Gordy- good question. No, I have nothing to do with the sheriff, don't know any of them, etc. The helicopter crew seems very effective, they do a lot with what they have. Perhaps you read this article, which I linked previously:
Sonoma County helicopter pilot honored for daring rescue | The Press Democrat
They flew 250 miles to do a rescue the Coasties refused to complete, and now the pilot has been named "Pilot of the Year". It was a stranded SAR team he rescued; imagine how that played out in the SAR community.
Here are some photos showing the lay of the land at the Bodega Bay incident. The first one shows where the Coasties landed and took off, the people in the background are at the cliff edge. The sheriff happened to fly by, the photo was taken beside a paved rd. (you have to copy and paste those links, they don't seem to work when clicked)
http://1drv.ms/1vuyE7z
The next one shows the flat ground to the right of the first photo. I could have landed my Cessna there. You can see the tracks the firefighters left.
http://1drv.ms/1vuA9mi
You boys take a good look at that. Good news- the 4 yr old boy has regained consciousness. Astounding.
