New Director of FEMA

[JohnKachenmeister]

In case you did not know, Craig Fugate, who is Obama's choice to head FEMA and who has served in a similar position for the State of Florida for many years and through many hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires, is a former CAP cadet.

[JohnKachenmeister]

The foregoing post is a textbook example of a "Run-on sentence," but I do not care.

[BGNightfall]

It would, however, be a perfectly acceptable sentence in Mandarin Chinese.   

[Gunner C]

This is a good thing.  Along with that, the director of the National Recovery Response Center at FEMA Hqs is a former Spaatz cadet.  He controls the national requests for aerial recce platforms.  If we can handle the extra taskings, things may be looking up.  It will be dependent on if we can cash the checks we write for ourselves (deliver what we advertise).

[JohnKachenmeister]

I agree with you, Gunner.  Personally, (WARNING:  When I have expressed this plan before I made folks mad at me.  See my comment regarding run-on sentences for my reaction.)  I think the answer is to substantially improve our training and to make the training more aligned with the military. 

I have already initiated an OTS experience in my Group, and I'm looking for more opportunities along those lines.

CAP is nothing less than a combat aviation legend.  We were the first irregular American force to engage and defeat a foreign enemy since the War of 1812.  We literally wrote the book on air search and rescue.  Our cadet program is emulated all over the world.  We need to attract, train, and keep people who are willing to live up to the standards of performance that keep us players at the high-stakes crap table.

Otherwise, we will lapse into obscurity and irrelevance.

[AlphaSigOU]

All the way with Major K! 

I know the CAP I joined 30 years ago as a cadink is markedly different than the CAP I currently serve as a senior member today. While in cerain areas training standards are improving, sometimes it's like we're taking two steps backward to every step forward. If we don't get our stuff together soon, we'll run the risk of becoming an historical footnote. And it can happen sooner rather than later.

[Johnny Yuma]

In case you did not know, Craig Fugate, who is Obama's choice to head FEMA and who has served in a similar position for the State of Florida for many years and through many hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires, is a former CAP cadet.

This is a good thing.  Along with that, the director of the National Recovery Response Center at FEMA Hqs is a former Spaatz cadet.  He controls the national requests for aerial recce platforms.  If we can handle the extra taskings, things may be looking up.  It will be dependent on if we can cash the checks we write for ourselves (deliver what we advertise).

Did they pay their taxes?

[MIKE]

^ And it's all down hill from here.

[arajca]

It's nice that the new Director of FEMA is a former cadet, but since that could easily have been many years ago, a nicer thing to see would be that he is a current CAP member.

[ZigZag911]

Nice as it is that he's a CAP member, even better is his professional background in the EM world.

[Johnny Yuma]

^ And it's all down hill from here.

Everyone was thinking it, I just said it aloud...

[Flying Pig]

It says a lot for CAP.  I hope none of our members feel that they are somehow "secondary" to him?     Because what you do or have done outside of CAP should have no bearing.
I would say that now, most importantly he is a political appointee.  I wouldnt hold my breath that him being a CAP member will do much for us.  Not that it will hurt, but there is a lot of lobbying involved in the disaster business.

[Al Sayre]

I can tell you from personal experience that some of our biggest proponents in the Disaster Response and Relief world are the folks that are calling the shots at NORTHCOM.  This is however, another feather in our CAP. (pun intended)

[SStradley]

SNIP...I would say that now, most importantly he is a political appointee.  ... SNIPI

Fugate is a professional EM mananger, who served Florida under two Republican Governors.  I can confidently say that Florida has the best EOC operation and response of any SE coastal state, if not in the nation.  He was picked not for who he knew or how much $ he gave, but for what he knows and what he has done. 

Now all that being said, what will happen to him once he reaches Washington, and starts to drink the water is anyones guess.

[Flying Pig]

^Yeah, that was probably an unfair statement on my part.  I hope he does well.

[wingnut55]

I think Florida Wing has a Very Progressive program.

That is CAP's Main problem; Is the lack of Continuity of leadership across all of the State Lines.

Every Mission I have Been on outside of my state is different, vastly different. Often we see a real problem with proficiency. It is painfully obvious that many crews are having their SQTRs pencil whipped!!
We have a CAP within CAP. There are a core minority who keep the rest afloat.

In many states CAP is the third or fourth agency called after an aircraft goes down, and often in a natural disaster no one wants us to do what we do best!! Fly and communicate.

I want us to thrive, Be all we can Be!!

AS a former cadet I do remember the old CAP and I remember watching the "Dark Side" and thinking God I can't believe these people.

Well, here I am wearing a stretchable Storm Trooper suit and thinking: God I can't believe these people.