Alerting Officer Appointment

[Storm Chaser]

CAPR 60-3 states that units must "designate Unit Alert Officers (UAO) to coordinate mission support for the unit... UAOs will be tracked in Ops Quals as a specialty qualification."

A document titled Alerting Systems and Procedures in capmembers.com under Emergency Services > Operations Support states "Unit Alert Officers for units below the wing level must be appointed in Ops Quals..."

I haven't been able to find anywhere in Ops Quals where these appointments can be made or tracked. The only place, it seems, I can make this appointment is in the Duty Assignment module in eServices, which is not the requirement specified in CAPR 60-3. The name of this duty assignment appears as "Alerting Officer".

Am I missing something? Or did the system just changed and the regulation not updated accordingly?

[Eclipse]

I've never seen anything in there.

My wing alerts at the wing level, so most units don't bother with an alerting officer.

Might be an idea either never, or not yet, implemented.

[Storm Chaser]

My wing have wing alerting officers as well. Their job is to alert the IC. The IC then alerts the resources needed. That said, if a group have alerting officers and an alert process in place, then the IC can leverage that when seeking resources for a mission.

I know that many units don't have appointed unit alerting officers, but CAPR 60-3 seems to require it, along with the alert roster and resources list.

[Walkman]

MIWG has UAOs. I'm the one for my sqaudron.

Am I missing something? Or did the system just changed and the regulation not updated accordingly?

I've only seen it in the Duty Assignment Module as well. COnsidering the pace at which both the regs & eServices get updated, I'm betting that's the case.

[Bayareaflyer 44]

To confirm - it is a duty assignment, available under the Operations section in the Duty Assignment module.

I am my unit's Alerting Officer.  While my Wing does use a paging system to solicit resources for a mission (and our unit members who are involved in ES subscribe), the mission ICs want full crews applying to the mission.

What do I do as our unit's Alerting Officer (and Operations Officer for that matter)? I have created a pre-assigned schedule of crews (primary and backup) for the week and time slot to take the free-for-all chaos that ensues when the page goes out.  When the Wing page goes out, I confirm that the primary crew is available to go.  If no, I go to the back up.  If no, then can I cobble a crew from others not assigned to the day/timeslot.  Then I designate the MP to bid into the mission.

The process goes quick, and it provides two things: a) Provides the mission IC a complete crew that they can use  b)  Gives our unit members equal opportunity to participate (i.e. removes the potential GOB network of "why does Bob and Bill always get the missions?...")

[Phil Hirons, Jr.]

Actually the Wing Alert Officers have to be ICs.

This will be updated at least annually or as directed by the National Operations Center, and should be reissued as major changes occur. All CAP personnel designated as Wing Alert Officers (WAO) to accept missions on the wing's WMIRS alert roster must be qualified ICs. WAOs will be tracked in Ops Quals as a specialty qualification

I'm on RIWG's alert roster. I hope Wing Alert Officers (WAO) stays in Op Quals and not as a required duty assignment as I can't have a 2nd assignment as Wing IG. CAP Regs in conflict, say it ain't so.

[Eclipse]

Two different animals.

The Wing Alert Officers are only ICs and the wing alert roster is only ICs and high-level OPS staff.
In my wing the ICs rotate to the top of the list monthly, with the C-Level Officers, DO and ESO at the bottom.

The non-ICs can't accept the mission, but if the list drills down that far, at least we can take the call and find out what's going on.

The Alert Officers asked by the OP are the ones assigned at the unit level, which not all wings need or use.

Technically the Wing Alert Roster is in WMIRS not Ops Quals.

[Storm Chaser]

I'm a wing alerting officer (WAO), but I'm not assigned as such in eServices. In our wing, we have a roster/schedule and the duty WAO rotates every week.

At the group level, I'm in the Alert/ Resource Report as one of the alerting officers, again without an assignment in eServices. At the unit level, I'm actually assigned as UAO in eServices in order to (somewhat) meet the requirement in CAPR 60-3, which requires that UAO be tracked in Ops Quals.

[Eclipse]

I'm a wing alerting officer (WAO), but I'm not assigned as such in eServices. In our wing, we have a roster/schedule and the duty WAO rotates every week.

Who is listed in WMIRS?  That's who AFRCC or the NOC calls.

[Storm Chaser]

We do have four names listed in WMIRS, but that's not who AFRCC calls in our wing. We use a page system and, when AFRCC sends out a page with the mission being tasked, the page goes to the DO, wing duty officer (WDO) and WAO on duty for that week.

[Eclipse]

Hm...must be pre-arranged.   I wasn't aware you could have anything but the WMIRS list - in fact it's a CI item.

I wonder where you set that up.

[SarDragon]

Our wing has a single phone number for AFRCC to call. The WMAO has the duty for two weeks at a time, and receives calls at that number, by means of an autoforward from that number to a personal phone. The WMAO goes down the IC list, starting with whoever is closest to the reported location, and when one is contacted, turns over the mission. It works for us.

[Tim Medeiros]

Actually the Wing Alert Officers have to be ICs.

This will be updated at least annually or as directed by the National Operations Center, and should be reissued as major changes occur. All CAP personnel designated as Wing Alert Officers (WAO) to accept missions on the wing's WMIRS alert roster must be qualified ICs. WAOs will be tracked in Ops Quals as a specialty qualification

I'm on RIWG's alert roster. I hope Wing Alert Officers (WAO) stays in Op Quals and not as a required duty assignment as I can't have a 2nd assignment as Wing IG. CAP Regs in conflict, say it ain't so.

I thought with the bit in CAPR 123-1 para 6.g.(1) stating "as defined in CAPR 20-1" would allow that, since Alerting Officer isn't listed in CAPR 20-1, either wing or unit level.


Now that that question is posed, back to the original topic.  UAOs and WAOs were at one point in time listed in OpsQual, sometime mid to late 2011 or so they were removed.  I only know this because I made an appointment within OpsQuals when I took command, but now I can't remove or change it.

[a2capt]

It's in Duty Positions -> Operations -> Alerting Officer.

It's not a rating, it's an assignment.

[disamuel]

In reviewing this thread, there are two types of alerts. In WMIRS on the left side, there is a selection (that may be limited to some members) for Alert Roster/ES Resources. When you click on "View Alert Roster". This is the IC listing which is what the Air Force uses (in order) for activation of the Wing. (If the first IC doesn't answer the call, then they call the second IC).

I'm curious about the next step. How ICs select members for response. I understand that we can appoint alerting officers in eServices through the "Assign Duties" module under the functional area of "Operations"

What mechanism would the alerting officer use to keep a roster? What do different wings do, and are there any services that could be used for alerting? I'm looking to try to avoid re-inventing the wheel. Barring any great ideas, I'm thinking of setting up and sharing a spreadsheet on Google Drive. I could have the alerting officers each report for their AOR, and then share the data with the ICs.

Any other ideas?

[Eclipse]

My wing just "REDCAPS" the whole ES list and people respond as they are available in the respective mission area,
or that they can get there in a reasonable amount of time.

You have to have a really comprehensive set of resources, as well as expectations of response
to have a "through-the-chain" alerting system.  Kudos to those wings that do.

[Al Sayre]

As an IC, I will send out a wing wide email to our ES group and then attempt to contact by phone in the following order:
The Alerting Officer (if appointed) of the closest Squadron with appropriately rated personnel and assets.   
The ES Officer of the closest Squadron with appropriately rated personnel and assets.
The Commander of the closest Squadron with appropriately rated personnel and assets.

Then the same folks from the next closest Squadron etc. until I get the required appropriately rated personnel and assets. 

I figure 3 attempts to any Squadron is enough and move on, I won't spend all night playing phone tag trying to make sure no one is left out when it's possible lives are at stake.  I really don't care what Squadron the personnel and assets come from, as long as they are close enough to provide a timely response.  I.e. If you don't have an aircraft available, it's unlikely I will call your Squadron for an aircrew.  If you have no UDF qualified people I'm not going to call you for a ramp check at the airport next door.

[JeffDG]

We have mailing lists based on qualifications.

So I can send out an email to all ICs wing wide, to one Group, or a single unit.  Same with MPs, MSs, GTLs, all the way down to GES.

Generally if we do a big blast out, we will tell people to roll up to the Group ESOs

[SunDog]

As an IC, I will send out a wing wide email to our ES group and then attempt to contact by phone in the following order:
The Alerting Officer (if appointed) of the closest Squadron with appropriately rated personnel and assets. . .

  I.e. If you don't have an aircraft available, it's unlikely I will call your Squadron for an aircrew.  If you have

Wow. You won't send sqdn A aircrew to fly sqdn B's airplane?  And CAP wonders why pilots drift away. Great system. Gotta wonder why it matters which sqdn you get the crew from? 

But that is the way it works, which us why we lost most of our pilots when the GOBN sucked up our ( heavily flown) airplane.

[JeffDG]

As an IC, I will send out a wing wide email to our ES group and then attempt to contact by phone in the following order:
The Alerting Officer (if appointed) of the closest Squadron with appropriately rated personnel and assets. . .

  I.e. If you don't have an aircraft available, it's unlikely I will call your Squadron for an aircrew.  If you have

Wow. You won't send sqdn A aircrew to fly sqdn B's airplane?  And CAP wonders why pilots drift away. Great system. Gotta wonder why it matters which sqdn you get the crew from? 

But that is the way it works, which us why we lost most of our pilots when the GOBN sucked up our ( heavily flown) airplane.

We don't have "squadron owned" planes here.  They all belong to Wing, and generally we let the Groups coordinate maintenance.