Local Civil Defense (1964)

[Music] men have always thought defense against a common enemy by uniting their resources and ingenuity even in the very earliest times the concept of a civil defense was deeply rooted in the anxieties of the community over the terrors of the day walls around the cities of old were attempts to safeguard the civilian population from enemy onslaught to inhabitants of the medieval community the catapult and the ballista were terrifying weapons and the only possible defense against them with stronger and higher walls in our own pioneer days civilian communities developed within the protecting walls of the stockade today no barricade is high enough or strong enough to protect us from a possible onslaught of weapons but dwarf any in history and their destructive potential to reduce the effectiveness of these weapons should they ever be used in enemy attack on our nation's a civil defense effort that challenges our ingenuity and resourcefulness is necessary in the United States responsibility for civil defense planning at the federal level is lodged within the Department of Defense the development of civil defense programs is a joint responsibility shared by the federal state and local governments this film will consider civil defense on the local government level hometown USA a church a school a factory an office building today these and other structures verra marking on which the survival of our country might well depend shelter protection from dangerous radioactive fallout the inevitable result of nuclear warfare to provide enough shelter space for the community is the first and foremost consideration of local civil defense planning for national fallout shelter program has as its goal our shelter space for every man woman and child in the United States in cities and towns throughout the country public shelters have been surveyed marked and provisions in a continuous program of shelter expansion with availability of shelter protection for its citizens the prime local civil defense responsibility is that each municipality or rural district must organize its local existing government agencies for emergency operations to meet the threat of enemy attack or natural disasters this is the objective of civil defense planning all over the nation local government officials meet periodically to discuss civil defense emergency measures the chief executive or governing body of the locality is responsible for civil defense protection for that community appointed by the mayor or appropriate town or county officials the civil defense director acts as staff man coordinating the various emergency activities the logistics of survival are complex and varied they depend on technological knowledge which has developed at an incredible pace spurred on by the unique dangers of our time survival materials and equipment are researched engineered and fabricated however craftsmanship alone will not do the Civil Defence job this can only be accomplished by firmly organized emergency skills and an awareness by each local government official of what his department can do to meet civil defense needs let's hear first from our chief of police mr. Condon hey the police function in civil defense is a natural expansion of a routine assignment of protection and keeping law and order in our headquarters existing facilities for police purposes can be quickly and effectively put the use in a national emergency or natural disaster type situation our siren warning system would function in emergency situations communication facilities linking police headquarters to key points in the community will be used in civil defense planning and operations in the handling of crowds national emergency would add a considerable burden particularly in the critical movement to shelter period this would be a police responsibility and we carry on training and planning programs to meet civil defense needs in this area mr. mayor in the Sanitation Department our emergency assignment might include helping with decontamination contamination is caused by radioactive fallout material settling after a nuclear explosion decontamination of buildings and streets and equipment might be necessary before an area could be used for its intended purpose much radioactive fallout can be removed methods include hosing down the area with water or sweeping gentlemen essential to the disasters situation whether natural or man-made is a rescue capability often the responsibility of the fire department in any large-scale emergency we would have to face the fact that numbers of people might be trapped in wreckage in this town we have our own rescue vehicle equipped to handle a variety of disaster situations a town paid for part of the cost of the vehicle and the federal government contributed the rest as part of its program of providing funds for certain approved civil defense equipment Thank You chief public works mr. mayor our public works department has the emergency assignment of keeping the town facilities operating as normally as possible among other functions we work with the town's engineering personnel and the utility company in developing plans for a standby services if this should become necessary public works trucks used in road maintenance and for other purposes might be called into service for emergency transportation needs thank you and now tell them our information office public information is a vital element in civil defense operations now in time of emergency people have a great need to know what is happening now my job is to see that the public is provided with survival information through every possible channel of communication as your civil defense director I must stress the importance of being fully efficient in times of emergency first a shelter must be manned by efficient personnel who can provide leadership within the shelter one of our shelter manager instructors has just come back from taking a course at a federal civil defense school he's going to set up a training program here in town for shelter managers shelters should be adequately stocked with food water radiological medical and sanitation equipment the federal government provides the survival support for licensed shelters well it's up to us in local government to come up with any additional items such as cots chairs or blankets special foods and medications gentlemen an item of vital concern all of our local government civil defense activities may be conditioned by the radiological situation like the fallout shelter program itself the radiological defense program is a product of the nuclear age our function of the time of enemy attack would be a analysis and evaluation of the fallout radiation data and the providing of technical guidance in this area many of the people assigned to emergency tasks such as firemen and policemen are also trained in radiological monitoring our training situation gives us experience with sample radiological materials in control exercises in all of our emergency operations the big need is for trained personnel but most important of all we need qualified instructors the Civil Defense schools operated by the federal government provide a means of instructor training and each municipality or rural community should see to it the training courses are set up in such vital civil defense subjects as shelter management planning and operations and radiological monitoring a meeting of skills and capabilities plans for a pool of manpower and equipment with one goal emergency protection for members of our family for friends for neighbors other talents and skills to will be brought into the Civil Defence picture by an enterprising local government the clergyman but welfare worker the administrator the merchant all can assist in the emergency preparations the heart of local civil defense operation is an Emergency operating center which must coordinate emergency activities from a protected area this town is one of many in the United States which is developing an effective civil defense program its Emergency operating center is located in the basement of the Municipal Building in time of disaster the Emergency operating center would be staffed with personnel assigned to the various civil defense functions information as to conditions outside would be received here and plotted on a map of the area indicating the disposition of the town's existing resources from this chart the civil defense director could tell at a glance what must be committed to any particular area markers are coded to designate fire police ambulance rescue or other resources required in the distress area at the administration desk the civil defense director takes charge of the activities vital to the Emergency operating center is a communications capability that links the center with key municipal facilities radio stations and county officials radio and telephone provide a network for the exchange of important emergency data a potential source of communications for civil defense emergency is amateur radio activity in many communities ham operators are licensed to tie in their facilities with a civil defense network communications apparatus is tested periodically with each municipality usually reporting to county or state control centers already communications capability is invaluable in the disaster situation when conditions permit a mobile communications plan may be used as a control center civil defense planning calls for an augmented communications network equipped to cope with a variety of critical needs supplementing the work of existing local government which has inherent responsibilities in emergency maybe the Red Cross traditionally serving in disaster situations health may also be available from military personnel in the local community wherever this would not interfere with the primary Armed Forces mission local business and industry are essential in providing the required shelter space federal government surveys approved portions of thousands of buildings throughout the nation as fallout shelters each building must be licensed with the owners signature indicating his approval for its use as a public shelter this is the responsibility of local government the shelter markings on the buildings in our cities and towns are symbols of an ever-expanding civil defense effort its success perhaps the survival of our nation will depend on how well each community organizers for and meets its emergency responsibilities no one can predict whether this nation will ever be the victim of enemy attacks nor do we know when or where natural disaster may strike if and when these should occur we must be ready to meet them we will be ready only if the full potential of civil defense is understood and acted upon by the federal and state governments and especially by local government and all persons charged with community responsibility local government can and must meet the challenge of the nuclear age communities all over the United States share a common problem and a common responsibility to develop within their existing local governments and expanded capability for the protection of their citizens in time of emergency [Music]