Evening star., 1942-07-04
Tenants in BUILDINGS
Told 10 Avoid Panic
During Air Raids
Police Must Guard
Against Suboteurs Setting
Fires, Official Warns

Panic will constitute the greatest
danger to metropolitan tenants in
the event of an air raid, according
to John r. Fugard of Chicago,
treasurer of the American Institute
of Architects, who urged today that
all tenants investigate the precau-
tionary measures taken for their
safety by building personnel.
Sabotage may play an important
| part during raid. and corridor
| police must be on the alert for sub
versive activities, the most serious
of which would be the starting of
fires. Mr.. Fugard declares.
The sidewalk pedestrian who
rushes into the nearest building for
safety must be planned for ahead
OF time. MI, Fugard warned. The
probable solution of the pedestrian
problem is to direct them to the
basement" he says They must
not be allowed to climb the stairs,
where they may meet people on the
way down, with resultant jamming,
crowding, trampling and possible
suffocation."
Obligation to Tenants.
The manager or responsible head
of a metropolitan Office building,
with population approaching that
of small city, yet concentrated in
comparatively small space, has an
obligation to his tenants and to the
public that cannot be lightly as
sumed, Mr.. Fugard points out.
Il strongly urge and recommend
that responsible heads of businesses
investigate the measures and steps
being taken by their building to
provide them with as adequate a
protection as it is possible to pre-
pare" he continued. For safety's
sake I believe that it should not be
assumed that all proper precautions
are being taken-ask and make sure
THE best possible protection in
case of an emergency Is a cool
headed administrator who has
studied well his problem of protec-
ton for those dependent upon him
for that protection, and has for his
assistants a faithful and trustworthy
staff of building employees, aug
mented by trusted tenant volun-
teers."
Warning Sirens Needed.
A standard warning siren should
be in use in all buildings as a pro-
lection for visitors from other build
ings, Mr.. Fugard asserted, pointing
out that an Office building with
normal population of 5000 tenants
and employees has for the middle six
hours of the day foreign or
stranger population of 500 people.
If the warning siren is of standard
form and the safety zones are COM
parable with other buildings of the
same class, then the question of
safety for the stranger is simplified.
Danger to human life will come
from falling explosive bombs, in
cendiary bombs with accompanying
fires, machine gun fire from attack
ing planes and finally from pro-
jectiles of 'anti-aircraft Defense"
Mr. Fugard adds. Danger from the
two last causes will probably be
minimized in the case of Office
building inhabitants. The modern
Office building is presumed to be
quite safe from these hazards be-
cause of the nature of It's construc-
ton. With reasonable precaution,
by maintenance of safety zones,
located as far as possible from win
dows and other exterior openings,
the hazard from these causes should
not be very great.
ITO my mind, panic will constitute
the greatest danger of all, even more
serious than the danger from ex-
plosive or incendiary bombs"