Evening star., 1942-03-22
Elaborate Air Raid
Precautions Set Up
IN Federal Prisons
Convicts, Along With
Guords, Assigned to
Importont Duties
By Wide World News.

"PSsaS"
BY Wide World News
Inmates of Federal prisons are
taking their places beside the guards,
employees and their families in air
raid protection work.
Blacking out penal institutions
and preparing them against flre
and bomb hazards. even to readiness
for possible evae uation, presents
problems not encountered in
normal community But the prob
lens are being solved in the 80 Fed
eral institutions, including Alcatraz.
Island. major trouble spot.
Successful drills. with blackouts,
have been executed to try out the
carefully developed plans. and
Prison Director James v. Bennett
feels that his men have met his
directive that every possibility
should be considered an eventu-
atty"
Can't Ignore Risks.
The risk of attack from the air.
he said. however remote it may be,
is A risk that cannot be Ignored at
any institution"
A relatively small number among
the $4,000 lawbreakers in Federal
PENAL institutions have assignments
for emergency work. Though care
fully supervised, they are nonethe-
less important cogs in the protective
machines. The prisoner assign
ments include, among other work.
first-aid, rescue squads, trafnc d.
rection and cleaning up debris.
Some of the institutions are more
than 1000 miles from either ocean,
but half of them are in coastal
States, and preparations in these
were most complete. The plans
have varied also to suit the type OF
institution. for there are penitenu-
aries, reformatories. prison camps,
correctional institutions for Short
term offenders and medical center.
Alcatraz Prime Problem.
The first problem was Alcatraz'
a concentration of nearly 300 OF the
most dangerous criminals in the
Nation on a rock in San Francisco
Bav between two giant bridges
which would be likely targets in
bombing attack.
When San Francisco blacked out
hurriedly during alarms in the early
DAYS of the war. the Rock stood
out brilliantly like a beacon IN the
bay.
The concern was such that con-
sideration was given to substituting
a milder type of inmate, to reducing
the congregation of "toughies" to
number which easily could be han
died, and even to abandoning Al
catraz as prison. But the PROB
lens have been met-ofhclals don't
say hoW-and it now appears un-
likely that Alcatraz policy will be
changed.
Each Federal institution must
have a workable system, headed by
a defense co-ordinator,' whose
Office is open "a hours day and
who is solely responsible for that
Job.
The general plan provides sections
for observers, discipline, evacuation,
blackout enforcement. traffic, trans
portation. morale, recreation, emer-
gency rations, bomb and fire fight
ing, rescue work, disposal of unex-
ploded missiles. protection OF ma
terials and buildings, illumination
control and camoufage, utilities. re-
pair, first aid, ambulanes, decon-
tamination and sanitation.
Series of Blackout Steps
If enemy planes were reported
within possible striking distance,
an alert" would be given. Instant
" all lights not necessary for Gus
tody. maintenance and industries
would be turned out and outdoor
lights would be cut down and
screened to prevent their being seen
from above.
If the planes continued in the gen.
eral direction of the prison, a pre-
liminary warning would cause fur
ther obscuring of lights. If 1t ap-
peared that the raiders might reach
the area, an intermediate warm
ing" would bring a blackout. EN-
ployes on duty would 60 to emer-
gency posts. employees of duty would
report to the institution, and in
mates would take their special duty
posts or 90 to shelter areas.
Not until it appeared that the
enemy might strike within five min
utes would the final warning" bring
a complete cessation of normal ac-
tivity and put every person either
at an emergency post or in a shelter:
The doors to cells. wings, rooms and
buildings within the inclosure would
be unlocked during the alarm to
prevent inmates being trapped IN
burning or crushed buildings.
Use England's Experience.
This precaution stems from Eng
lands experience, where it was
found that a bomb hit twisted the
steel cell blocks and jammed the
automatic locking systems. How
ever, there is more than one line OF
locks to pass in a prison, and the
inmates are llUt thdSGly AiCC w
roam under AFRAID conditions.
Each Federal institution has CO.
ordinated its afraid defense pro-
gram with the plans of the city near
which it is located. Thus, the huge
penetentiary at Atlanta was COM
pletely blacked out for % minutes
last month along with the city. 1t
was the first time the prison ever
had been dark.
The $500 inmates, except those on
emergency duty. remained in their
darkened cells. listening to the radio,
which carried instructions along with
music and the running description
of the blackout proceedings broad
cast from planes flying overhead
The only lights left on were air
plane warnings on the smokestacks
and water tower, which the law
requires. Even these would 60 of
In a real raid, however.