The Missions of CAP, just the facts...plus some Inter-agency

[Major Carrales]

On a few occasions while I was at Stinson Field in San Antonio, mostly after the last aircraft of the day from the Houston Area (normally the Highbird) had landed, I had a chance to check e-mail, send messages and read some of the CAPTALK posts.

I intended to do that to see if I could get some increased morale from seeing fellow CAPTALk threadsters hammering away.  Also, we were very busy during the day handling Aircrews, monitoring radios and all the things that active missions require.

I was a bit disappointed, however, to read one type of post.

Specifically, those that were claiming that we weren't going anything or enough in support of the effort.  Or that we "should be doing this" or we "need to be doing that."

I was really putoff by the comments in the thread that we belittling the mission or calling for "self-deployment."

The final one came, and that is what prompted this thread, when someone posted the one on the missing aircraft in Western Texas and the incredulous "why aren't we in on it" or "we need to be doing this."  As it turned out, we are doing a heck of a lot about these things.

My point is, and I hope this only has to be written once, that we are given the missions we are assigned and we are to execute them as best we can to the utmost level.

Yes, we have aircraft...and yes...we have ground teams.  But above all that, we have one thing that people hunt us out for...trained personnel who are volunteering to serve their Community, State and Nation in a time of need and crisis.

Our air, ground, mission staff and COMM people are like tools in the CAP shed.  We are the implement to be used by our mother service and other Federal and State (sometimes local) agencies.  We serve them, they do not serve us.

This is the problem that comes to fester on these forums, the lack on understanding that.  Thus, if a State desires CAP "assistance" in the effort to survey damage and they only need our Air assets...so be it.  We summon the Aircrews and Support staff and do our job.  if they need ES ground teams to "augment" the search effort, we provide them and the missions staff/COMM to make that happen.

Some less than positive remarks we made about Texas Task Force 1 and that they were "territorial."  I was deeply offended by that remark in that we hosted them at CAP STATION CORPUS CHRISTI the day before landfall (when it looked like it was heading for Corpus Christi) and worked with them providing them COMM work as well as a staging area.  A blow was struck for inter-agency work and all was well.

Then I come here and see one of us take a "swack" at them because that threadster felt that CAP ground teams should be being search and rescue.

Let's run that through the matrix I outlined above.  The State of Texas suffered a devastating Hurricane in Ike.  They, and FEMA, are providing capital and resources to mitigate the damage.  Texas Task Force 1 is an element of the State of Texas that specializes in realtime search and rescue.  The State of Texas deployed its asset, Task Force 1, and called for CAP assistance in the form of a Highbird and other COMMS setup.  It was provided as assistance, it was given.  Everyone preformed great.  The storm shifted direction, and the Texas Asset went into place.

Once the Storm made landfall, the State of Texas (and FEMA) tasked us to fly Photo Recon of the effected area.  We complied and are still doing that as this is typed.

We are tasked with what we need to do in terms the BIG PICTURE, not on what we think we need to be going.

So, in conclusion, we need to insure all our tools are "sharpened" so that they can be used when needed.  We also do not need to "blather" about needing to be deployed because we feel we know what is best.  No, our is to train to the utmost so when you ARE CALLED you can make the best effort to accomplish the MISSION.

Taking "swacks" at other agencies is part of the reason some people have a bad image of CAP as "isolationists."  Please, people, watch the comments you make here.  This is public and your words can be taken wrong by the people we are designed to assist.

[capchiro]

Well said, Maj. Carrales.  While all of us old guys with CAP truly appreciate the enthusiasm that many of the young guns bring to CAP and we couldn't do the job without them, we would appreciate a little more professionalism and less criticism and outwardly berating of situations that some of the young guns don't have total understanding of.  Please don't anyone get their feelings hurt, just be patient, as you will all get a chance to grow old and hopefully wise in the ways of the world and of CAP over the decades.  You will get your chance to lead and direct operations, but in the meantime, calm down and learn.. 

[RiverAux]

Unfortunately, I think most of such comments can be traced back to internal public affairs issues.  There may be a lot going on, but if the news of those actions aren't getting spread around, people think nothing is happening. 

I think that with major missions (big hurricanes, multi-wing missing airplane searches, etc), NHQ should be more proactive and push news releases on them directly out to the members via email rather than passivly posting them on the web site.  Lets face it, most CAP members probably aren't as addicted to CAP News Online as are a lot of CAPTalk members. 

[Major Carrales]

Unfortunately, I think most of such comments can be traced back to internal public affairs issues.  There may be a lot going on, but if the news of those actions aren't getting spread around, people think nothing is happening. 

I think that with major missions (big hurricanes, multi-wing missing airplane searches, etc), NHQ should be more proactive and push news releases on them directly out to the members via email rather than passivly posting them on the web site.  Lets face it, most CAP members probably aren't as addicted to CAP News Online as are a lot of CAPTalk members. 

True, but remember, during these missions we are under the IO (as opposed to Public Affairs) of the ICS System where news is funneled through the IC and where certain things are sensative.    Here the vast difference between PAO and IO is clear.

Still, posting frustrations for all to see  is neither good Public Affair nor Information Officership.

[RiverAux]

All I was saying is that at a minimum they could take the release they posted on CAP News Online (presumably from the IO) and email it to the entire membership.  Obviously, you wouldn't want to do this for every little mission, but those that receive national level press attention need to be promoted to the membership so that they know that in fact we are "doing something".

[Major Carrales]

All I was saying is that at a minimum they could take the release they posted on CAP News Online (presumably from the IO) and email it to the entire membership.  Obviously, you wouldn't want to do this for every little mission, but those that receive national level press attention need to be promoted to the membership so that they know that in fact we are "doing something".

Here you go...
http://www.cap.gov/visitors/news/2008_hurricane_season/ike_stories/

[RiverAux]

Actually, it is a fine example of an attempt at passive distribution of information only to those CAP members who chose to go looking for it.  Its fine, but for major missions with wide interest across CAP, it doesn't go far enough. 

[Larry Mangum]

Some of you guys need to review your ICS training. In a large mission that crosses multi jurisdictions, more then likely a Joint Information Center (JIC) would have been established and all press releases would have been coordinated through them and the CAP IC would not have been free to just send messages out as he so desired.

Major Carrles is absolutely correct in his statements as to how things work. As an IC in WAWG, earlier this year, we had teams who wanted CAP to respond to the flooding in the Chehalis Valley despite the fact we where not requested.  If we had self deployed, we would have no longer been seen as a member of the team but rather as "loose canon's". That is not a reputation we can afford to have.  Eventually CAP members where deployed to deliver food to rescuers and to man road checkpoints.  Again, that would not have happened if we had self deployed.

[RiverAux]

You're missing the point here.  I'm talking about sending releases that have already been approved by whatever proceess is in place for that mission out to the general membership.  Its not rocket science folks.

The JIC is a fine concept, but it is just not workable in mega disasters.  There are probably dozens if not hundreds of separate jurisdictions and agencies involved on all levels of government and it is just not feasible to run all public affairs through one center since 95% of those agencies are not going to send a representative halfway across the state or region to participate in it.  I think they have a chance of working when the disaster is in a relatively confined area and when you're talking about a dozen or less agencies involved.  The bigger the event, the less likely it is to be used. 

[Major Carrales]

Now, Now River, let's not do this.  I know for sure that Press Releases were going out.  And I mean good ones filled with detail and information released in the ICS fashion.

This was not a PUBLIC AFFAIRS/INFORMATON OFFICER issue this thread discusses, but rather the posts making less than flattering posts about the situation.

[RiverAux]

And I've seen them and they're good...they just need to be distributed to the entire membership of CAP on a daily basis. 

[Major Carrales]

And I've seen them and they're good...they just need to be distributed to the entire membership of CAP on a daily basis. 

And how, may I ask should this be done?  E-mail?  They are already on the web.

By the way, many of them there press releases are the work of Major Robert Brecount, CAP of Victoria, Texas.  He is an excellent writer and a WWII veteran who served on the USS Enterprise. 

[Johnny Yuma]

CAP, organization wide, has enough issues to clean up IN HOUSE before we start talking about other agencies and their response to incidents.

During Katrina, a Kansas Sheriff's department contacted the NOC asking for KSWG CAP assistance with a possible CD mission and were told by NOC personnel they were too busy to assign a mission. So KSWG crews lost a possible customer and I'm certain word got around to other agencies that we're all show, no go.

This would've been the first CD mission in several years for KSWG, botched.

[wingnut55]

Holy Cow Johnny Yuma

we had guys from California flying all over the Gulf after Katrina, CAP was working 24/7. Sorry about the POT bust, but you guys should have been south. PRIORITIES

If you want come out to California for a few weeks and fly with us. in 3 years I have flown over 400 hours on direct CAP missions.


You guys in Texas have my respect

[RRLE]

they just need to be distributed to the entire membership of CAP on a daily basis

A friendly word of advise - Don't do it. The CG Auxiliary has tried something similar a few times. And every time they do, several members report the Aux to blacklisting services for sending unsolicited email - aka spam. It took the Aux several weeks to get de-listed from some of the services. Unless your email system is an opt-in system, with an explicit choice to receive this type of email, you just might end up getting CAP blacklisted for days or weeks.

Also during Hurricane Charley (2004 - FL West Coast), the Aux was sending out press releases on is two members who had gone to assist. They were working directly with the on-site FEMA team. I was one of them. PR being PR, the Aux hyped up the activities of the 2 Auxies - hype that made the 2 on site very uncomfortable and almost got them sent home.

So not only do you have to make sure the info flows from the correct ICS channel - don't overdue your own organizations activities at the expense of the other parties. They will find out and they will not like it - and you may not get invited to the next 'party'.

[Johnny Yuma]

Holy Cow Johnny Yuma

we had guys from California flying all over the Gulf after Katrina, CAP was working 24/7. Sorry about the POT bust, but you guys should have been south. PRIORITIES

If you want come out to California for a few weeks and fly with us. in 3 years I have flown over 400 hours on direct CAP missions.


You guys in Texas have my respect

We were ready, we never got called.

The CD mission really burned some folks though, because we literally had CD cleared aircrews sitting by the phone waiting on a Katrina tasking.

[CAPPAO]

NHQ is NOT pro-active in making the resources of CAP known to the agencies that might need our assistance. For proof, read this verbatim comment from the June 2008 BOG meeting:

BoG Action

MR. ROWLAND/EX presented a slide briefing which reviewed recent and ongoing
missions/exercises; Cost-effective Force Multiplier; "A", "B" & "C" mission comparison
by category; and AF JROTC Orientation Flights.

In response to a question as to whether Civil Air Patrol voluntarily calls and offers help
following a known disaster/need or waits for the call from agencies needing volunteer
support that CAP can provide, Mr. Rowland responded that, in the past, CAP has
waited for the call. He added that management could get more involved and encourage
local units to initiate the offer of assistance. An added point was made for appropriate
publicity to help ensure awareness of CAP's availability and capability. Mr. Rowland
responded that CAP has a very good working relationship with the public affairs staff at
1st Air Force whose press releases always include the efforts of CAP.

[ZigZag911]

The time to get to know local "customers" (as well as potential partner agencies) is before an incident occurs.

The advanced ICS courses are an ideal venue for starting to form these relationships, because CAP is usually a minority of those attending, and not well known to law enforcement, fire, and EMS personnel who make up the bulk of the classes.

Get to know other volunteer organizations in your area; do a little homework before meeting with them...try to determine how we can help each other; for instance, here in NJ there is a superbly trained high-angle rescue/wilderness extraction team (NJSAR); they have some background in urban rescue as well.

What they lack are really good land navigators (go figure!), trained communicators, and any sort of air capability.

We've been doing joint training on and off for years; we're trying to make it more regular, systematic. It has led to CAP being involved in lost person searches in counties where for many years the sheriff had wanted no part of us -- but now we came with a trustworthy recommendation.

In many places the Red Cross is severely understaffed; have your folks take Damage Assessment and Shelter Management training, and they'll be delighted to have CAP help.

Several of our squadrons support disaster drills at the Port Authority of NY/NJ airports; the wing as a whole often provides assistance at McGuire AFB disaster exercises. Frequently this means providing personnel to play "victims" -- but it keeps CAP in the first responders' view, and gives our leadership opportunities to remind their leadership that we can do more than pretend to be injured!

The list goes on....there are lots of ways to serve, but realistically no one is going to think of CAP if we don't put ourselves out there and make sure we're known....and demonstrate that we are well trained, competent, and reliable.