South Dakota CAP Plans Twin Training Exercises

Rapid City, SD - South Dakota Wing of Civil Air Patrol will mission training at East River and West River locations Saturday, Nov. 6. Members participating in the twin exercises will train in the Sioux Falls area and the Black Hills National Forest.

“CAP is a professional organization of volunteers who spend their private time training to maintain proficiency and to gain more skills so they are ready to take on increased responsibilities,” said Lt. Col. Craig Goodrich, the Incident Commander for the Black Hills SAREX.

The exercises will include skills such as ground team, aircrew, unmanned drone flying, airborne photography, and mission staff training.

"In Sioux Falls, we will be focusing on ground team training," said Lt. Col. Todd Epp, incident commander for the East River exercise. "As we have dealt with training restrictions due to the coronavirus over the past year and a half, a nice day weather-wise will help us get back up to speed on our search and rescue skills. Sioux Falls expects 30 or so members from the Sioux Falls, Lincoln County, and Big Sioux squadrons as well as the S.D. Wing and the North Central Region to participate in Saturday's exercise."

Civil Air Patrol performs search, disaster relief and other missions in its role as the U.S. Air Force auxiliary, part of the Air Force Total Force. CAP is aligned with First Air Force to rapidly respond to nonmilitary threats domestically when tasked in a Defense Support of Civil Authorities capacity to save lives, relieve suffering, prevent property damage and provide humanitarian assistance.

"An exercise like this gives our members beneficial training that they will be able to use when called upon for any missing person or aircraft," said 2d. Lt. Jacob Roth the director of Emergency Services for South Dakota Wing.