Ventura County Sheriff’s Office remembers lost Search & Rescue Member Jef Dye

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. - The Ventura County Sheriff's Office is remembering former Ventura County Sheriff’s Fillmore Search and Rescue Team Member Jeffrey “Jef” Dye this Sunday, marking one year since his tragic death while helping victims of a car crash.

The Sheriff's Office said in a post on Facebook that Jef Dye was traveling with his teammates to Mount Pinos on Feb. 2, 2019, in very difficult weather conditions in order to conduct training.

While on the I-5 freeway, the team came across a serious traffic crash that involved a vehicle rollover.

Jef and his teammates immediately stopped and began rescue efforts for those trapped inside the vehicle.

While they were helping, another car lost control on the freeway and crashed into the scene of the previous collision ― including Jef and his teammates.

Two of the Fillmore Search and Rescue Team Members were critically injured in the crash, however, Jef Dye was tragically killed as a result.

The Sheriff's Office said Jef was the first Search and Rescue Member to be killed in the line of duty while serving the County of Ventura.

Jef was described as highly skilled in areas of wilderness first aid, tracking, high angle rock rescue, swift water rescue and alpine snow rescue.

Members of the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team volunteer their time and skills to the citizens of Ventura County and are considered one of the Sheriff's Office's most highly trained and valuable resources for backcountry search and rescue operations.

Jef was born on October 25, 1968, and died on February 2, 2019.