As spring approaches, it is a great time to begin doing some Emergency Services training.  Funding and other decisions are often based on mission qualified personnel.  An easy way for you to help the wing is to upgrade your skills.  Emergency Services is one of Civil Air Patrol’s three missions and the wing needs leaders to step up in this critical area.  John Quincy Adams said, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”  We need leaders to step forward in Emergency Services and inspire others to train and add qualifications.  For example, Kansas Wing is critically low on mission pilots.  If you are a mission pilot, I would ask you to try to encourage others to develop the skills needed to serve in this role.  Kansas Wing also needs additional Incident Commanders.  I am encouraged by the members who are willing to work on staff training after commanders call each month.  Currently, we have only a few alert duty officers/ICs.  Lee Iacocca said, “You can do the work of two people, but you can't be two people.”  You can help the wing by improving your skills and by encouraging others to do so as well.  We have an evaluated SAREX coming up in June and we need you to perform at the top of your abilities for the evaluation and for the communities we serve all year long.

Kansas Wing has many opportunities for you to upgrade training and/or skills:

·         Lt Col Pearson has been doing Mission Base Staff training after every commander’s call.   Approximately twelve members have taken advantage of this training to upgrade skills.  Kansas Wing needs more well-qualified mission base staff.  We have a SAR evaluation in June. 

·         Col Tim Hansen and his team are busy rescheduling KESA.   This is the premier ES training event of the year in Kansas Wing.  Every member should plan to attend this critical training.  Skills can be learned, practiced, and signed off.

·         Lt Col John Schmidt recently conducted a flight clinic in Topeka for approximately a dozen CAP pilots.

·         ICS 100, 200, 700, or 800 can be completed online.  C/Capt Simmonds has been facilitating these courses with groups of cadets at commanders call.  I believe seven cadets completed ICS100 in February.  Please continue to take advantage of these training opportunities.  If you need to complete ICS100, ICS200, ICS700, or ICS800; C/Capt Simmonds can help you.

·         Kansas City Composite Squadron is busy planning a practice SAREX for the weekend of 25 April.  Plan to attend this practice mission and hone your skills for the evaluated mission in June or the real thing.  An actual mission could come at any time—we have to be ready!

Every member of Kansas Wing needs to go to e-services and complete the Operational Risk Management Course now offered online.  NHQ has mandated that all members complete this critical training.  This course is a series of slides and a short multiple choice test.  It can be completed in just a few minutes.  Once completed, the course is automatically recorded in e-services.  As an organization, CAP must lower our accident rate and increase the safety culture in the wing.  Members frequently hear the staff talk about a safety culture.  ORM is a building block in the process of creating that culture.  ORM is simply part of a mindset.  This process allows us to analyze the risk involved in any CAP activity.  ORM should be completed prior to any CAP activity.  Please complete ORM training online as soon as possible. 

So, spring training isn’t just for baseball anymore—we need you to train for emergency services missions also.

Spring training is not just for baseball!