Evening star., 1942-07-23
Tests Sent Out
To Certify Air.
Raid Wardens
MiIehom to Speed
Troinine Course
To Get Equipment

Inc program 10 guarantee tndl
every member OF the Districts air.
raid warden service knows his job
got underway today when copies of
warden examinations were sent out
to every area of the city.
Examinations of the wardens who
have finished their training will be-
gin this week while other Wardens
are going through a streamlined
training course in the role they must
play in the city's protection.
The 66 instructors who will see
that the city's thousands of wardens
are trained completed their own re-
fresher course last night. In each
area, they will either give the train
ing course themselves or arrange
for others to do it.
A part of the program to certify
members of the Citizens Defense
Corps, the examination each warden
must take will cover the methods
of attacking incendiary and explosive
bombs. the various types of gases
and how they can be identified and
warden"
Messengers Face Test.
The messengers, errand-runners of
the warden service, will also be given
examinations, but the questions will
be little simpler. .....
Chief Air Raid Warden William ].
Mileham estimated that about half
the wardens now on duty will be able
to take the examination without
further training. The other wardens
will 60 to school only few nights
since Mr.. Mileham's goal is to spread
the training program quickly over
the whole warden service, concen-
trating on essentials rather than de-
tails.
He figured it would take about
month to do the lions share of the
training The examination papers
probably will be marked by the
instructors, but the deputy wardens
will decide whether to make grad
uation a ceremony Each warden
who passes his examination will
be awarded certificate.
The certihcation program, which
has been planned for weeks, is es-
sential in order to get equipment
loaned from the national Office of
Civilian Defense since orders have
gone out that only certified members
of the Citizens Defense Corps can
use Federal property.
Theoretically. this order would
include the 1920 helmets which
arrived here earlier this week from
OCD. From a practical viewpoint
this may not be followed to the
letter since thousands of uncertified
wardens already have helmets pur-
chased by the District and the other
wardens will be certified soon.
Plan Home Inspection.
When the wardens have been Ger
tilted. they will begin inspecting
homes to give them the window
stickers proclaiming that they are
''V homes" which meet the stand
ards set fol AFRAID precautions
and which participate in the war
effort through buying War bonds
and conserving materials.
Mr.. Mileham said the check lists,
by which each home owner can de-
termine how we'll prepared he is.
will be ready for distribution to
the instructors today.
Certification of business estab-
hshments. which is also part of the
Nation wide program for civilian
protection. will not begin until spe-
cific requirements are worked out
here for each type of business. Mr..
Mileham met with deputies of the
various types of establishments last
night and said it had been decided
then that a series of meetings
would be necessary to set standards
for apartment buildings. hotels. Of
fice buildings. industrial plants and
similar establishments to follow
He emphasized that these stand
ards would be carefully drawn up
since business concerns might have
to 60 to some expense TO meet them
Home certification, in any case, will
come first.