(Original publication: May 20, 2007)
HARRISON - The state's Civil Air Patrol got high marks for its emergency responsiveness yesterday during an evaluation by the U.S. Air Force.
Members of the all-volunteer New York Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, an Air Force auxiliary, assembled at their Westchester County Airport offices to respond to mock emergencies ranging from a crashed plane to a boat in distress.
Most of the exercises happened simultaneously and New York's Civil Air Patrol did not lose its cool.
"The government is getting a good bang for its buck," said Air Force Lt. Col. Steve Weber, who evaluates Civil Air Patrol units throughout the northeastern United States.
"We try to overload the wing with a lot of testing in a short period of time," said Weber, who is stationed at the McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey. . "In today's evaluation, they were good communicators, and they haven't broken down."
Yesterday's evaluations were part of a week-long assessment of the New York Wing's performance. Air Force representatives will write up recommendations for the wing based on their observations.
The New York Wing of the Civil Air Patrol has about 2,500 members statewide, and 57 of those members came to the airport for the evaluation. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the Civil Air Patrol has performed national security tasks, such as patrolling the airspace above Manhattan and monitoring drinking water reservoirs in the lower Hudson River region.
The New York Wing's southeastern group - based at Westchester County Airport - covers Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties. Last year, the southeastern group's emergency response tasks included flying over Westchester County to inspect damage caused by a summer tornado.Col. Kenneth Andreu, a Valhalla resident, is the New York Wing's leader. Andreu, a special-education math teacher by day, said the Civil Air Patrol's volunteers were motivated by service to their country.
"After 9/11, we had an incredible influx," Andreu said. "They feel they're doing something for the national effort and for their community."
Some of yesterday's drills were canceled because of bad weather. Still, the cold rain was appropriate for emergency response rehearsals because, Andreu and others noted, planes rarely crash on calm, sunny days.
Two exercises required Civil Air Patrol members to respond to emergency transponders in Mamaroneck and in Tarrytown. Typically these transponders are mounted on boats and planes and go off accidentally, but they also activate in crashes or emergencies.
The wing also had to perform a simulated blood run with the American Red Cross .
For some of the volunteers, the exercise was a family affair. Yonkers resident Joel Weintraub, 50, participated with his son Michael, 16. Both are volunteers with the Civil Air Patrol's Westchester Cadet Squadron at Silesian High School in New Rochelle.
"9/11 came and I felt impotent," Weintraub said. "All of us have a sense of patriotism."
For more CAP Information:
| Unit Contact: Madeleine E Cohen |
| Phone: (914) 674-4466 |
| Unit Web Address: www.ny238.com | |
| Meeting Time: 1900 WEDNESDAY |
| Charter Number: NER NY238 |
| Unit Notes: MEETS WED NIGHTS AT AMERICAN LEGION HALL 1900-2000 THEN GOES ACROSS THE STREET TO ST STEPHENS CHURCH HALL 2000-2130. |
