Boise Composite Squadron
Emergency Services

  Search and Rescue     Disaster Relief      Homeland Security     
  Counterdrug Operations     Drug Demand Reduction     

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The Emergency Services (ES) primary mission objective is to save lives and relieve human suffering. To be effective, the lives of CAP personnel performing the mission must be safeguarded. CAP demands professionalism in organization, training, and mission execution to accomplish this service. Only members who are qualified or are in formal emergency services training are allowed to participate in actual missions. The ES mission includes search and rescue and disaster relief operations.

The National Search and Rescue plan assigns responsibility for coordinating inland SAR operations in the United States to the Air Force. The actual coordination is performed by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, based at Langley AFB, Virginia. This coordination is performed by the US Coast Guard in Puerto Rico and by the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) in Alaska and Hawaii. CAP supports all three and is the primary resource available for inland SAR. In fact, CAP routinely performs on average over 85% of the SAR missions for inland search and rescue.

All CAP members who participate in SAR operations are volunteers who have been specially trained in a variety of emergency services skills. These operations must be carried out with speed and efficiency because victims' lives may be at stake. This speed and efficiency is attained through prior planning and practical exercises in performing the tasks required.

CAP units may not participate in a SAR mission unless they have people trained to quickly and successfully accomplish the mission. A wing may have several units which are trained and "on-call" for SAR activities, but the wing commander usually assigns the mission to the unit nearest to the area of operations. This ensures familiarity with the terrain in the search area; enhances the relationships with neighboring agencies (police, fire, etc), and ensures a quick response. Larger missions often require units from all over the wing or even neighboring wings to participate. This only increases the need for professionalism and control over operations.

As you have already gleaned, a SAR mission is always a serious and critical endeavor. Good organization, methodical procedures, and safety are essential. Therefore, each CAP mission is headed by a CAP incident commander who is experienced and highly qualified in Emergency Services. SAR missions can be quite involved with many functions and activities to be supervised and accomplished. Some of these activities include:

• Incident Command - the overall responsibility for each specific mission is invested in one CAP officer, the Incident Commander.
• Administration - involves mission personnel registration; flight orders; reimbursement claims (for fuel, oil, etc.); and control of required mission reports.
• Communications - may be radio, telephone, fax, electronic mail, or messenger service. A communications officer establishes the net and controls the activities of all communications personnel. He or she also prepares briefing materials relative to the communications procedures to be used by mission personnel.
• Air Operations - by the Air Operations Officer, responsible for coordinating all airborne activity under the overall supervision of the mission coordinator. This officer verifies the qualifications of air crews; supervises crew briefings; maintains the mission status board with the appropriate and timely information; and supervises the staff under his or her charge.
• Ground Operations - controlled by the ground operations officer. Very similar to the responsibilities of the Air Operations officer, but related those tasks to surface operations.
• Mission Chaplain - is assigned to both air and ground operations as needed.

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In 1979, several federal agencies we combined into one - the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA is the single point of contact within the federal system for disaster relief planning and management. This includes civil defense, natural disaster, and man-made emergencies.

The Civil Air Patrol has national level agreements with many government and non-government relief agencies to assist when disaster strikes. Over the years, CAP has worked closely with organizations such as FEMA, the American Red Cross, and the Salvation Army. CAP also has agreements with local agencies at the wing level and participates with various state emergency management agencies.

The US Army has overall responsibility for coordinating disaster relief efforts involving Department of Defense (DoD) agencies. The Air Force supports the Army. As the volunteer auxiliary of the Air Force, the CAP may participate in the Military Support to Civil Authorities (MCSA) program.

The organization of CAP DR efforts is very similar to the SAR mission. The main difference is the agency that controls the mission. CAP always retains command of CAP resources, but mission control is delegated, usually at the state level, to the agency primarily responsible for a particular DR operation.

Under MSCA the Air Force Reserve coordinates and does the tasking through its Air Force National Security Emergency Preparedness (AFNSEP) office. The AFNSEP office is co-located with the Army Forces Command at Fort McPherson, GA. After receiving an Air Force mission authorization, CAP works directly with the agency that requested help and performs the activities specifically requested, within CAP's capability.

The types of DR missions CAP supports include:

• Courier and light cargo transport.
• Mercy missions - blood, organ transplant, and patient transport (life-saving evacuations).
• Manual labor for debris removal.
• Air and ground transport for cargo and non-CAP key personnel.
• Damage surveying.
• Communications support.
• Etc.

Two good examples of the types of support CAP gives in Disaster Relief operations is illustrated by its efforts during the 1993 Missouri Flood and CAP's response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. During the summer of 1993, the Mississippi River overflowed its banks and caused the worst flooding in over 100 years, flooding millions of acres of land, and submerging whole towns and cities. Civil Air Patrol members from across the country came to the aid of flood victims: filling sandbags, surveying damage, flying everything from mail to emergency supplies to needed areas, establishing emergency communications links and ferrying government officials.

CAP members were also among the first to respond to the September 11th attacks on New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania, providing communications, emergency transfer of blood, supplies, and people, and rendering other types of assistance as requested by state and federal agencies.

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Homeland security is Civil Air Patrol’s heritage. The terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001 caused the United States to reexamine its homeland security mission. No longer immune from attacks on its home soil, the United States must use all of its resources to meet an enemy that knows no national, physical or moral boundaries. The war on terrorism is a multi-front campaign that begins at home.

In order to prepare for, prevent, and respond to attacks or domestic emergencies within the United States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Civil Air Patrol, operating as the United States Air Force Auxiliary, increased its participation in Department of Defense Homeland Security operations by conducting Civil Support and Homeland Defense missions.

CAP provides a ready capability to enhance Civil Support and Homeland Defense operations within the HLS arena. Utilizing highly-trained volunteers and its large fleet of aircraft, CAP can rapidly respond to requests for support from military, federal, state, and local agencies requiring emergency management services, integrated, multi-layered communications, low-cost, hightechnology reconnaissance, or transport of personnel or cargo. CAP provides support to civilian law enforcement, participates in Domestic Relief Operations (DRO), and aids domestic consequence management activities in response to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or high yield explosive (CBRNE) situations. Increased CAP assistance in conducting Homeland Security operations acts as a force multiplier for the Department of Defense and other governmental and nongovernmental agencies. By providing additional personnel and critical equipment, CAP gives first responders the flexibility to conduct higher priority taskings, and frees defense personnel for more critical national security needs.

To prepare for Homeland Security operations, CAP assists military and law enforcement organizations with training of personnel to defend the nation. Activities ranging from active participation in exercises and evaluations, to transporting personnel, to training locations provide organizations with greater flexibility and reduce their own resource requirements. Prevention missions usually involve active reconnaissance or patrol of potential targets, lines of communication and critical infrastructure. Response, whether training or actual, involves virtually every aspect of the organization, but communications capabilities and trained emergency management personnel play key roles in addition to those filled by CAP air and ground teams.

By increasing the number of trained personnel and low-cost high-technology equipment available to full-time first responders, CAP leverages those organizations' abilities to provide capable, multi-level security. Specifically, to enhance detection and prevention requirements, CAP provides reconnaissance and transportation capabilities not usually available to local security forces. CAP emergency management personnel deliver much need continuity and often round out staffs normally manned with people whose primary duties may not involve crisis or consequence management. CAP communications personnel establish critical redundancy in areas often overwhelmed with communication demands in commercial frequency spectra.

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In 1985, U.S. Customs Service asked CAP to support counterdrug operations. Our first large-scale operation with Customs primarily involved reconnaissance and feedback on suspicious boats and ships off the East and Gulf coasts.

In 1986, Congress authorized CAP to support law enforcement in the government's war on drugs. CAP began its support of the Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Forest Service in 1989. Originally operations were primarily for marijuana eradication support within the United States and its territories and possessions.

Today, the mission of CAP's counterdrug program is to assist federal, state and local government and law enforcement agencies involved in the fight to eliminate illicit drug use, its production and sale in the U.S., its territories and possessions. CAP is involved in combating both the demand for and supply of illegal drugs. CAP provides aircraft, aircrews and other personnel to support counterdrug activities. Many federal agencies as well as state and local law enforcement agencies and drug task forces routinely call on CAP to provide counterdrug support. It should be noted, however, that CAP has no law enforcement authority and may not participate in law enforcement operations.

CAP provides three main counterdrug interdiction missions: aerial reconnaissance, communication and transportation. All Air Force-assigned counterdrug missions must have a counterdrug "nexus," that is they must involve a counterdrug case or operation. Valid operations include:

• Marijuana eradication support - flights conducted to detect suspicious vegetation or likely growing areas for marijuana.
• Airborne reconnaissance - flown to detect potential drug operations or gather intelligence on isolated areas known to be used by drug traffickers. Also flown on a recurring basis to examine border-crossing areas.
• Marine reconnaissance - routine reconnaissance to detect and report suspicious marine activity in coastal areas and to detect and identify waterborne vessels.
• Airport reconnaissance - recurring or periodic reconnaissance of airports or their surrounding access routes for evidence or likelihood of use for drug trafficking.
• Airfield photography - conducted to locate, identify, photograph, and catalog charted and uncharted airfields and landing areas.
• Airborne video/digital photography and imagery - flown to document conditions of areas or facilities to detect change, use or suspicious activity.
• Communications support - usually flown in remote locations to provide an aerial communications relay platform and/or in support of over-water operations where normal communications will be a problem.
• Radar evaluation - flown to evaluate and calibrate air defense radars and provide controller and/or interceptor training.
• Aerial familiarization of law enforcement agents - conducted to familiarize agents with aircraft and their use in conducting law enforcement operations.
• Drug demand reduction - orientation flights in conjunction with DDR program events for CAP cadets are permitted. Transportation of DDR personnel and materials to DDR events.
• Transportation mission - may be conducted under limited circumstances.

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Civil Air Patrol Drug Demand Reduction Vision
To be a leading force in America’s drug demand reduction strategy through the development of tomorrow’s leaders in volunteer community service for a drug-free world.


Civil Air Patrol Drug Demand Reduction Mission Statement
The Civil Air Patrol Drug Demand Reduction program assists squadrons, groups, wings, and regions to instill an agressive, positive, drug-free attitude in Civil Air Patrol members, Air Force families, DoD civilians, and school-age children through a comprehensive program that:

• Promotes CAP as a positive community service lifestyle.
• Encourages youth to remain in school.
• Focuses on drug abuse education, prevention and awareness.
• Provides positive activities as an alternative to drugs and gang violence.

Where Counterdrug operations focus on eliminating the supply of illegal drugs into the united States, Drug Demand Reduction (DDR) focuses squarely on the demand for illegal drugs. DDR, sponsored by the Department of Defense and the USAF, promotes a drug-and-gang-free lifestyle to youth across America, focusing primarily on the military community. As the Auxiliary of the Air Force, CAP is an ideal agent for promoting drug demand reduction efforts, and CAP's DDR program is among the most successful programs in the country.

The focus of CAP's DDR efforts is middle school-age youth who reside within 30 miles of a qualifying Air Force installation, and mostly cater to CAP units. These units receive DDR educational materials, access to guest speakers, and funding to support activities that promote a drug-free lifestyle.

A recent addition to CAP's DDR efforts is the formulation of the Middle School Initiative. This program brings CAP into middle schools, providing activity materials, uniforms, and a comprehensive curricula into at-risk neighborhoods, at minimum cost to the school systems, providing a fun, structured program to thousands of youth every year.

School Enrichment Program  |   Community Outreach Activities

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