to provide a return ride to San
Luis Obispo for a deputy sheriff who is
a member of the Sheriff’s Dive Team.
The diver had ascended too quickly during
a training dive off Diablo Canyon
Nuclear Power Plant and developed
nitrogen narcosis, commonly known as
“the bends.” He was immediately airevacuated
to the University of California
Scripps hyperbaric (high pressure)
decompression facility north of San
Diego, which was the nearest available
chamber for this operation. The diver
then spent the remainder of that day
and most of the night being recompressed
to a higher air pressure and
slowly decompressed to sea level pressure
to allow the nitrogen in his system
to naturally aspire. At 0820 on the morning
of September 20, an Aero Squadron
pilot-member departed Santa Maria
along with another member pilot as
copilot and flew his pressurized singleengine
turbine Cessna 210 to San Diego
to retrieve the recovering dive team
member. On the return flight, a lower
cabin pressure altitude was maintained
to assist in the successful decompression.
They arrived back at San Luis
Obispo airport at 1215 and subsequently
returned to Santa Maria after
delivering their passenger.
Total flight time: 3 hours, 40 minutes
Total man-hours: 16 hours
12/10/2015: Ground Transportation
from Sacramento for SLOSAR member
Mission Description: On December 8,
the Aero Squadron was requested to
retrieve a member of the San Luis
Obispo Sheriff’s Search and Rescue
LEAD THE WAY ANNUAL REPORT 2015
49