Evening star., 1941-12-20
District 10 Test
Raid Defenses
Tomorrow
Officials Will Study
Action at Alarm
For Weaknesses

WdSnln8IOnS AFRAID protective
organization will be put to its first
test between 8 and 10 am. tomor-
row. Fire and police sirens will
sound five short blasts three sue
cessive times-the AFRAID alarm
signal-and civilian defense officers
will 90 to their appointed stations.
Fifteen minutes later the all-clear
will sound-three long blasts. The
entire Metropolitan Area, including
nearby Maryland and Virginia. will
be affected.
The rehearsal is intended to test
the mobilization of raid wardens
and their assistants, auxiliary police
men and flremen, emergency feed
ing and billeting volunteers, medical
contingents and all others who have
specific duties. High officials will
look over the scenes critically, with
view of correcting any defects un-
covered.
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as if there was a raid-that Is, to
stay of the streets and away from
windows and keep doors closed. Mo-
torists should pull up to the nearest
curb until the all-clear sounds.
New Instructions Issued.
Meanwhile, District defense. Off
cials issued new instructions dealing
with the use of household gas-burn-
ing appliances during air raids.
Defense Co-ordinator Young ap-
proved order No. 13, which states
that no citizen should make an at
tempt to shut off the main gas sup
ply connection, in the event of an
attack or other emergency.
The order adds:
Simply turn of the stove burn
ers that are burning-not the pilot
light" Earlier, some Federal de-
fense officials had advised that pilot
lights on gas ranges should be ex-
tinguished, following suggestions
made by some persons regarded as
experts. However, it was explained,
this question among others had been
reviewed at meeting this week in
New York of Government officials
and gas appliance concern officials,
the decision being that the best
safety lay in leaving pilot lights
burning and reserving technical de-
cisions to technical officials and
workers.
Call for Trained Men.
The new order issued by Co-ordi-
nator Young states that in case Of
emergency, if house is badly dam
aged, the main gas valve should be
shut of, but it was explained this
should be done by qualified workers.
Householders, in such an exigency,
are expected to notify the zone air
raid warden, or utility experts, to
dispatch technical workers at once.
The instruction order continues:
"Once the main valve is turned off,
for any reason, do not turn it on
again yourself. Call for a trained
man."
A pre-view of what will happen
during tomorrow's raid mobilization
practice may be illustrated by the
setup in a typical community-the
American University Park area. For
civilian defense, this area includes
Wesley Heights and Spring Valley.
1t Is subdivided into four zones, and
these, In turn have been divided into
sectors, or blocks.
At the top of the areas organi-
zation Is its deputy air raid warden,
1t. Col. Sidney Mashbir, and four ]
assistants. Headquarters for each
zone has warden and three as
sistants. And spread throughout the
entire area are the 181 sector war
dens. each assigned to one specific
"beat.''
The instant the test air raid alarm
Is sounded tomorrow morning, every
man will rush to his appointed post
the deputy warden and his staff
to their headquarters, the zone war
dens and their assistants to zone
headquarters, and the sector war
oens to the block assigned to each.
Will Begin Patrol.
The sector wardens, following in
structions they have received in the
last two weeks. will Immediately
begin patroling their blocks. Theo-
retically, they are thoroughly fa-
mlnar with their beats. They know
the number of people in every house
IN their block. They know whether
there are any physically disabled
persons in homes in their sectors.
They know the safest place for the
family in each home.
When the alarm is sounded. it will
be the sector warden's duty to
cover" his particular area, order
people OF the streets and into their
homes, halt automobile traffic and
order the occupants of cars to pull
their machines to the curb and get
inside the nearest place of shelter.
Col. Mashbir said he has in
structed his wardens to proceed with
their duties as If an actual air raid
were in progress. A messenger will
be assigned to each warden, Just as
would be done under actual AFRAID
conditions, as a precautionary
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communications.
Will Survey Damage.
When the all-clear signal has been
sounded, each warden will make a
survey of the damage" in his sector
and report to his zone warden.
Actually, in the test alarm, the sec
tor warden will make his inspection
to determine the weak spots in the
areas setup.
AS soon as he hears from all of
his sector wardens, the zone war
den will report to the chief warden,
Col. Mashbir, who, in turn, will make
a report to the chief afraid war
den. Col. Mashbir said that he
would ask each of his wardens and
assistants to submit reports in
writing concerning possible deficien-
cies in the areas setup.
While the warden service is being
brought into action, other civilian
defense services, such as first-aid
personnel and volunteers assigned
to feeding and housing Of refugees
will be reporting to their posts. All
services are expected to be brought
49, ~1ax, tLA Tyy,fvaY.