Calif. sheriff's office uses helicopter to rescue stranded off-roaders

By Ishani Desai
The Sacramento Bee

PLACER COUNTY, CALIF. — The Placer County Sheriff’s Office search and rescue team rescued three people trapped earlier this month after an off-roading adventure left them stranded in chilly temperatures overnight.

The three men had ventured on a four-by-four off-roading trip in the Foresthill’s China Wall staging area but didn’t return home, sheriff’s deputies said in a social media post that included video of the rescue. Their concerned family members alerted authorities on Jan. 6, deputies said.

Dispatchers connected with the stranded men through text messages and confirmed they were OK, sheriff’s deputies said. Rough weather conditions precluded search and rescue team members from rescuing the victims, deputies said.

On Jan. 7, the weather cleared and deputies recused each person using Falcon 30, a five-seat helicopter. The helicopter can reach 135 miles per hour and travel up to three hours before refueling, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said.

“This incident demonstrates the immense value of Falcon 30 and our flight crew to the Placer County region,” the Sheriff’s Office wrote in the post. “The three individuals were located and rescued in less than two hours after Falcon 30 was able to launch, a task that would have taken a ground crew hours, if not most of the day, to successfully complete.”