To fulfill its rescue mission, the Ventura Harbor Patrol is equipped with two rescue boats, one rescue/fire boat, and two 4-wheel drive vehicles. Its full-time officers are well trained in boating safety and enforcement. The Ventura Harbor Patrol is exclusively funded by the Harbor enterprise fund and as such their primary responsibility is to the Harbor. However as the only agency within the City of Ventura, the Harbor Patrol occupies a special niche in the public safety community. Its vessels are well-equipped to operate inside and outside of the Harbor. We have the long-standing practice of responding to all calls within a one-mile radius of the Harbor entrance and up to a three-mile radius for imminent situations. The Harbor Patrol will respond farther at the request of another agency provided the call does not leave Ventura Harbor uncovered.

All Full-time Harbor Patrol Officers are certified EMTs and are dispatched through the “911” dispatch system. The medical skills are useful on both the water and land, where they routinely arrive the scene of medical calls three to five minutes before paramedic services. This provides a key service to both the residents and visitors.