>> RONIE: Hey what’s going on?
My name is Officer Ronie Esquivel
and thank you so much for tuning into our VLOG.
Today, we’re going to be hanging out with the Valley Division Air Operations Unit.
So we’re going to get a really cool opportunity
to go up in our helicopter
and our fixed wing.
So you’re going to learn, what it’s like,
to be a California Highway Patrol Officer working up in the sky.
So let’s go.
>>RONIE: Good morning.
>>SERGEANT JENSEN: Good morning.
>>RONIE: Sergeant Duncan Jensen?
>>SERGEANT JENSEN: That’s me.
>> RONIE: Hey, I’m Ronie Esquivel.
>>SERGEANT JENSEN: Hey Ronie, nice to have you out here.
Welcome to the Valley Division Air Operations Unit.
>> RONIE: Thank you so much for having us.
We have a lot of viewers out there that really really wanted the Air Ops VLOG,
can you tell me a little bit about what your mission is?
>>SERGEANT JENSEN: We cover 13 counties.
So, the airplane is mainly law enforcement, that’s their mission.
As a helicopter unit, our main priority is supporting the ground units.
We also do search and rescue, and EMS calls, and assist allied agencies.
>> RONIE: So, for our potential applicants that are interested in becoming a
California Highway Patrol Officer,
but more importantly they want to get into an Air Operations Unit,
what do they have to do?
>>SERGEANT JENSEN: First of all, they’re going to do two years on the road,
to gain that experience.
To become a pilot, 300 hours commercial and instrument rated,
in the aircraft that we fly, the Gipps GA8,
and then the H125 Airbus Helicopters.
>> RONIE: So, I know our viewers are going to ask this question,
does the Highway Patrol put pilots through training?
>>SERGEANT JENSEN: So, the majority of our helicopter pilots and airplane pilots
actually, come to us with the 300 hours.
But, we do have a pilot training program
as an option.
>> RONIE: What about the other side, there’s a pilot and then,
there’s another position inside each aircraft?
>>SERGEANT JENSEN: We have a flight officer and we have a paramedic in the helicopter,
and then the airplane is a technical flight officer, so they don’t have to be a paramedic.
The missions that we perform on a day to day basis can include EMS,
and rescue, and medical in the helicopter, so they’re required to be paramedics.
The next two to five years, we have a huge turn over of people,
and we’re looking for people to join us in Air Operations.
>> RONIE: Remember, you have to be an officer first, for a minimum of two years.
So in order to do that you’ve got to go to CHPCAREERS.COM
to submit your online application.
>>SERGEANT JENSEN: You ready to do this?
>> RONIE: Yep.
>>SERGEANT JENSEN: Let’s go flying.
>>SERGEANT JENSEN: This is Helicopter Pilot Dan Lewis.
>> RONIE: Hey, Ronie Esquivel, pleasure.
>>SERGEANT JENSEN: Paramedic Flight Officer Mark Flores.
>> RONIE: Ronie, pleasure to meet you.
>>SERGEANT JENSEN: And, Paramedic Flight Officer Jared Boothe.
>> RONIE: Pleasure to meet you.
So, what are some of the daily duties that the flight officer/paramedic
have to do here in Air Ops?
>> BOOTHE: When we show up in the morning we pre flight the aircraft,
make sure all of the equipment is ready to go.
And after that, wherever the wind blows.
From here we cover 13 counties, providing law enforcement, rescue, and medical support.
Primarily, we’re assisting officers on the ground with searches, helping look for people,
vehicle pursuits, but then when it comes to search and rescue
the helicopter is such a great platform for us.
The Fire Departments call for us,
they’ll have a lost hiker somewhere.
The Sheriffs Office are in charge of search and rescue,
so we’re a great asset to them as well.
>> RONIE: So, what do we have planned for today?
>> BOOTHE: Well, let’s go.
We’ve got a couple of surprises in store for you and I think you’re going to have
a good time.
>> RONIE: Alright, let’s do it.
>> PILOT LEWIS: Temps and pressures are good.
>> BOOTHE: I can start to scout areas we can possibly use as a landing site.
>> RONIE: Alright, we just landed.
Where are we at?
>> BOOTHE: Well, we’re over here in Rock Creek,
it’s one of our primary training sites, by the Auburn Airport.
>> RONIE: OK.
>> BOOTHE: And I figured while we’re out here,
we’ll show you one of our pieces of equipment we use for all of our rescues in the summer.
>> RONIE: Sure, absolutely.
>> BOOTHE: So, this is called a hot seat.
>> RONIE: OK.
>> BOOTHE: And this is something we use primarily when people get injured on a trail,
an extremity injury, and they can’t hike out.
This is what we got.
So here’s a helmet, if you want to toss that on.
>> RONIE: It’s gonna mess up my hair.
>> BOOTHE: Some people think it looks like a jacket,
some people say it looks like a big diaper.
But, it just wraps around behind you, and it’ll hold you in nice and tight.
It actually is really comfortable, but, we’ll see what you think about it.
So, put it on like a jacket.
>> RONIE: OK.
>> BOOTHE: Like so.
How does that feel?
Do you feel pretty secure?
>> RONIE: Yeah, pretty good.
>> BOOTHE: Well, you know?
We were talking about surprises earlier Ronie,
when people get put in this suit, you can’t get out of it without getting hoisted.
>> RONIE: [laughter] no you’re joking right?
>> BOOTHE: Nope.
>> RONIE: So, wait, you’re saying that I’m going to get hoisted up?
>> BOOTHE: Right now, we’re going to call them in.
>> RONIE: [LAUGHTER] First time riding in a helicopter,
or flying in a helicopter, excuse my language, and now I’m going to get hoisted.
So, definitely something that I was not prepared to do.
But, you know what?
Like Officer Boothe said, you don’t get in this without getting hoisted, so,
I’m all for for trying new things and experiencing new things on this job.
So, lets, lets do this.
>> BOOTHE: So they’re going to bring the helicopter over,
it’s going to get real loud, and it’s going to get real windy, that’s fine,
>> RONIE: Perfect >> BOOTHE: and a little cold,
but you’ve got your jacket.
So they’re going to lower the hoist hook down,
and we’re going to hook it up to this big ring here.
>> RONIE: OK.
>> BOOTHE: You’re going to hold onto your handles.
>> RONIE: Just so?
OK.
>> BOOTHE: Yep, once they pick you up off the ground,
you’re just going to bring both of your knees up to your chest.
>> RONIE: OK.
>> BOOTHE: Just enjoy the ride.
H20?
>> FLIGHT OFFICER FLORES: Yes, sir?
>> BOOTHE: Come on in, Ronie is ready.
>> FLIGHT OFFICER FLORES: Word.
>> RONIE: Oh my god.
>> RONIE: Oh my god, this is so awesome.
Oh.
Holy cow!
>> RONIE: Hey we just came back,
and I had a blast.
So, thank you so much for taking me out.
>> BOOTHE: Glad you had fun.
>> PILOT LEWIS: Glad you had a good time.
>> RONIE: Thank you so much.
Hey so I learned a lot and I know you’ve learned a lot about our Helicopter Program
and our Air Operations Unit.
So now, we’re going to hang out with the Fixed Wing Crew.
So let’s go!