Evening star., 1942-06-19
Afraid Liaison
DecentraIized
ByD.C. Heads
Communications
Compromise Coils
For Seven Suboffices
BY DON S. WARREN.

Decentralization of the Dis
trict's AFRAID communications
control center, at an estimated
cost of more than $e3,250, was
ordered today by the Board of
Commissioners as a means Of
expediting protective services
and avoiding jams at the present
single control center and at the
telephone offices.
Work Is to be started at once
but the Commissioners said they
had no idea when the change-over
would be completed Commissioner
Young, who is Metropolitan civilian
defense co-ordinator, said he hoped
it would be soon" and added that
the city heads thought every
nickel so spent would be worth
the cost.
Seven Sub Control Centers.
The District now has a single
centralized communications control
center, located at Fire Alarm Head.
quarters in Mcmillan Park. Under
the new plan, developed and
adopted after weeks of consultation
among Government and telephone
company experts, there still will be
central control ofiice but also the
District will use and develop seven
police precinct stations as sub
control centers, involving many new
procedures and policies.
The main control center would be
moved from Mcmillan Park to the
new Municipal Center Building.
which houses Police and Fire De-
partment headquarters, but fire
alarm headquarters will be con.
tinued at Mcmillan Park.
Under the new plan Fire Chief
Stephen T. Porter still would retain
complete control over the fire-fght-
ing apparatus, though he would
receive largely selected reports from
battalion chiefs stationed at sub.
control centers as to flre-apparatus
needs from an air raid. Most other
calls resulting from an enemy attack
would 60 first to subcontrol centers
to be handled there so far as local
conditions permit, calls for aid being
forwarded to communications con-
troll headquarters only when neces-
Sary.
Frequent reports would be made
to headquarters by chiefs Of various
services to keep the Commissioners,
Defense Co-ordinator Young and
other defense oficials informed cur
rently as to the running" account
of developments during an enemy
attack.
Plan Is Compromise.
The new plan is something Of q
compromise between earlier con-
flicting recommendations. Some
weeks ago James M. Lands, director
of the United States Civilian Defense
ONCE, recommended full decentral.
ization of the Districts communica.
tions control system. This brought
prompt counter-demands from high
ranking municipal chiefs. More re-
Gently the city heads announced
they had agreed to the principle Of
keeping central control over fire.
fighting apparatus, but agreeing
otherwise to decentralization as
means of preventing a jamming Of
telephone facilities and delays
caused by AFRAID incidents" pilinH
up at the one control center, await
ing sorting action by responsible
officials.
The Commissioners announced
that officials of major Government
divisions and the telephone company
had indorsed the final report. These
included Col. C. A. Seoane, U. s. A.,
retired, now attached to the District
OCD; E. Goring Bliss, assistant gen.
eral manager of the Chesapeake q
Potomac Telephone Co.: Maj. David
w. Paulette, U. S. A., now attached
to the District OCD, and Herbert A.
Friede, chief of communications Of