Emergency Services

Emergency Services & Operations

"Always prepared, both in the air and on the ground — ever vigilant, these true patriots make a difference in their communities, assisting in times of disaster, searching for the lost, and protecting the homeland." — Civil Air Patrol

60,000+ volunteers nationwide · 90% of all inland SAR missions · 100+ lives saved per year · 24/7 National Operations Center

Civil Air Patrol's Emergency Services mission plays a critical role in supporting communities and agencies across the nation. From disaster relief to search and rescue operations, CAP's volunteers are highly trained and equipped to respond to a variety of emergencies. 

🔍 Search & Rescue (SAR)

Civil Air Patrol conducts about 90% of all inland search and rescue missions as directed by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. Outside the contiguous states, CAP directly supports the Joint Rescue Coordination Centers in Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Civil Air Patrol is credited by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center with saving an average of more than 100 lives each year. 

In search scenarios, time is of the essence — reducing the "time to find" increases the likelihood of survival. Since Civil Air Patrol's formation in 1941, technology has advanced search methodology from the equivalent of looking for a needle in a haystack to near-pinpoint accuracy. Thousands of Americans are alive today because of CAP's ability to develop, adapt, and integrate innovative technology like cellphone forensics and radar analysis that dramatically improve search effectiveness. 

CAP is called upon to search for:

• Missing aircraft
• Missing children, hikers, and lost individuals
• Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs)
• Hospital patients and others believed to be in danger

🌪️ Disaster Relief

Civil Air Patrol emergency services teams support a wide range of disaster response missions by providing imagery of wildfire, flood, tornado, earthquake, mudslide, hurricane, and other damage. Volunteers also respond following natural disasters as organized local support to distribute necessities, manage traffic, clear debris, help displaced families, and perform other duties in collaboration with other agencies.

On the ground, CAP members can control landing zones, conduct door-to-door welfare checks, help run shelters, serve meals, fill sandbags, and provide communications support. In the air, CAP provides aerial imagery, damage assessment, and live video relay to agencies like FEMA and state emergency management officials.

🩸 Operation Pulse Lift — Blood Support Mission

One of CAP's most remarkable ongoing missions is Operation Pulse Lift — a national blood support program in partnership with the American Red Cross and the U.S. Armed Services Blood Program.

Operation Pulse Lift was in CAP's Top 10 Initiatives and Achievements from 2020–2026 and is the Air Force's longest running disaster relief and humanitarian mission. It has received the President's Volunteer Service Award and the Headquarters First Air Force Commander's Meritorious Mission Award. In March 2026, it was presented the American Red Cross annual Biomedical Services Excellence Award. 

The program has cost CAP and its patients $0.00 — making it the nation's most cost-effective and innovative lifesaving mission. 

✈️ Aircraft & Technology

CAP operates a fleet of powered aircraft and small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) for various missions including search and rescue, disaster relief, and homeland security. Aircraft operations include mission planning, training, and maintenance, ensuring pilots and aircrews are mission-ready. 

Advanced equipment includes:

• Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) — detects heat signatures at night and through smoke
• Multispectral imaging — creates 3D damage assessment imagery for disaster response agencies
• Cellphone forensics and radar analysis — dramatically improves search accuracy
• Nationwide VHF-FM and HF radio communications systems with mobile and tactical repeaters