Evening star., 1942-09-11
10 Get
Instructionson
Making Reports
Control Center Tests
Reveal Weakness
In System

Will GIlC COliblOl ICIlICA u hAlAilS
tests turning into more Of test for
wardens than for control center per-
sonnel, Chief Air-Raid Warden Will
liam j. Mileham said today arrange
ments would be made for area wide
meetings to teach the wardens how
to report incidents.
The control center exercises, sec
ond of which was held last night,
are scheduled over months period,
during which frequent drills are
planned, involving the city's 2,400
sector posts, but not the public.
Commenting on last nights test,
Controller Herbert Friede said only
$50 of the TOO incidents distributed
to wardens had been called into the
control centers.
Didn't Know Numbers.
In some cases, he said, the in
cidents were lost because .wardens
didn't know control center telephone
numbers. Other reports we're in
complete.
Control center volunteers, he
said, could not be expected to put
in long hours of exercises when they
knew ahead of time that the reports
of incidents would not improve.
On the other hand, Chief Mile
ham pointed out that the control
center exercises had been arranged
as test for center personnel rather
than for wardens and as test for
wardens they were premature since
the wardens had never even seen
the forms from which they were to
make their reports to the centers.
All his assistant chiefs, Chief
Mileham said, will be sent into the
areas to give sector telephonists in
structions in making the reports.
Wherever feasible, he said, deputy
wardens will be asked to arrange
area meetings of all wardens for
the training.
Plotting Post Telephones.
An incident telephone is supposed
to be set up in every four city blocks.
Mr. Mileham said warden headquar-
ters was now plotting on city map
the post telephones which have been
reported to determine which areas
have too many or too few phones.
Ideally, the wardens on the streets
are supposed to view the incidents.
hurry to the incident telephone and
report what they have seen to the
sector warden, who then would
make out the report form and call it
in to the nearest control center.
For test purposes, number of in
! cidents are distributed each exer-
else night.
At review of the exercises at
control center No. last night the
telephonists reported that in sew
eral cases child or friend of the
warden merely called, told who they
were calling for and hung up with.
out making report.
Get Amusing Reports.
One telephonist told OF a warden
who called in to report two air.
planes crashing head-on in the air.
When she asked for a location, the
warden merely told her they were
still falling and hung up.
| Ine Wardens, given certain
amount of information in the Incl
dents that have been distributed. are
supposed to round out the report
themselves. Frequently, however.
they reported only as much as they
had been given. For instance, one
warden reported that a number of
people were injured, but said no
bombs struck. That was what he
was supposed to figure out for
himself.
No. 2 telephonists, who received
81 reports during the hour long test,
did get an occasional chuckle out
OF the reports. There was for in
stance, the warden who described
fires raging from an "unsanitary
bomb"