On the 7^th of March, 2010 members of the Cape Cod Composite Squadron (MA044), Civil Air Patrol responded to a call for ground teams from the Massachusetts Wing Incident Commander.  The call was placed due to an EPIRB (emergency position indicating radio beacon) which was transmitting in the Cape Cod area.  Two members of MA044 responded, 2Lt Julia Massi and C/SSgt Kyle Ouellette.  They drove toward Chatham Massachusetts to an industrial park where a Civil Air Patrol aircrew was already on scene and had narrowed the search down to the area surrounding a boat storage yard.

                The team searched but was unable to locate the EPIRB due to the inability to gain access to the yard in order to verify the EPIRB’s location.  Even after working with local Chatham police trying to get into contact with the owner of the lot for a number of hours.  The team was still unsuccessful and was forced to return home empty handed.  The following day after receiving a call from the Massachusetts Wing Commander a ground team from Cape Cod again resumed the search.  This time the team was comprised of Capt Christian Fiore and 2Lt Julia Massi.  After gathering the necessary equipment the team departed from Otis ANGB on route to Chatham to take up the search once more.  After a couple of hours of homing in on the beacon, the team was lead to a small boat yard almost exactly where the aircrew had pinpointed the night before.

                After some unsuccessful searches in the boats surrounding the area the team received a tip from a local business owner who pointed out a boat which had recently been stripped of its electronics for winter storage.  After the team’s direction finding efforts seemed to confirm this tip, the team began trying to contact the owner of a storage shed where it was thought the electronics were stored. 

The local business owner happened to know the owner of the shed and was able to get us into contact with him.  After Lt Massi explained the situation to the man he was able to guide us to an extra key hidden on the property.  Once the team gained access to the storage shed and performed a quick search the EPIRB was located and deactivated.

The search required a combined effort of aircrew and ground teams from Civil Air Patrol’s Massachusetts Wing and its success highlights the professionalism of its personnel and their volunteer spirt.