How often have we heard “Haines has nothing for teenagers to do”? A lot, right? How long does it take for a Coast Guard chopper to get here from Sitka? Too long, if you’re bobbing around in the ocean. How many wilderness rescue teams do we have in Haines? Do we have one? I’d like to introduce the Civil Air Patrol (CAP). CAP has three missions: aerospace education, emergency services, and the cadet program (ages 12-18). The cadet program is designed to take average high-schoolers and create capable leaders. Cadets can learn first-aid, radio communications, search-and-rescue, and wilderness survival. Dedicated cadets can earn the qualifications and skills needed to respond to an actual emergency. Aerospace education offers cadets opportunities to learn to fly for a fraction of the usual cost. CAP’s emergency service mission takes local pilots and gives them what they need – plane, training, and more – to respond to anything from lost hunters to hurricanes to terrorist attacks – from as close as our local airstrip. CAP flies 90 percent of search-and-rescue missions in non-Coast Guard areas, and flew photo-recon missions for Katrina, 9-11, and thousands of other disasters. Non-pilots help too – ground teams assist local medical teams, investigate wrecked aircraft, or find that lost hiker and return him safely home. We need only another half-dozen people to bring CAP to Haines. You can contact us at [email protected], visit our website at http://www.chilkatcivilairpatrol.webs.com, or call me at 766-3562 for more information.
Michael Ford, Cadet
United States Civil Air Patrol