Local Civil Air Patrol Squadron Prepares for Search-and-Rescue Exercise

COSTA MESA, Calif. - Aug. 27, 2021 - PRLog -- A search-and-rescue exercise is set for September 11 – 12. Members of Civil Air Patrol Saddleback Composite Squadron 68 have been actively training in emergency services to be at the ready for emergencies and disasters that may impact the communities of Orange County. Every week, both adult and youth members are trained on different skills through Civil Air Patrol's emergency services training. These training sessions include, but are not limited to, radio communications, ground search-and-rescue, and air search-and-rescue.

A search-and-rescue exercise (SAREX) is an event that simulates multiple emergencies such as a downed airplane or missing person. Individuals take their training and put them to the test and focus on training and refining their effectiveness. 1st Lieutenant Austin Zoutis, CAP, of Squadron 68 is leading the planning and execution of the search-and-rescue exercise. Lt. Zoutis, CAP, states, "What makes me personally excited about the upcoming SAREX, is the opportunity to expand the Group 7 ES (emergency services) resource pool, the establishment of a routine SAREX schedule, help teach and evaluate new Standards, and continue to work on my own skills as a SET (Skills Evaluators Training) and ES Standard."

Members from surrounding squadrons will come together to train and learn together to be at the ready to serve local communities, the state, and the nation when an emergency may arise. The September 11-12 search-and-rescue exercise will be based out of Squadron 68's base location in Costa Mesa, CA with air search-and-rescue efforts being based out of Fullerton Municipal Airport in Fullerton, CA.

About the Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 57,000 members nationwide. CAP performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and was credited by the AFRCC with saving 90 lives in fiscal year 2008. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 22,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for 67 years. For more information, visit http://www.gocivilairpatrol.com.