EMC159 Harter CAP Meeting Notes 1/3 To: Emergency Communications Units - Information Bulletin To: Emergency Management Agencies via Internet and Radio By: Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS) of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services EMC159 Harter CAP Meeting Notes 1/3 For release 11/23/98 The Civil Air Patrol is an organization in which Stan Harter had a deep personal interest. While going through some of his work after his demise in April, l998, this compilation was found. It is presented as written, with exceptions in brackets [xxx] at which we guessed as to what was intended. "An all-day meeting was held at a Group headquarters in a CAP Wing to address the issue of stepping up its participation in and support of emergency services/civil defense incidents. The following notes, with appropriate modification to suit local conditions, could apply almost anywhere in the nation. "The Group Commander posed the following questions to serve as a roadmap to achieve increased support and participation of the local community by Civil Air Patrol Emergency Services on the ground: 1. What is our individual area of responsibility? 2. What do we want to do? 3. What do we have to do it? 4. What training do we need to do it? 5. What equipment do we need to do it? 6. What are our milestones to achieve our goals? "A participant in the workshop was an official from the State Office of Emergency Services. He pointed out that the very first training required of CAP in California is an understanding of the ICS -- the Incident Command System. CAP will find that the ICS is quite similar to a SAR base organization; it is created for an incident and is dissolved when the mission is over. Local governments are not disposed to accept or utilize external volunteers until they have been trained in their methods, procedures, organization and systems. Contact your local OES, fire department, or California Department of Forestry. "A study has been drafted in California to address volunteers. It divides volunteers into two categories: convergent and staff. Convergent volunteers are those who show up, often unplanned or unexpectedly, following a disaster. Staff volunteers are those who generally work within the system on a regular, on-going basis. CAP is (or should be) in the latter category. (Continues next week) --- To subscribe to bulletins, use the Subscription Services web page at . If you don't have web access, just send an e-mail message to . - For training assistance contact the ACS Training Officer at the web site or send an email to Dave_Larton@oes.ca.gov - Submissions for future ACS bulletins: please send to: State ACS Officer Cary Mangum: Cary_Mangum@oes.ca.gov or Deputy ACS Officer Ken Bourne: Ken_Bourne@oes.ca.gov Bulletins are on the ACS Web page: http://acs.oes.ca.gov -and a Landline BBS: 916-262-0856 (graphical & standard interface); and a FTP Archive: ftp.ucsd.edu/hamradio/packet/tcpip/incoming for some bulletins. For earlier ones: ftp.ucsd.edu/hamradio/races EOM