Evening star., 1943-02-11
District ADOPTS
New Rules on
Raid Signals
Recommendations of
Gen. Drum Given
Commissioner 0. K.

Acting on recommendations from
District Civilian Defense Directo.
H. c. Whitehurst, the Commission.
ers today adopted the new air-raic
signal system promulgated by mill
tary authorities. to be effective a.
12:0l am. February II. The out.
standing change is public sound.
ing of sirens and horns on the blue
instead Of waiting for the rec
warning.
Approval of the new signal system
had been anticipated, since District
authorities had indicated that they
had every desire to cooperate with
the War Department in making the
revised plans uniform, but two
municipal regulations were append
ed as matter of consistency in
local operation.
For instance, the Commissioners
added paragraph under which it
is prescribed that no vehicle shall
operate during periods of afraid
Ted alarm at a speed in excess of
10 miles per hour. This has been
the rule in the past here.
Penalties Are Fixed.
Also. the Commissioners decided
that any person violating any pro-
vision of their new rules shall, upon
CONVICTION, be punished by a fine
not to exceed $500 or by imprison
ment OF not more than 90 davs. or
both--the usual limits for violating
municipal regula ations-whereas the
war Department rules. if the Fed
eral Government finds reason to
prosecute on its own behalf, pre-
scribe fine up to $1,000 or i'm
prlsonment of up to one year. or
both, or for conspiracy case fine
OF up to $4,000 or Imprisonment for
as much as two years, or both.
The difference here is whether
prosecution would be by the Dis
trict government or by the United
States, and it is expected that the
District rule would be applied in
cases Of AFRAID practices only.
Technically. the Commissioners
ADOPTED as their own rules sections
! through IS of the AFRAID protec-
ton regulations promulgated by 1t.
Gen. Hugh A. Drum. commanding
the Eastern Defense Command and
the lst Army and adopted for this
area by Brig. Gen. John T. Lewis.
commander of the Military District
OF Washington, effective also on
February II.
Digest of Rules.
A digest of these rules, as pub
lished recently in The Star. is as
follows:
/. The new blue signal-a long.
steady blast on sirens, indicating
that enemy planes are heading this
way. Homes and places of business
should be blacked out. Motorists
should switch headlights to low
beam. Motor and pedestrian traffic
may continue. Civilian defense
units are modified
2. The red Warning-a series of
short blasts or fluctuating sounding
OF sirens, indicating that enemy
planes are almost overhead. Autos
are to be driven to the curb and
lights are to be turned off. Passen-
gers are to leave public vehicles.
Motorists and pedestrians are di-
rected to find shelter.
3. The blue again-a long, steady
blast on sirens. Keep lights blacked
out. Traffic resumes. with lights
dimmed. This is not an all-clear,
since enemy planes return and the
red warning again may be sounded.
Civilian defense forces are to stay
on duty.
4. The all l-clear-but with no
sounding of sirens or horns-notifi-
cation being given by radio tuned to
special frequencies, to be announced.
and at night by the turning on of
street lights.