Evening star., 1943-06-01
0CD Fire Guard
Unit 10 Combat
Incendiaries
Also Will Assist in
Fight Against Rise
In Domestic Losses


guard unit announced yesterday by
James NJ Lands, OCD director, was
pictured as a force to combat fires
in air raids and keep down increas-
ing fire losses in the United States
at fire guard conference today.
Opening the conference at the
United States Chamber OF Com
merce building, Maj. Gen. U. S.
Grant, Sd, chief OF the protection
branch of OCD, told the assembled
fire fighting and public safety rep
resentatives and regional OCD Off
cials that the danger and proba-
bility of an air raid Is by no means
over. Gen. Grant said that If the
Germans ana Japanese feel the
pinch Of adversely they may take
desperate chances to inflict damage
on this country in an effort to boost
the morale of their civilians and
soldiers.
Will Absorb Fire Watchers.
Picturing the new fire guard unit.
which is to absorb the present fire
watchers group. as first line of
defense, Gen. Grant said combat
ing newly developed bombs re-
quires more advanced technique and
training. He said that the fire
guard unit was designed to stop fires
before equipment got to the scene
or. If possible, to avoid calling for
equipment.
Gen. Grant said. however, that
whether or not we have air-raids
the fire guard unit should be help
full in combatin increased fire
losses in this country. He pointed
out that such losses are particularly
serious now because destroyed plants,
food and machinery now are ire
placable and a total loss until the
end of the war.
Developing the theme of averting
increased fire losses, Percy Bugbee,
managing director OF the National
Fire Protection Association said
| there had been as many large in
dustrial fires ts25O.O00 loss or more)
up to the present time this year as
there were during all of 1912. He
warned that the day may come
when we are faced with widespread
sabotage fires.
Apprehension Ended.
George Richardson. secretary of
the International Association of Fire
Fighters. said that he felt fire fight
ers would be in accord with the
new program organizing fire guards
He admitted that originally there
had been considerable apprehen-
sion' on the part of fire depart
ments over the organiza ton of aux
iliary flremen. but he said he
thought the prejudice had been
broken down.
Orville NJ FRYE. director of the
Building Defense Corps of New York
City. who spoke on the applica ton
Of fire guard unit to large city,
listed five organizational steps: set
, ting up the administrative organiza-
ton: planning the program Of in
PRODUCTION to a city; recruiting :.
training: and maintaining trained
organization.
After a luncheon recess the con-
ference was to hear a talk on the
training program bv L. W. Hutchins
chief of the education unit. fire de-
Tense section. OCD Joseph w. Mar
shall, associate editorial writer of
the OCD training development. was
to discuss slide film development
and Oliver J. Deck, chief of training
in the fifth OCD area, was to speak
on introduction of the Training
Program in the Field
Closed Meeting Tomorrow.
The conference will meet in closed
session at $50 am. tomorrow with
James P. Kirby, chief of field Sec
ton, public advice and counsel di-
vision, OCD. The members of the
conference will be shown fire guard
field kits.
In announcing the establishment
Of the Fire Guard unit yesterday,
Dean Lands said the new organiza-
ton was necessary to meet the in
creasing fire hazard resulting from
new bombing tactics.
Fire and fire bombs" he said,
"are the major weapons of air at
tack. They have accounted for
more than 80 per cent of total dam
age and the enemy is using every
device to increase the deadly effec-
tiveness of these weapons.
sensational reports concerning
block buster bombs should not be
allowed to obscure the great threat
of fire. Even in raids employing
the heaviest bombs. thousands Of
incendiaries are used to complete
and make certain the chaos of de-
struction which has been started
by the high explosives
In the District approximately
$500 fire wacthers are now certified
or in training. 1t was estimated at
warden headquarters that the mini
mum number to carry out the fire
guard program here was 10000 VOL
unteers, although the national pol
Icy calls for squad with a leader
and two or three assistants in every
block
Alexandria Plans for 5000.
Nearby Alexandra is planning to
recruit more than 5000 volunteers
for the new fire guard service. which
Will be part of the Air-Raid Warden
Service
Emphasizing that the fire guard
organization does not supplant the
auxiliary flremen, Mr.. Lands ex-
planned that an air raid probably
would cause a greater number of
fires than the regular and auxiliary
flremen could control.
He said it was necessary to have
neighborhood teams of fire guards
throughout the city to handle minor
fires promptly, freeing other pro-
lection forces for work on ma jor
| fires.
Vsr~:.:~ 6I~ A. En