SALEM, Ore. (Sep. 24, 2020) – Five Civil Air Patrol aircraft flew into some of Oregon’s most fire-ravaged areas again today as part of a continuing mission to assess damage and aid fire response.
Highly trained at taking high-resolution aerial and surface photos, CAP aircrews deliver much-needed information for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Oregon Emergency Management (OEM) to aid in their response to Oregon’s most destructive fire season in decades.
“Our hearts go out to the people of Oregon affected by the fires,” said Brig. Gen. William Betts, vice commander, First Air Force, Air Forces Northern. “It is an honor to serve these communities through CAP’s contribution to the state and federal response.”
Acting as a Total Force partner and the U.S. Air Force auxiliary, CAP is aligned with First Air Force to rapidly respond to nonmilitary threats domestically when tasked in a Defense Support of Civil Authorities capacity to save lives, relieve suffering, prevent property damage and provide humanitarian assistance
Low-visibility and high-wind conditions had limited opportunities for CAP to operate Tuesday and Wednesday—crews need relatively clear conditions to produce quality images—but as the sky cleared today, CAP planes were back taking more aerial photos and bringing emergency managers the up-to-date intelligence they need. The aircraft launched from bases in Salem, Eugene, Redmond and Medford, Oregon, and Kelso, Washington.
Another four teams responded in vehicles from McMinnville, Wilsonville, Eugene and Medford, deployed to assess damage and take ground-level photos of facilities accessible by road.
Today’s operations included areas of the Beachie Creek, Riverside, Lions Head, South Obenchain and Brattain fires.
This is the eighth day CAP has responded to the Oregon fires. More than 75 CAP volunteers from Oregon, Washington, California and Nevada have taken part. CAP aircraft have made 35 flights, and ground teams have completed six missions.
At last count, the Oregon Wing has 290 adult volunteers who train vigorously to FEMA standards each year to be ready to help in emergencies like the unprecedented onslaught of wildfires that have burned more than 1 million acres this year and thousands of structures and displaced huge numbers of Oregonians. The wing also has 247 youth members, who train in
leadership, character development, physical fitness and citizenship. Many also train in emergency services to ground search and rescue and detecting emergency signals emitted by aircraft in distress.
About Civil Air Patrol
Established in 1941, Civil Air Patrol is the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force and as such is a member of its Total Force. In its auxiliary role, CAP operates a fleet of 560 single-engine Cessna aircraft and 1,944 small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) and performs about 90% of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center.
As a nonprofit organization, CAP plays a leading role in aerospace education using national academic standards-based STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education. Members also serve as mentors to nearly 25,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs. One of the premier public service organizations in America, CAP benefits the nation with an estimated economic impact of $209 million annually.
Often using innovative cellphone forensics and radar analysis software, CAP was credited by the AFRCC with saving 129 lives so far in fiscal 2020. CAP’s 60,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies.
Visit www.orwg.cap.gov, www.CAP.News or www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com for more information.