17 October 2005
MEMORANDUM FOR CAP/AK WING SQUADRONS
FROM: CC
SUBJECT: Policy Letter No. 20
Squadron Alerting Officer Responsibility and RCC Mission Records
1. This policy letter clarifies the role of squadron alerting officers and establishes the mission records that must be forwarded to Wing Headquarters at the completion of RCC-generated missions.
2. IAW CAPR 60-3, para 6-3c, the final decision to use Alaska Wing resources remains within the CAP at all times. However, Alaska Wing’s long-standing practice of enabling the Alaskan RCC to shorten response times by contacting and working directly with its squadrons on actual missions (while keeping the Wing staff informed of these actions) was perceived as a contradiction of this principle during the last wing compliance inspection by National Headquarters. Therefore, this policy letter clarifies the fact that the personnel listed as RCC Callout contacts on the squadron rosters published by Alaska Wing Headquarters, effectively serve as Agency Liaisons for Alaska Wing, exercising and retaining full authority over their personnel, when they accept a mission from the RCC. Hereinafter referred to as squadron alerting officers, they are responsible for using prudent judgment, assessing the risks, and making sure controls are in place to ensure safe operations during the missions they prosecute in support of the RCC.
3. IAW CAPR 60-3, para 1-18, a CAPF 115, Emergency Services Mission Folder , must be filed at wing headquarters for each mission, and “will include at least the incident commander’s log; mission flight plans; personnel, vehicle, and aircraft registers; all CAP and wing forms used; message log; copies of news releases; reports to the controlling agency; and any related information that may be needed in answering future inquiries related to the mission.” In turn, CAPR 60-4, Volume I, Part I, requires the following forms: ICS Form 201, “Incident Briefing”, for all ES missions; ICS Forms 202 thru 207, “Incident Action Plan” for ES missions extending beyond 24 hours (this plan is produced by the Incident Commander/lead agency, yet Alaska Wing almost always conducts mission work as a supporting agency); ICS Forms 209 thru 221, if required by the lead agency; CAP Form 104 for each aircraft sortie; and CAP Form 109 for each ground team sortie. This proliferation of paperwork, required by regulation regardless of size and duration of mission, has resulted in compliance inspection findings, not only for Alaska Wing, but also for a majority of the CAP wings with any substantial mission load. Furthermore, Alaska Wing’s method of decentralized response to RCC missions spreads this paperwork burden to its squadrons, and Alaska Wing’s role as a supporting agency leads to questions about what paperwork must really be sent to and maintained at wing headquarters.
4. In order to simplify, clarify, and reduce the burden of paperwork, while at the same time complying with the regulations and maintaining relevant mission data, Alaska Wing will use the following procedures:
a. When the RCC notifies the Wing Emergency Services Officer (ESO) of the use of CAP assets on an RCC mission, it will also provide the Wing ESO with the name(s) of the squadron alerting officer(s) accepting unit responsibility for Alaska Wing’s support of the mission.
b. At the completion of an RCC mission, the squadron alerting officer coordinating his unit’s response, will fax ( 907-753-4560) or email (akhdqcap@gci.net) an Agency Liaison Report to Alaska Wing headquarters, using the attached format. The Wing ESO will follow up, if necessary, by contacting the alerting officer, if the report isn’t received within a week of the RCC closing or suspending the mission.
c. The remaining required mission paperwork can be forwarded to wing headquarters by regular mail. That paperwork will include: the CAP Form 108s and original fuel receipts, a CAP Form 104 or AKWG Form 104 for each aircraft sortie, and/or a CAP Form 109 for each ground sortie. If other, pertinent paper records have been generated at the unit level, they may also be included.
d. The Wing ESO will maintain the above-mentioned data in a CAP Form 115 folder for each mission at wing headquarters, and transpose it, as necessary, to the appropriate Incident Command System forms.
5. For any questions or suggestions regarding this policy, contact Alaska Wing Emergency Services, Maj Jim McCarthy, jimccarthy@juno.com, 952-0023 (c), 333-7190(h), 269-1228(w).
JIM MCCARTHY, Maj, CAP CARL L BROWN, JR , Col, CAP
Emergency Services Commander
DAVE THOMPSEN, CAPT, CAP
Chief of Staff
TO: Alaska Wing Emergency Services
FROM: (Squadron)
SUBJ: Agency Liaison Report
DATE: (Report Date)
RCC Mission No: (RCC Mission Number)
Agency Supported: (Normally “RCC”, but could also be “USGC” or “AST” [Alaska State Troopers] on assistance missions)
Squadron Agency Liaison: (Name of Squadron Alerting Officer accepting responsibility for control of unit support for the mission)
Type of Incident: (Title of incident type. Examples – Overdue Aircraft Search, ELT Search, Missing Hiker Search)
Date/Time contacted by RCC: (Self-explanatory, but also include any preliminary notifications by USCG, AST, etc., if applicable)
Summary of events/actions: (Describe, in sufficient detail, the sequence of events and actions taken in support of the mission, hours spent, and results achieved)
Resources: (List all personnel [both CAP and non-CAP] involved in the unit’s mission effort, and their respective duties; all aircraft used [corporate or private]; and all other vehicles used [corporate or private])
Other Information: (Any pertinent mission information not mentioned earlier, including observations or critiques on what worked or didn’t work well, lessons learned, and improvements that might be made for future missions)
Submitter’s name & Contact Info