Search and Rescue

Civil Air Patrol is tasked with search and rescue missions by the United States Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC). Many of these missions begin with requests for assistance from local law enforcement agencies. Once CAP is assigned a mission by AFRCC, the CAP wing in the state that the mission is located in is contacted and an incident commander is assigned. That incident commander contacts local CAP units in the area to assemble personnel and resources to accomplish the mission.

Our squadron maintains an active search and rescue program to respond to these requests when they arise. We are actively growing our ground search and rescue team, with our volunteers dedicating their time to train together each month.

Since moving to Cleveland, TX in 2022, our squadron’s ground search and rescue team members have made three search finds. The ribbon pictured above, while only awarded to individual members, represents the combined successes of the members of our team. The basic ribbon is awarded for a successful search “find”, and the propeller device seen in the center is added for each additional “distress” find or each additional 20 “non-distress” finds. Since 2022, our team has located two emergency locator transmitters safely on airport properties following accidental activations (non-distress finds) and one crashed airplane (distress find).

Our team continues to grow and train together to better serve the residents in the communities around us when in need. If you are interested in volunteering with us to join our search and rescue team, please visit the “Join” section of our website to learn how to get involved.