NORTH COAST, Calif. — Agencies from around the region participated in a search and rescue training in Mendocino County last week.

The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue Team and Napa County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue team hosted a three-day helicopter awareness training at the Lake Mendocino Spillway from May 17 to 19.

Lt. James Elmore of the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said multiple search and rescue volunteers from Northern California were in attendance and learned valuable skills to assist them in their future missions.

Search and rescue organizations that were in attendance included Mendocino County Search and Rescue, Napa County Search and Rescue, Lake County Search and Rescue, Marin County Search and Rescue, Sonoma County Search and Rescue, Bay Area Mountain Rescue Unit and CAL-SAR.

Elmore said the training’s purpose was to teach search and rescue volunteers the skills necessary to safely interact with helicopters in a rural search environment. The training included instruction on how to safely approach and exit an aircraft and learning the capabilities of each specific aircraft.

Volunteers were able to practice being inserted and extracted from remote search areas and also practice safely packaging and loading victims onto the aircraft to be taken for medical treatment, Elmore said.

Numerous types and designs of helicopter airframes were utilized to maximize the exposure of search and rescue volunteers attending the training, according to Elmore’s report.

Elmore said the event would not have been possible without the financial support of the Mendocino Public Safety Foundation, numerous generous donations received from the public, and all local Rotary Clubs in Mendocino County.

The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office thanked the following agencies and companies for donating their time, equipment, or resources to make this training possible: U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, Cal Fire, California National Guard, Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, Reach Air/Calstar, California Highway Patrol, Ukiah Valley Fire Department, Silva Septic, Forks Ranch Market and Big Earl's BBQ.

The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office also thanked the community and local residents for their cooperation, support and understanding during this training event.