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

Squadron News
Strategic Air & Space Museum Trip What: Strategic Air & Space Museum Overnight When: May 1, 2009 Check in at the museum is Friday night at 6:45 pm, activities begin at 7pm. The overnight ends at 8am Saturday morning. If we want to stay and tour the museum 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, NE What to bring: sleeping bag & pillow, sleepwear and change of clothing for Saturday, personal hygiene items (including medications if needed), & money (optional for museum 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 following information: Name, status (cadet/adult) & any special needs you might have (allergies, food issues, etc.) I will use this information as our headcount to make sure we have enough chaperones and transportation for everyone who wants to go. For more information on the museum, check out their website (www.sasmuseum.com). Please also 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.

Calendar
March 2009 Sunday 8 March 2009 Senior Meeting 1300 hrs Cadet Meeting 1330 hrs Tuesday 17 March 2009 Happy St. Patrick's Day! Saturday 21 March 2009 GTM Training Ft. Dodge, IA 9am-3pm Sunday 22 March 2009 Senior Meeting 1300 hrs Cadet Meeting 1330 hrs Saturday 28 March 2009 Iowa Wing Banquet

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 it in 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 i would like to get the word out to as many communities in the Southwest Iowa area. The following is what was sent out. . . __________________________ February 8, 2009 Red Oak, Iowa The Des Moines Metro Cadet Squadron Red Oak Detachment of the Civil Air Patrol met for their bi-weekly meeting at the Red Oak Airport on February 8th, 2009. At this meeting, Senior Member Jason Erickson of Harlan was promoted to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant after completing his Level One training. The Civil Air Patrol, a non-combat auxiliary unit of the United States Air Force, was established in

Notes Daylight Savings Time

Don't forget to set your clocks ahead before you go to bed Saturday night as we observe Daylight Savings!

Glider Flying in Red Oak

We are currently trying to arrange for a glider event at the

Red Oak Airport. Dates are still in negotiation, but if this does happen we would like to have as many people show up as possible. Oride eligible cadets would ride for free, and Seniors would pay the cost of the tow, which we think would be about $30/person.

1941. The Red Oak Detachment is a new group in the Iowa Wing of the Civil Air Patrol created back in June of 2008, meets every other Sunday at 1pm at the Red Oak Airport and welcomes anyone who wants to come and see what they do. For more information, please email info@redoakcap.us.

Safety Briefing - Preventing Slips, Trips, and Falls

Did you know that slips, trips, and falls are second only to automobile accidents in causing personal injury? On stairways alone, falls result in almost two million disabling injuries per year. There are thousands more minor injuries caused by slips, trips, and falls each year. Most alarming of all is the fact that industrial falls cause over 1000 deaths each year. But there are simple things that can be done to prevent slips, trips and falls. Most of these suggestions can be used on the job and at home. Many factors can cause a slip. Ice, oil, water, cleaning fluids, and other slippery substances are probably the most obvious causes. However, the flooring may be inappropriate; perhaps it is a slick material, or the person who slips may not be wearing proper shoes. To prevent slips, avoid walking in areas that pose slipping hazards if at all possible. Always promptly clean up spills of slippery substances, and even better, work to prevent the spills in the first place. If a particular area is a chronic problem, re-route foot traffic to avoid it. If flooring is a problem, replace it or coat it with a non-slip surfacing material. Always follow your company's safe shoe policy. Most safe shoe policies require a slip-resistant sole. The main cause of tripping is obvious: anytime something is in a walkway it could cause someone to trip. Another culprit is an object projecting into a walkway -- perhaps material stored low on a shelf. Poor lighting and uneven walking surfaces may also cause tripping. Preventing trips is simple, but it does require diligence. Keep objects that could cause someone to trip out of the 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. Improper use of ladders and scaffolding can result in a fall -- usually a very serious one. Falls also happen when people climb objects without using fall protection equipment. Don't risk serious injury by taking 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 is required.

Contact Us
For questions, comments, or to request this newsletter via your email inbox, please email us at pao@redoakcap.us. We have our own website up and running. Check us out at www.redoakcap.us.

News From Around The North Central Region

Missouri Wing Responds to Ice Storms

March 2, 2009 Scenes of the ice storm's paralyzing impact on the city of Malden. Capt. Eric Dean Commander Laclede County Composite Squadron Maj. David A. Miller Director of Public Affairs Missouri Wing MISSOURI More than 30 members stepped up Jan. 30 when the State Emergency Management Agency called on the Missouri Wing to provide disaster relief to

Slips, trips, and falls cause numerous injuries every day. But they are among the easiest hazards to correct. Take the time to look around your work site for these hazards and work to prevent them. 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 for deposits of water, grease, oil, sawdust, mud or debris. Even small quantities are enough to make you fall. Do not go too fast, walk safely and avoid changing directions too sharply. Keep your eyes 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 or properly barricaded off. If equipment or supplies are left in walkways, remove it. Keep passageways 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 unsafe conditions. Orderliness plays a big part in preventing slips and falls. Debris lying around on floors and working areas is an open invitation to accident. Weather increases hazards, particularly in winter when debris becomes snow covered and cannot be seen. Ice conditions create additional dangers. Sand and/or calcium should be applied to icy areas.

residents of Dunklin County, specifically the city of Malden, after an ice storm paralyzed several counties in southern Missouri earlier in the week. The Civil Air Patrol response including six ground teams from Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Malden, Springfield and St. Louis. Mission base was established at Malden High School, where power initially was provided only by generators. Members set up residence in the schools library and used the Junior ROTC room for briefings and planning. A communications room was set up in the teachers lounge. The high school also served as the communitys shelter. Under the initial direction of incident commander Lt. Col. Randy Fuller, commander of the Missouri State Legislative Squadron, and then under the subsequent direction of on-scene incident commander Lt. Col. Carolyn Rice, Gateway Senior Squadron commander, the ground teams worked long hours providing shelter assistance, distributing relief material, identifying those who might need medical assistance, and providing door-to-door health and wellness checks of Malden residences. After more than four days without power, the ground teams found many houses vacant and informed remaining residents of the shelter facilities set up in the high school. They also distributed disaster flyers provided by the mayors office. Although no major medical problems presented, two CAP members actions proved particularly noteworthy in what could have escalated into a medical emergency. Cadet Master Sgt. Timothy Shelby of the Laclede County Composite Squadron came across a family huddled inside a house with no electricity and discovered an

Wet weather causes muddy feet which contribute in turn to slips, trips and falls. Wipe your feet before climbing steps or entering a work area. Slips and falls occur everyday. The extent of injuries and their recurrence can be minimized through 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 Nondiscrimination mandated by CAPR 36-1 paragraph 4b(2). The purpose of this memo is to remind the membership of CAP's Nondiscrimination Policy. Please ensure that all members under your command are made aware of the contents of this memo and of the CAP Nondiscrimination Policy. Please click here to view the memo. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the CAP Equal Opportunity Officer, Col Ted Chavez, or the Equal Opportunity Administrator at National Headquarters, Mr. Gerry Rosenzweig.

AMY S. COURTER Major General, CAP National Commander

Senior Members
Ground Team Training The following is an email sent by Maj Murphy regarding an incident the weekend of February 22nd, 2009 near Atlantic, Iowa. __________________________ Just thought that I would let all know that we did have an actual mission come to our area midday 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, I currently have each of your cards in our CAP file box. If you would like to have your fingerprint

elderly woman on a breathing machine dangerously low on oxygen. Recognizing that without power she could run out of oxygen, Shelby immediately reported the problem to his team leader, Capt. Eric Dean, who put the call out over the radio as a medical request. Capt. Angie Peterson, commander of the Springfield Regional Composite Squadron and also a nurse as well as the missions medical officer, heard the call and hurried to the location to assist. She quickly sized up the situation and within minutes had oxygen en route to the residence. Electrical crews worked diligently night and day, slowly returning power to damaged sections of the state. By Feb. 1 almost 35 percent of the power had been restored to Malden. Ground teams began to slowly work out into the surrounding and more rural areas, a process limited by the enormous amount of downed power lines and trees. Read More

card(s) back, either to keep for your own records or to dispose of it yourself, please pick it up at our 8 March 09 meeting or email me to request it by other means. If I do not hear from you by the end of our 8 March 09 meeting, I will dispose of the remaining fingerprint cards in a safe and secure manner. SM Jessa Brace Administration Officer __________________________ 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 wingadmin@iawg.cap.gov. 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 written and physical testing at each meeting. As such, we need you Cadets to be prepared ahead of time both mentally and physically. This means studying your text and bringing appropriate clothing with you to the meetings. Semper Vigilans! 2nd Lt. Jason S. Erickson Testing Officer

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