Ala., Fla. Members Conduct Remote Tabletop Exercise

Eighteen senior members and cadets from Alabama Wing Group 2 and Florida Wing Group 1 participated March 21 in a virtual training exercise using Google Meet – a first for both since the COVID-19 outbreak.

The exercise, hosted by Capt. Nathan "Deacon" Hoffman, emergency services officer for the Florida Wing group, focused on techniques for operating under conditions replicating a natural disaster scenario, including lack of telephone communications and local power.

Exercise participants trained in:

• Preparing message traffic via Civil Air Patrol VHF/HF radio nodes,
   
• Using Domestic Operations Awareness and Assessment Response Tools (DAART),
   
• Tracking mission data using only paper forms, and


• Using of brevity codes and National Emergency Services Academy tactical Forms.

Additional training included use of the new Coronavirus Risk Assessment model in place across CAP.

Both groups used the exercise as preparation for separate search and rescue exercises later in the spring.