Emergency radio recordings show that helicopter pilots with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the Orange County Fire Authority bickered, and that sheriff pilots ignored a direct order to “stand down,” during a pair of rescues in Laguna Beach and Orange on Saturday, April 29, revealing an escalating battle between the two agencies over helicopter-related emergencies and who responds to them.
For several months, Sheriff’s Department pilots have poached rescue calls sent to the OCFA, with helicopters from both agencies often racing to the scenes at the same time, county officials said Friday. Such dual-action responses are costly and potentially dangerous for the pilots and people on the ground.