Spread the Alarm

[Music] up and down the length and breadth of the New England states from northern Maine to Long Island Sound from Cape Cod to Lake Champlain civilian defense organization composed of your friends and your neighbors are hearing the call to action [Music] or New England's air defense liaison between the telephone company and the national defense communications board is in charge of Myron D Chase who will tell us about the defense plan mr. Keith [Music] [Applause] classic telephone plays an air defense may be classified under three general heading the air-raid warning service air raid alarming service and air raid precautions service in connection with the air-raid warning service civilian observers watch the flight of incoming planes and report all a regular telephone facility to a centralized point known as the army information status data in regard to these planes this data is plotted on a map and used by the army to determine the type of military defense to set up against the rated one of the functions of the Army Information Center is to send warnings for the protection of civilian life and property over regular telephone lines to a centralized point known as a district warning center from this point these warnings are sent to all report centers in its district and warnings to essential industries such as hospitals utility key industry fire police railroads and public siren air-raid warning services and air-raid aligning services are associated with defense against incoming aircraft air raid precautions services go into operation when the bombs dropped wooden stations throughout the town telephone the extent of the damage and number of casualties to a central point call report Center report Center dispatches Rescue Squad fire engines ambulances California and other utility trucks to take care of the damage and look after the casualty in case the damage is such that the available facility the report centers may appeal to its district warning centers for additional aid as they safeguard against damage to the telephone system Korea's auto bills to supplement the communication system in case of failure under the present organization these couriers will be boyscouts we will now see a demonstration of ARP in action has practice and dalton's Massachusetts during recent maneuvers bursting bombs have caused no fires like this in America but we introduced this picture to show the kind of a scene wardens might meet one on duty an actual practice long before the fire reached these proportions alert wardens would have telephoned the details to a report center this warden knows where to find the nearest telephone he knows the number of his own report center with the accuracy of a camera lens and the brevity of a news flash he reports all necessary details of the damage alert ears at waiting telephones received the wardens report this room will have few or many telephones depending on the size of the community and the number of wardens who will report volunteer operators will man these telephones whenever wardens are at their posts so that reports can be handled immediately let's watch this operator record the details of our practice incident it is incident number five of the day's catastrophes quickly she notes the date and time the location of the damage she checks the bomb as incendiary the casualties is for none of them trapped under wreckage other checks indicate fire has broken out that water and gas mains are intact and the three streets are blocked the original copy of the report stays in the telephone room three carbon copies are distributed to the chief warden the plotting officer and the file clerk the report form completed the operator hands it quickly to a scout who rushes it to the chief warden located in an adjoining room which is the main headquarters of the report Center for each community at the door of the report center another Scout takes the incident report and hands it to the chief warden he immediately begins to read the details for the information of the officials around the table so that no time will be lost in sending assistance the report Center force springs to action with the first words from the chief warden as the Scout takes copies of the incident report to the plotting officer and the file clerk dominating every report Center is the map of the area under its protection as incidents are reported the location and extent of the damage are plotted on the map with colored identification fins so that the condition of the community is evident at a glance to the officials seated around the table above the map are the red yellow and blue lamp signals which show the state of alarm is received from the Army by way of the District Warning Center even as all this is going on representatives of essential services are taking quick action the fire department representative at the distant end of the table has already dispatched the necessary pieces of apparatus to the danger point from which the warden reported incident number five only a few seconds before because of the possibility of additional fires the entire department is not sent to one incident the medical aid representative sends immediate help for the casualties reported by the warden who discovered the fire and an ambulance roars from its station to aid the wounded special plans for hospitalization and emergency shelter immediately go into operation typical of the method by which division heads keep track of the equipment which they have set out and that which is available for further duty is this shifting of pins on the dispatch boards in front of the officials groped in front of the chief warden in every report center are representative of what we have come to consider the essential community services they are here because they are the foundations of community life they are more than that they are the quarterback's of the successful civilian defense team calling the plays and directing the defensive action of the Minuteman of today on their experience and judgment defend the effectiveness of a great team of air raid wardens regular and auxiliary fire and police department first aid and rescue workers and others of the civilian defense organization even the record part of civilian defense operates efficiently with a complete file on every incident no community can be self-sufficient in time of crisis in order to provide for the immediate interchange of health every report center has a reservoir of additional equipment available through its district Warning Center it was from this point that the original warning of the raid was received and sent out guiding the operation of the district Warning Center is the controller who moves his defensive forces between communities to meet appeals for help from Report centers in his territory typical of the scene in hundreds of New England communities is this story of civilian organization ready to protect their homes and their families from the horrors of warfare these defense workers present an inspiring picture of the unity which a great crisis always brings they hope they'll never be called on to serve but on their training and their devotion may depend the safety of all that we cherish [Applause] you