Public Affairs

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The Civil Air Patrol seeks volunteers with an interest in assisting our units in public affairs.

Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 58,000 members nationwide. In its Air Force Auxiliary role, CAP performs about 85 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions. Its unpaid professionals also perform homeland security, disaster relief, and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state, and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 24,000 young people currently participating in CAP's Cadet Program. Visit www.capvolunteernow.com for more information.

The Civil Air Patrol- Group 3 has fourteen units in the Tampa Bay area. Our units are dedicated to assisting our local community through a myriad of emergency services and operational missions. We also focus on teaching a new generation about aerospace and its impact on our future. A variety of other positions are available as well.

Public affairs officers (PAOs) help maintain the relationship between our squadron and the public. The title 'public affairs officer' is more commonly used in the military and government agencies; individuals with similar positions in civilian organizations or businesses may be known as public relations specialists or communications specialists. PAOs prepare formal statements and write speeches for an organization's representatives and superior officers.

In Civil Air Patrol, PAO's also produce news posts for the website and Facebook page. They are responsible for informing the public about how squadron activities will impact the community, and coordinating and managing an organization's response to disaster or emergency services events.

• Act as the advisor to the commander on public affairs matters.
• Implement and manage the public affairs program.
• Conduct internal and external public affairs activities, including, but not limited to news releases (with photos or graphics), event promotions, public website development and maintenance and online presence management, member and member-family outreach, and response to media requests.
• Write pertinent, interesting and timely articles about unit activities, missions and people which reflect Civil Air Patrol locally and nationally in a positive light.
• Assist in the establishment of continuing training programs to help all unit members promote Civil Air Patrol within the community.

Qualifications:

• Strong writing, editing, and public speaking skills.
• Age 18 or older.
• Willingness to become a member of the Civil Air Patrol and comply with all internal regulations and procedures.
• Ability to pass a background check.
• Enthusiasm for community service and working with youth.

Benefits:

• Access to leadership training and opportunities.
• Formal recognition of training, qualification, and experience through CAP's Personnel Specialty Track.
• Training and mentoring available from Wing, Region, and National members.
• Networking and training at Wing, Region, and National Conferences.

To apply, please email a letter of interest to 1st Lt. Robert Fahey at Robert.Fahey@flwgcap.us "CAP-PUBLIC AFFAIRS".