Evening star., 1941-10-09
Move 10 SET Up
D. {. Air Raid
Plan Launched
Civic Leaders Meet
As Preliminary to
Selecting Wordens

Selecting Wordens z
The District last night called on Z
It's citizens to serve as air raid
wardens and set in motion the ma Z;
chinery for their selection.
More than 100 presidents and
leaders of civic associations turned
out for the special session called
jointly by the presidents of the Fed
Grafton of Citizens Associations and
the Federation of Civic Associations.
Meeting at the District Building,
the leaders heard an appeal for CO.
operation from Engineer Commits (.
sioner Charles w. Kutz and an out
line of a proposed air raid warden
setup by Col. Lemuel l.. Bolles, exec
utive director of civilian defense for
the District. Harry N. Stull, presi-
dent of the Federation of Citizens
Associations, presided.
IF we have that element of lead
ership which we claim Mr.. Stull
declared, nov is the time to show
it,
Launches Third Step.
Both Gen. Kutz and Col. Bolles
told the gathering preliminary work 4
to enroll auxiliary firemen and s
police was already under way and (
that selection of air raid vardens
was the third step.
Under the program adopted, each
citizens association will call a mass
meeting of the community it serves :
on a date to be set by the District
defense co-ordinator. who is Com
missioner John Russell Young. At
each such session nominations will
be made to the Commissioners of one
deputy warden and three assistant
deputy wardens. A permanent ex-
ecutive committee also will be set
up by each meeting to subdivide the
area into zones, sectors and warden
posts.
Wardens so selected by the Com
missioners will serve the residential
area, the meeting was told. Ar
rangements for establishment of
wardens in commercial districts are
being worked out by the Board of
Trade.
Bolles Outlines Setup.
Briefly. the following setup was
explained by Col. Bolles:
The smallest unit will be the
building warden for each building
housing 100 or more persons. This
is part of the basic unit known as
the warden post and directed by as
siStant wardens.
Next administrative unit Is the
sector, which is one block or 100 per-
sons, but the number of persons
rather than the territory is the test.
If there are 1000 persons in block,
two sectors are formed. If there are
500 in five blocks that is one sector.
A senior warden is in charge.
Next is zone consisting of from
four to IS warden posts and headed
by precinct warden.
Next is the group. Each citizens
association area as indicated on a
boundary map is group. The
deputy to be elected at the mass
meeting is in charge of this.
At the top is the chief warden and
his assistants for the whole Metro
politan Area. The session last night
urged early appointment of the
chief warden by Commissioner
Young.
Mr.. Stull made it clear that the
movement is not citizens aSsocia-
ton project but a community af-
fair. The associations, he said, are
only the means of getting the prof.
ect started. They were chosen for
this role because of their geograph-
ical distribution, he declared.
Training Necessary.
Persons named as air raid war
dens will require extensive training
in their dutiles, which involve first
aid, reporting fires and bombs to a
central control station, and watch
ing for lights in blackouts.
IF you stop to think that the
lives of your family. your own life
and perhaps your property MAJ de-
pend on what the warden does" Coz.
Bolles stated, you will select good
ones"
The warden jobs will be 24-nour
responsibilities if the alert is sound
ed, but ordinarily will only function
on return of the warden to his resi-
dence after working hours, Col.
Bolles continued.
Wardens will work with police, he
said, but are not police and do not
have police powers.
Explanatory pamphlets will be is
sued to the civic leaders in about
q week, it was stated.
Need for organization of the serv-
ice was outlined by Gen. Kutz.
I'VE would be less than intelli-
gent" he said, mot to be warned by
the experience of other cities"
Would Publicized Meetings.
Col. Bolles compared it to taking
out accident insurance.
No devices are barred, Mr.. Stull
told the leaders, in calling attention
of the communities to the mass
meetings.
Get out a brass band or deco
rated cars" he suggested.
DR.. E. F. Harris, acting president
of the Federation of Civic Associa-
tions. pledged the cooperation Of
his members.
No definite locations were selected
for the mass meetings but it was
indicated public school buildings
would be sought for the purpose.
Provision was made for the calling
of another melting of the presidents
of the member bodies in weekeor
so at the discretion of Mr.. Stull.
The chairman said leaders by that
time would have been able to get
in touch with their associations in
many cases and might have better
idea of working the program out.
A resolutions committee appointed
by Mr.. Stull and including Culver
B. Chamberlain, Hugh v. Keiser
and Woolsey w. Hall drew up q
statement pledging cooperation in
the r,rnioct nf the mass ry,eatirnS