Civil Air Patrol - Emergency Services An Introduction

Civil Air Patrol - Emergency ServicesAn Introduction

• Civil Air Patrol covers several ES areas– Search And Rescue– Disaster Relief– Humanitarian Services– Homeland Security

Search And Rescue

• AFRCC – Air Force Rescue Coordination Center– Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida– Ties in directly to the FAA alerting system and

US Mission Control Center

When a distress call is received, the center investigates the request, then coordinates. Once verified as an actual distress situation, the AFRCC requests support from the Civil Air Patrol.

Search And Rescue

• Outside of the US, Civil Air Patrol directly supports the Joint Rescue Coordination Centers in Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.

• Civil Air Patrol is credited with saving an average of 100 lives per year.

Disaster Relief

• Air and ground personnel provide transportation for cargo and officials

• Provide aerial imagery to aid emergency managers in assessing damage

Humanitarian Services• Usually in support of the Red Cross

– Civil Air Patrol aircrews transport time-sensitive medical materials, including blood and human tissue.

– Following 9/11, one of the first airplanes to fly over the destroyed World Trade Center was a Civil Air Patrol aircraft taking photos.

Humanitarian Services• Civil Air Patrol performs several missions

that are not combat-related in support of the US Air Force, including damage assessment, transportation of officials, communications support and low-altitude route surveys.

Homeland Security

• As a humanitarian service organization, CAP assists federal, state and local agencies in preparing for and responding to homeland security needs. In particular, the CAP fleet is used in training exercises to prepare USAF pilots to intercept enemy aircraft over the Continental United States. Civil Air Patrol aircraft are flown into restricted airspace, where Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-15 Eagle pilots may practice high-speed intercepts.