The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) has highlighted the importance of its Annual Safety Down Day, a program designed to help members refocus on risk management and safety procedures. According to Maj Brent Wooters, Assistant Public Affairs Officer for the North Carolina Wing, routine activities can sometimes lead to complacency in safety practices.
“Everything we do in CAP is supposed to involve the cyclical safety process based on risk assessment and mitigation but sometimes this becomes more habit than application,” said Wooters. “So, how do we address this and what can we do to slow down a little and focus on the process of risk assessment instead of just crossing the T’s and dotting the I’s? National Headquarters has given us an out on this and it is called the Annual Safety Down Day.”
Each CAP unit is required to dedicate one meeting per year to Safety Down Day, during which they review established safety processes. The National Headquarters provides objectives for these sessions through its website, while units are encouraged to tailor their approach based on local needs. Units must complete their Risk Management day during January, February, or March.
A video produced by the Dan River Composite Squadron has become a key resource for North Carolina Wing members preparing for Safety Down Day. The 2025 version included all units in NCWG Group 4, with previous versions available online at https://rockinghamnc.cap.gov/squad-training-videos. This tool allows units to pause discussions and address topics specific to their own operations.
Wooters emphasized that safety remains central both within CAP activities and beyond: “Safety is an issue that is paramount to everything that we do in Civil Air Patrol and our personal lives. The Annual Safety Down Day gives us a chance to step back a little and evaluate our thought process and how we employ the risk management process to our CAP activities.”
The upcoming 2026 Safety Video will be released soon for use by all units as part of this ongoing initiative.
