Washington Wing ES Training
Washington Wing conducts Emergency Services training to prepare members for missions assigned under CAP’s federal charter and Air Force auxiliary status. Training supports ground operations, air operations, sUAS, communications, and incident staff roles.
Core elements include initial qualification courses, specialty-track skills development, and wing-level exercises that build mission readiness. Members train to CAP national standards while integrating requirements from state, local, and federal partners.
Training opportunities from the state can be taken with Wing Commander approval. The State training portal can be found here. Be sure you meet all pre-requisites before applying for the training.
Civil Air Patrol’s Position in Washington ES
Civil Air Patrol may support:
- AFRCC-assigned missions as the Air Force Auxiliary
- State or local requests for aviation SAR support routed through appropriate channels
Training from FEMA
In the aftermath of 9/11, the Homeland Security Act of 2002 required that ALL first responders, including volunteers, have a basic level of training that was the same across the entire nation. That training became known as the National Incident Management System (NIMS), and completing the appropriate NIMS training became known as being NIMS Compliant. This training is managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA.)
This training is a combination of online and in-person training. The first bits of training we will worry about are online.
But before you can take any of that training, you need to apply for and receive a FEMA student ID (sometimes called the FEMA SID).
NOTICE Before proceeding, make sure you have set up your official CAP email address. When applying for and completing training, you will find it easier over time to have all of your training logged under one email address. I suggest waiting for your CAP email address to be activated before training, or if you are quick to take online classes and don't want to wait, take the time to update your email address in the training systems.
So, to apply for your FEMA SID, you'll want to start by going here. Once you register, make sure you keep a record of your security questions and SID. I suggest using a password manager that allows you to save notes securely to store this data.
Next, apply for an account at https://login.gov as FEMA will be migrating to this for authentication in the near future. You'll want to set this up on your personal email account, then add your CAP email to this as a secondary email.
With this done, you can now take the FEMA training, take the FEMA tests, and receive your certificates.
The Big Four classes to get out of the way are the NIMS (National Incident Management System) classes, sometimes called the ICS (Incident Command System) classes even though only two of them are actually about ICS:
NIMS COURSES
| Course Code | Course Title | CEUs |
|---|---|---|
| IS-100.c | Introduction to the Incident Command System, ICS 100 - (6/25/2018) | 0.2 |
| IS-200.c | Basic Incident Command System for Initial Response, ICS-200 - (3/11/2019) | 0.4 |
| IS-700.b | An Introduction to the National Incident Management System - (6/25/2018) | 0.4 |
| IS-800.d | National Response Framework, An Introduction - (5/6/2020) | 0.3 |
If you've taken these classes before, please note the course dates: They do get updated and FEMA generally requires that you have the latest class completed to take more advanced classes in person and/or become a trainer of classes.
Beyond these classes, the following are optional and provide either perspective on specific areas of ES or are pre-requisites for higher tier classes. If you are in a test taking mood, hammer these out!
I suggest completing this block of classes first as they comprise the online group of classes known as the FEMA Professional Development Series (PDS). If you complete the above classes and these, you will have met nearly all the requirements for attending the FEMA National Emergency Management Basic Academy.
The FEMA PDS classes are as follows:
| Course Code | Course Title | CEUs |
|---|---|---|
| IS-120.c | An Introduction to Exercises | 0.3 |
| IS-230.e | Fundamentals of Emergency Management | 0.6 |
| IS-235.c | Emergency Planning | 0.5 |
| IS-240.c | Leadership and Influence | 0.3 |
| IS-241.c | Decision Making and Problem Solving | 0.2 |
| IS-242.c | Effective Communication | 0.8 |
| IS-244.b | Developing and Managing Volunteers | 0.4 |
| The one additional class you need to qualify for the Basic Academy is IS-29, Public Information Officer Awareness. |
The remaining FEMA classes that CAP cares about on the IS side at this time for certain specialized training are as follows:
| Course Code | Course Title | CEUs |
|---|---|---|
| IS-26 | Guide to Points of Distribution - (8/11/2010) | 0.4 |
| IS-368.a | Including People With Disabilities in Disaster Operations - (11/16/2023) | 0.2 |
| IS-405 | Mass Care/Emergency Assistance Overview - (12/10/2013) | 0.1 |
| IS-505 | Concepts of Religious Literacy for Emergency Management - (3/4/2016) | 0.4 |
| IS-520 | Introduction to Continuity of Operations Planning for Pandemic Influenzas - (3/20/2020) | 0.1 |
Do not content yourself with simply completing the minimums of training! There are many opportunities to learn and this training can provide some surprising crosswalks to your daily life and jobs.
Washington Legal Authorities for Emergency Services
Creates the statewide emergency management system and authorizes the use of qualified volunteer organizations. Establishes incident authority at the local government level.
Designates the county sheriff as the lead for SAR within each county. Provides the governing rule for ground SAR, rescue operations, and scene control once an aircraft or subject is located.
Defines requirements for volunteer emergency worker registration, training, activation, and liability protections. Forms the administrative basis for integrating organizations such as CAP into SAR missions when properly activated.
WSDOT Aviation: Air Search and Rescue Role
Statutory Basis
WSDOT Aviation is responsible for coordinating air search and rescue for missing or overdue aircraft within Washington State. Responsibilities include receiving aircraft reports, initiating the search, coordinating air resources, and working with AFRCC when federal authority is involved.
Limitations of WSDOT Air SAR
WSDOT Aviation’s SAR authority is limited to the search phase of aviation incidents.
Jurisdiction After the Aircraft Is Located
Once the aircraft is found, jurisdiction returns to the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) over the location:
- On county land: the county sheriff assumes command of rescue, recovery, investigation, evidence protection, and scene safety under RCW 38.52.400
- On federal lands: the appropriate federal land manager becomes the AHJ
- On tribal lands: the tribal government is the AHJ
- During an AFRCC mission: AFRCC maintains operational oversight only until the formal transition to the AHJ is complete
WSDOT Aviation’s operational control ends at location, though it may continue assisting with administrative coordination or information relay.