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AFNORTH activates JPRC for ND flood relief

  • Published
The 601st Air and Space Operations Center has activated the Joint Personnel Recovery Center in preparation for search and rescue activities in support of the North Dakota flood relief efforts. 

Located at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., the JPRC focuses specifically on large-scale search and rescue operations in the event of a hurricane or natural disaster. When a disaster occurs, the JPRC activates and coordinates the SAR actions of all rescue aircraft in the disaster area to improve the efficiency of rescue operations and reduce the potential for mishaps. 

As part of AFNORTH's preparation for SAR efforts, the JPRC will identify Air Force active duty aircraft in the U.S. available to support a SAR tasking. The JPRC also identifies assets from all branches of the service, to include the U.S. Coast Guard, in order to better coordinate SAR activities. 

The JPRC is one of several resources that America's AOC employs in its Defense Support of Civil Authorities role. 

"The JPRC is an AOC specialty team that stands up as the need arises," said Dave Fuhrmann, SAR program manager. "We have the capability to conduct large-scale SAR operations during contingencies, such as hurricanes or other natural or man-made disasters, making the JPRC a valuable asset to the DSCA mission."