Emergency
Services is Civil Air Patrol's most publicized activity.
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The
Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air
Force, performs 95 percent of the inland search and
rescue missions tasked by the Air Force Rescue
Coordination Center in the continental United States.
This center coordinates search and rescue efforts
within the inland search and rescue region (the 48
contiguous states). |
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Civil Air
Patrol strived to save lives and alleviate human suffering
through a myriad of emergency services missions ? Search and
Rescue, Disaster Relief, Homeland Security and Humanitarian
Services.
Mission training
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CAP
volunteer members train regularly for air crew, ground
team and other mission specialties needed in search and
rescue and disaster relief efforts.
Pilots, observers, scanners, radio communicators,
operations, flight line, radiological monitoring, public
affairs, logistics, supply, safety, administrative and
other personnel all respond to thousands of missions
annually.
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During a recent five year period, Civil Air Patrol crews
were involved in more than 5,500 search and rescue or
other emergency services missions.
In this same period, members were credited with
having saved more than 425 lives and locating objects of
their search nearly 2,500 times. These missions required
more than 92,000 hours of flying time along with many
more thousands of hours of ground team search activities
by cadet and senior members.
CAP owns the largest civilian fleet of Cessnas in the
world, over 500. Single engine, high-wing aircraft are
ideal for the low altitude searches CAP often conducts
(one of our newest aircraft, with glass cockpit, is
shown at right).
In addition to air search missions, members also aid
in transport of blood, donor organs and medications. |
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Disaster relief efforts
Disaster
relief missions involve air surveillance of disaster areas, as
well as air evacuation of the stranded, sick and injured.
Rescue
work and aid are provided during floods, hurricanes, blizzards,
and other emergencies.
CAP, as
well as members who fly their own aircraft on these missions, is
reimbursed by the Air Force for fuel, oil, and communications
expenses. The Air Force also provides maintenance costs for
these and certain training missions.
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Extensive radio network
CAP maintains a nationwide network of over 20,000 radio
stations which provide invaluable backup to state and
local civil defense and Air Force communications.
On
a local level, these stations support state disaster
plans and provide communications for CAP search and
rescue and other disaster relief missions. |
Homeland Security
Civil Air
Patrol has been a major contributor to our country?s critical
Homeland Security efforts. CAP provides aerial reconnaissance,
photography, radiological monitoring, disaster and damage
assessment, and much, much more.
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At
the request of New York Governor George E. Pataki, on 12
September, 2001, CAP provided the first direct aerial
perspective of the World Trade Center disaster site.
More than 200 professionally trained CAP volunteers
provided homeland security support during the Winter
Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. They flew 534 flying
hours, providing airborne reconnaissance of critical
infrastructure.
When Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hammered the
southern cost of the U.S. in 2005, CAP aircraft,
aircrews and ground teams from 14 states swung into
action. In the end, more than 1,700 CAP members
contributed 35,495 man hours, flew 960 air sorties using
68 CAP aircraft, logged 1,848.6 flight hours, surveyed
4,266 homes and made 8,524 contacts with people affected
by the hurricanes. |
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The CAP hurricane missions were many ? air and ground
reconnaissance, ground disaster relief operations and air
transport.
Founded in 1941 to protect homeland security during World War
II, CAP's Emergency Services program remains a vital part of the
way America's Air Force Auxiliary serves the United States. |
