Des Moines Metro Squadron - Mar 2009

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March 2009 In this issue

Calendar Notes Squadron News Safety Briefing National Commander's

Statement on Nondiscrimination

Senior Members

Cadets Contact Us News From Around The North

Central Region

Calendar M a rch 2009

Sunday 8 March 2009

Senior Meeting 1300 hrsCadet Meeting 1330 hrs

Tuesday 17 March 2009Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Saturday 21 March 2009GTM TrainingFt. Dodge, IA 9am-3pm

Sunday 22 March 2009Senior Meeting 1300 hrsCadet Meeting 1330 hrs

Saturday 28 March 2009Iowa Wing Banquet

Notes Daylight Savings Time Don't forget to set your clocksahead before you go to bedSaturday night as we observeDaylight Savings!

Glider Flying in Red Oak We are currently trying toarrange for a glider event at the

Squadron News Strategic Air & Space Museum Trip

What : Strategic Air & Space Museum OvernightWhen: May 1, 2009

Check in at the museum is Friday night at 6:45 pm, activities begin at 7pm. The overnightends at 8am Saturday morning. If we want to stay and tour themuseum on our own on Saturday, I have been told that we can get back in at 9am for free.We will need to give them a heads up if we opt to do this.

Where: Strategic Air & Space Museum Ashland, NEWhat t o b r i ng : sleeping bag & pillow, sleepwear and change of clothing for Saturday,personal

hygiene items (including medications if needed), & money (optional formuseum gift shop)

Cost : $25 for cadets, $15 for adults.UOD: Cadets BDUs, Seniors Corporate or BDUs if you have them & other Adults civilian

clothing.

If you are interested in attending, please email me ( SM Jessa Brace ) with the followinginformation: Name, status (cadet/adult) & any special needs you might have (allergies, foodissues, etc.) I will use this information as our headcount to make sure we have enoughchaperones and transportation for everyone who wants to go.

For more information on the museum, check out their website ( www.sasmuseum.com ). Pleasealso read the following Museum Rules! for overnights. If you have any additional questions,please email me and I will be glad to answer them for you.

Press release to local newspapers

I recently sent out a press release to local newspapers including Harlan, Clarinda, Glenwood,and Atlantic. So far I have copies from the Harlan newspaper, but if you should happen to find itin your paper, please let me know as I would like to have copies for my records.

If you have the email address for a contact at your local newspaper, please let me know as iwould like to get the word out to as many communities in the Southwest Iowa area.

The following is what was sent out. . .

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February 8, 2009Red Oak, Iowa

The Des Moines Metro Cadet Squadron Red Oak Detachment of the Civil Air Patrol met fortheir bi-weekly meeting at the Red Oak Airport on February 8th, 2009. At this meeting, SeniorMember Jason Erickson of Harlan was promoted to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant after completinghis Level One training.

The Civil Air Patrol, a non-combat auxiliary unit of the United States Air Force, was established in
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Red Oak Airport. Dates are still innegotiation, but if this does happenwe would like to have as manypeople show up as possible. O-ride eligible cadets would ride forfree, and Seniors would pay thecost of the tow, which we thinkwould be about $30/person.

Contact Us For questions, comments, or torequest this newsletter via youremail inbox, please email us [email protected] .

We have our own website up andrunning. Check us out atwww.redoakcap.us .

News From Around The North Central Region

Missour i Wing Respondst oI c e S t o r m sMarch 2, 2009

Scenes of the ice storm'sparalyzing impact on the city ofMalden.

Capt. Eric DeanCommanderLaclede County CompositeSquadronMaj. David A. MillerDirector of Public AffairsMissouri Wing

MISSOURI More than 30members stepped up Jan. 30 whenthe State Emergency ManagementAgency called on the MissouriWing to provide disaster relief to

1941. The Red Oak Detachment is a new group in the Iowa Wing of the Civil Air Patrol createdback in June of 2008, meets every other Sunday at 1pm at the Red Oak Airport and welcomesanyone who wants to come and see what they do.

For more information, please email [email protected] .

Safety Briefing - Preventing Slips, Trips, and Falls Did you know that slips, trips, and falls are second only to automobileaccidents in causing personal injury? On stairways alone, falls result in almosttwo million disabling injuries per year. There are thousands more minor injuriescaused by slips, trips, and falls each year. Most alarming of all is the fact thatindustrial falls cause over 1000 deaths each year. But there are simple thingsthat can be done to prevent slips, trips and falls. Most of these suggestionscan be used on the job and at home.

Many factors can cause a slip. Ice, oil, water, cleaning fluids, and other slippery substances areprobably the most obvious causes. However, the flooring may be inappropriate; perhaps it is aslick material, or the person who slips may not be wearing proper shoes. To prevent slips, avoidwalking in areas that pose slipping hazards if at all possible. Always promptly clean up spills ofslippery substances, and even better, work to prevent the spills in the first place. If a particulararea is a chronic problem, re-route foot traffic to avoid it. If flooring is a problem, replace it or coatit with a non-slip surfacing material. Always follow your company's safe shoe policy. Most safeshoe policies require a slip-resistant sole.

The main cause of tripping is obvious: anytime something is in a walkway it could causesomeone to trip. Another culprit is an object projecting into a walkway -- perhaps material storedlow on a shelf. Poor lighting and uneven walking surfaces may also cause tripping. Preventingtrips is simple, but it does require diligence. Keep objects that could cause someone to trip out ofthe way. Repair uneven flooring and install proper lighting if required.

Falls can be caused by a number of things, and slips and trips frequently result in falls. Improperuse of ladders and scaffolding can result in a fall -- usually a very serious one. Falls also happenwhen people climb objects without using fall protection equipment. Don't risk serious injury bytaking shortcuts. If you are working on a ladder, scaffold, or other elevated platform, make sure

you know the requirements for using them safely. Always use fall protection equipment when it isrequired.

Slips, trips, and falls cause numerous injuries every day. But they are among the easiest hazardsto correct. Take the time to look around your work site for these hazards and work to preventthem. Take care not to cause any slip, trip, or fall hazards as you go about your daily activities.

To avoid slips and falls, be on the lookout for foreign substances on walk ways. Watch fordeposits of water, grease, oil, sawdust, mud or debris. Even small quantities are enough to makeyou fall. Do not go too fast, walk safely and avoid changing directions too sharply. Keep youreyes on the path where you are walking.

Beware of tripping hazards. Trash, unused materials, any object left in areas designed for

pedestrian traffic invites falls. Extension cords, tools, and other items should be removed orproperly barricaded off. If equipment or supplies are left in walkways, remove it. Keeppassageways clean of debris by using trash barrels, but if you use them and miss, PICK IT UP!Walk where you are supposed to walk. Short cuts through machine areas invite accidents.Concentrate on where you are going - horseplay and inattention leave you vulnerable to unsafeconditions.

Orderliness plays a big part in preventing slips and falls. Debris lying around on floors andworking areas is an open invitation to accident. Weather increases hazards, particularly in winterwhen debris becomes snow covered and cannot be seen. Ice conditions create additionaldangers. Sand and/or calcium should be applied to icy areas.
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residents of Dunklin County,specifically the city of Malden, afteran ice storm paralyzed severalcounties in southern Missouriearlier in the week.

The Civil Air Patrol responseincluding six ground teams fromCape Girardeau, Columbia,Malden, Springfield and St. Louis.Mission base was established atMalden High School, where powerinitially was provided only bygenerators.

Members set up residence in theschools library and used the JuniorROTC room for briefings andplanning. A communications roomwas set up in the teachers lounge.The high school also served as thecommunitys shelter.

Under the initial direction ofincident commander Lt. Col. RandyFuller, commander of the MissouriState Legislative Squadron, andthen under the subsequentdirection of on-scene incidentcommander Lt. Col. Carolyn Rice,Gateway Senior Squadroncommander, the ground teamsworked long hours providing shelterassistance, distributing reliefmaterial, identifying those who

might need medical assistance,and providing door-to-door healthand wellness checks of Maldenresidences.

After more than four days withoutpower, the ground teams foundmany houses vacant and informedremaining residents of the shelterfacilities set up in the high school.They also distributed disaster flyersprovided by the mayors office.

Although no major medicalproblems presented, two CAPmembers actions provedparticularly noteworthy in whatcould have escalated into amedical emergency.

Cadet Master Sgt. Timothy Shelbyof the Laclede County CompositeSquadron came across a familyhuddled inside a house with noelectricity and discovered an

Wet weather causes muddy feet which contribute in turn to slips, trips and falls. Wipe your feetbefore climbing steps or entering a work area.

Slips and falls occur everyday. The extent of injuries and their recurrence can be minimizedthrough proper safety knowledge and attitudes.

The Sentinel - The Official CAP Safety Newsletter

National Commander's Statement on Nondiscrimination All Commanders,

The attached memo is the CAP National Commander's Annual Statement of Nondiscriminationmandated by CAPR 36-1 paragraph 4b(2). The purpose of this memo is to remind themembership of CAP's Nondiscrimination Policy. Please ensure that all members under yourcommand are made aware of the contents of this memo and of the CAP NondiscriminationPolicy. Please click here to view the memo.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the CAP Equal Opportunity Officer, Col TedChavez, or the Equal Opportunity Administrator at National Headquarters, Mr. Gerry Rosenzweig.

AMY S. COURTERMajor General, CAPNational Commander

Senior Members Ground Team Training

The following is an email sent by Maj Murphy regarding an incident the weekend of February22nd, 2009 near Atlantic, Iowa.

__________________________

Just thought that I would let all know that we did have an actual mission come to our area mid- day yesterday. A pilot about 10nm west of Atlanta, at 4000', reported hearing an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) while guarding 121.5 (emergency frequency). This prompted a call to the Air Force, who in turn passed it down to the Iowa CAP Wing. I got a call from Capt Kirschman around noon and we agreed to meet at the Atlantic Airport. He flew down in a CAP plane, and I flew up from Plattsmouth. On the way, we both monitored 121.5, but neither of us heard anything.Three of us then flew NW of Atlantic for about 75 minutes before making a huge sweep to the SE of Atlantic, all the while monitoring for an ELT. Nothing was ever heard, but it was good to see how quickly the CAP can be activated to look for something.

The other part of this story is that right after getting called by Capt Kirschman, I called a friend of mine who is the Atlantic Airport Manager, and the mechanic on the field. He had to call me back because he was on his other line with a gentleman who had just flown from Atlantic to Columbus,

NE, and had called to ask how to turn off his ELT!! Evidently it had gone off at some point during the flight from Atlantic. Smoking gun? Yes. But can we assume it was the same ELT? No. That is why we still flew the mission. But what it does highlight as a strength of organizations like CAP is that local area connections can be very valuable in collecting information. And all information helps build the bigger picture.

Major Joseph C. Murphy, CAP

Identity Theft Alert

The following is an email alert regarding our fingerprint cards. As administration officer, Icurrently have each of your cards in our CAP file box. If you would like to have your fingerprint
http://members.gocivilairpatrol.com/media/cms/Sentinel_4BC92A4694638.pdfhttp://www.mmsend3.com/ls.cfm?r=126989213&sid=5876409&m=663752&u=CivilAir&s=http://magnetmail.net/images/clients/CivilAir/attach/2009_EEO_Letter.pdfhttp://www.mmsend3.com/ls.cfm?r=126989213&sid=5876409&m=663752&u=CivilAir&s=http://magnetmail.net/images/clients/CivilAir/attach/2009_EEO_Letter.pdfhttp://members.gocivilairpatrol.com/media/cms/Sentinel_4BC92A4694638.pdf


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/C|/Users/Jessa%20Brace/Documents/CAP/Newsletter/3 March/March 2009 htm[3/6/2009 8:51:46 AM]

elderly woman on a breathingmachine dangerously low onoxygen. Recognizing that withoutpower she could run out of oxygen,Shelby immediately reported theproblem to his team leader, Capt.Eric Dean, who put the call outover the radio as a medicalrequest.

Capt. Angie Peterson, commanderof the Springfield RegionalComposite Squadron and also anurse as well as the missionsmedical officer, heard the call andhurried to the location to assist.She quickly sized up the situationand within minutes had oxygen enroute to the residence.

Electrical crews worked diligentlynight and day, slowly returningpower to damaged sections of thestate. By Feb. 1 almost 35 percentof the power had been restored toMalden. Ground teams began toslowly work out into thesurrounding and more rural areas,a process limited by the enormousamount of downed power lines andtrees.

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card(s) back, either to keep for your own records or to dispose of it yourself, please pick it up atour 8 March 09 meeting or email me to request it by other means. If I do not hear from you bythe end of our 8 March 09 meeting, I will dispose of the remaining fingerprint cards in a safe andsecure manner.

SM Jessa BraceAdministration Officer

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A recent incident here in Iowa brings to mind the fact that some units were routinely keeping a copy of member fingerprint cards in their personnel files.

Effective immediately, unit commanders will ensure that all fingerprint cards in files of past or present members will be either returned to the member or destroyed.

Fingerprint cards will not be discarded in trash unless shredded. We owe it to our members to keep their data safe.

Positive response required: Please ensure that your personnel files have been purged of all fingerprint cards NLT 1 Mar 09 and report compliance to me, with a copy to [email protected] .

Thank you,Eric Schneider

Cadets Testing

As mentioned in last month's newsletter, we will be starting to test on a more regular basis.However, there has been a change in the original plans. Now the plan is to do both the writtenand physical testing at each meeting. As such, we need you Cadets to be prepared ahead oftime both mentally and physically. This means studying your text and bringing appropriateclothing with you to the meetings.

Semper Vigilans!

2nd Lt. Jason S. EricksonTesting Officer
http://members.gocivilairpatrol.com/news/cap_news_online/index.cfm/mo_wing_responds_to_ice_storms_5151mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://members.gocivilairpatrol.com/news/cap_news_online/index.cfm/mo_wing_responds_to_ice_storms_5151