Firefighter Helicopter Pilot Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Salary : $125,949.21 - $176,570.12 Annually
Location : Camarillo and may be required to travel throughout Ventura County, CA
Job Type: Full-Time Regular
Job Number: 1778SHF-26AA (MK)
Department: Sheriff
Opening Date: 05/19/2026
Closing Date: 6/16/2026 5:00 PM Pacific
Description
The Ventura County Sheriff's Office is seeking an experienced Helicopter Pilot for a rewarding career. Incumbents serve as Pilot in Command (PIC) during a full range of helicopter missions, are responsible for the safe overall operation of Ventura County Sheriff's Office aircraft, and have the final authority for all safety-of-flight aspects of the helicopter operations. In addition, pilots fly over all types of terrain during aerial firefighting, law enforcement, crew/equipment transport, reconnaissance, medical rescue, disaster mitigation and related activities; maintains pilot flight logs and records; performs minor repairs and inspections and performs other duties as required.
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION: Incumbents often must work under adverse conditions and successfully respond to unexpected and occasionally life threatening events. Must also work rotating shifts which include stand-by, on-call status, willing/able to respond to emergencies after normal working hours and arrive at the hangar within thirty (30) minutes of initial notification.
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS: This classification is distinguished from other classifications in the Deputy Sheriff series in that the incumbent's primary responsibility is to operate a helicopter in the performance of law enforcement, fire suppression duties, and rescue missions. This position is non-sworn.
PAYROLL TITLE: Fire/Sheriff's Pilot
BENEFITS/INCENTIVES:

• Biweekly contribution towards a flexible benefits program (including medical, dental, and vision insurance options)
• An educational incentive of 2.5%, 3.5%, or 5% based on the completion of Associate's, Bachelor's, or Master's degree or, if qualified, for POST certification; plus other premium/incentive/bonus payments
• Eligible to participate in the County's 401(k) Shared Savings Plan and/or the Section 457 Plan. This position is eligible for up to a 2.5% match on your 401(k) contributions
• Participation in the County's defined pension plan. If eligible, you may establish reciprocity with other public retirement systems such as CalPERS
• Possible bilingual incentive pay depending upon operational need and certification of skills, for those qualified
• Annual leave (depending upon years of service)
• 13 paid holidays (including a floating holiday)
• Wellness Program (including health club discounts; free health coaching, onsite wellness, and online health education)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and peer support
• WorkLife Program (including Lactation Accommodation Policy, Child Care Discounts and Coastal Housing Partnership)
• Textbook and tuition program
• For more details regarding the benefits offered by Ventura County click

AGENCY/DEPARTMENT: Sheriff / Air Unit
Fire/Sheriff's Pilot is represented by the Ventura County Deputy Sheriff's Association (VCDSA) and is eligible for overtime compensation.
The eligible list established from this recruitment may be used to fill current and future Regular (including Temporary and Fixed-term), Intermittent, and Extra Help positions within the Sheriff's Office. There is one (1) anticipated Regular vacancy.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
OPENING DATE: Tuesday, May 19, 2026
FINAL CLOSING DATE: Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. (Previously: Continuous and may close at any time; therefore, the schedule for the remainder of the process will depend upon when a sufficient number of qualified applications are received to meet business needs).
Examples Of Duties
Duties may include but are not limited to the following:

• Transports medical personnel to medical emergencies and injured patients to hospitals;
• Performs general law enforcement assignments for the protection of life and property, prevention and suppression of criminal law violators;
• Operates light, medium, and heavy size turbine powered helicopters over all types of terrain to assist in the suppression of wildland and other types of fires; may be involved in making water/foam drops in assigned fire suppression target areas, effecting rescues, and transporting firefighter crews and logistical materials to the fire line;
• Assists in training crews to operate safely in and around helicopters; use maps; operates fire and aviation radios; checks, cleans and maintains helicopters; and performs general housekeeping duties in the aviation unit;
• Maintains self and helicopter in a constant state of readiness for dispatch to emergency and non-emergency alarms or to assigned locations for ready response standby;
• May supervise and direct the work of personnel on the ground who are assisting in operations involving a helicopter;
• Operates special helicopter accessory equipment, which may include: fixed water tank, hydraulic/electric snorkel, sling loads, rescue hoist, helitorch, video downlinking, mapping and forward looking infrared systems;
• Reviews and maintains written and computerized flight logs and records;
• Performs minor maintenance of helicopters;
• Researches, develops and writes procedures for the Aviation Unit; and
• Performs other related duties as required.

Typical Qualifications
These are entrance requirements to the examination process and assure neither continuance in the process nor placement on an eligible list.
EDUCATION, TRAINING, and EXPERIENCE:

• 3,000 hours of helicopter flight time as pilot-in-command of which 1,000 hours shall include mountainous terrain utilizing unimproved landing areas at altitudes exceeding 4,000 feet MS. (Note: pilot in command is defined as actual time flying on controls), Hours completed as a flight instructor, co-pilot or second-in-command does not apply to 3,000 hours of helicopter flight time.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Possession of a valid Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Commercial Airman's Certificate with rotorcraft-helicopter instrument rating or FAA Airline Transport Pilot Certificate with rotorcraft-helicopter rating.
• Possession of a valid Class I or II Airman's Medical Certificate issued by an FAA authorized medical examiner, or military equivalent.
  • MUST SUBMIT A VALID COPY (front & back) OF FAA Pilot Certificate, FAA Medical Certificate, or Military Equivalent WITH APPLICATION. You can either submit a scanned copy as an attachment for an on-line application or send an email to Melissa Kurtz at melissa.kurtz@venturacounty.gov.
• Possession of a valid California Driver's License OR ability to obtain within sixty (60) days of hire.
• Incumbents of this classification must be able to successfully complete all other sections of the Deputy Sheriff selection process to be eligible. This includes selected portions of Sheriff's and/or Fire Academy training (e.g., Defensive Driver Training, Wildland Fire Behavior, etc.)
• Have flown 50 hours of flight time as PIC of a rotorcraft-helicopter in the preceding 12 months.
• Must be able to work rotating shifts, stand-by, callbacks, and emergencies.

DESIRED:

• Possession of a FAA Flight Instructor Certificate for helicopters, or military equivalent.
• Knowledge of Incident Command System, local topography, and area weather conditions.
• Possession of a USDA/USDI Interagency or Cal Fire carded in aerial ignition.
• Employed for one (1) year as a helicopter pilot by a Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Part 135 Operator.
• Possession of a valid USDA/USDI Interagency or Cal Fire Pilot Qualifications Card for Type I, Type II and Type III helicopters with Reconnaissance and Survey, Mountainous Terrain, External Loads, Fire Suppression, and Water Dropping OR ability to obtain within six (6) months of hire.
• 500 hours in a Type I or Type II turbine powered helicopter.
• 250 hours performing low level missions in fire control and suppression, search and rescue over mountain or forested areas, EMS missions; or comparable military experience.
• 100 hours of night flying in a Type I, Type II and/or Type III turbine helicopter.
• 20 hours performing ANVIS/NVG low level missions in fire control and suppression, search and rescue over mountain or forested areas, EMS missions; or comparable military experience.
• Multi engine helicopter experience.
• Long Line/Vertical reference experience with USDA or equivalent fire card.
• Rappel or Short Haul experience.
• Initial Attack Fire experience.
• Exclusive use contract experience.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Comprehensive knowledge of: helicopter flight control systems and equipment; Interagency Helicopter Operations Guidelines; (now known as NWCG SHO) Federal Aviation Regulations and the Aeronautical Information Manual; wildland fire behavior and fire weather.
Comprehensive skill in operation of: light, medium, and heavy size turbine powered helicopters over all types of terrain; operating special helicopter accessory equipment, including fixed water tank, hydraulic/electric snorkel, sling loads, rescue hoist, helitorch, video downlinking, Night Vision Goggles (NVG) and forward looking infrared systems.
Thorough ability to: review and maintain written and/or computerized flight logs and records; read, understand, interpret and apply VCSO air unit policies, rules, laws and ordinances; prepare clear and concise oral presentations; analyze fire and other emergency situations accurately and take effective action; read, speak and understand the English language; communicate effectively in writing; establish and maintain harmonious and effective working relationships with superiors, subordinates and other employees in emergency and nonemergency situations.
Recruitment Process
FINAL FILING DATE: Applications must be received by Sheriff's Human Resources in Ventura, California, no later than 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (Previously: This is a continuous recruitment and may close at any time; therefore, apply as soon as possible if you are interested in it. Your application must be received by County of Ventura Human Resources in Ventura, California, no later than 5:00 p.m. on the closing date).
To apply on-line, please refer to our web site at If you prefer to fill out a paper application form, please call (805) 654-5129 for application materials and submit them to County of Ventura Human Resources, 800 South Victoria Avenue, L-1970, Ventura, CA 93009.
Note to Applicants: It is essential that you complete all sections of your application and supplemental questionnaire thoroughly and accurately to demonstrate your qualifications. A resume and/or other related documents may be attached to supplement the information in your application and supplemental questionnaire; however, they may not be submitted in lieu of the application and supplemental questionnaire.
INFORMATION FOR TRANSFER CANDIDATES: If presently permanently employed in another merit or civil service public agency/entity in the same or substantively similar position as is advertised, and if appointed to that position by successful performance in a merit or civil service style examination, then appointment by "Lateral Transfer" may be possible. If interested, please click for additional information.
SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE - qualifying: All applicants are required to complete and submit the questionnaire for this examination at the time of filing. The supplemental questionnaire may be used throughout the examination process to assist in determining each applicant's qualifications and acceptability for the position. Failure to complete and submit the questionnaire will result in the application being removed from consideration.
APPLICATION EVALUATION - qualifying: All applications will be reviewed to determine whether or not the stated requirements are met. Those individuals meeting the stated requirements will be invited to continue to the next step in the screening and selection process.
TRAINING & EXPERIENCE EVALUATION: A Training and Experience Evaluation (T&E) is a structured evaluation of the job application materials submitted by a candidate, including the written responses to the supplemental questionnaire. The T&E is NOT a determination of whether the candidate meets the stated requirements; rather, the T&E is one method for determining who are the better qualified among those who have shown that they meet the stated requirements. In a T&E, applications are either scored or rank ordered according to criteria that most closely meet the business needs of the department. Candidates are typically scored/ranked in relation to one another; consequently, when the pool of candidates is exceptionally strong, many qualified candidates may receive a score or rank which is moderate or even low resulting in them not being advanced in the process.
NOTE: The selection process will likely consist of an Oral Exam which may be preceded or replaced with the score from a Training and Experience Evaluation (T&E), contingent upon the size and quality of the candidate pool. In a typical T&E, your training and experience are evaluated in relation to the background, experience and factors identified for successful job performance during a job analysis. For this reason, it is recommended that your application materials clearly show your relevant background and specialized knowledge, skills, and abilities. It is highly recommended that the supplemental questions within the application are completed with care and diligence.
ORAL EXAMINATION - 100%: A job-related oral examination may be conducted to evaluate and compare participating applicants' knowledge, skills, and abilities in relation to those factors which job analysis has determined to be essential for successful performance of the job....