Evening star., 1950-09-22
500 HeaIth. Workers
Briefed on City Plans
TO Meet Atomic Attack

More than 500 doctors and pub
lie health employees were briefed
today on what police and fire
fighting forces plan to do if an
atomic attack on Washington
occurs.
In the first Of a series of lee
lures sponsored by the District
Medical Societ on civil defense,
the students" were told that:
l. The Fire Department will
have to devote all it's energies to
preventing the spread of confia-
grations with the result that hun
dreds of well-trained rescue squads
will be needed for the rescue and
first aid work normally done by
fire fighters.
2. The Police Department is
planning to set up an Office for
registry of the dead. The Office
would be responsible for Identify
ing and listing bomb victims. Also
planned is central Office for in
formation on the dead and miss
ing.
3. Within 80 seconds of an
atomic air burst, rescue workers
could safely go into an affected
area to evacuate the injured.
Blast Effects Explained.
Two lecturers emphasized the
effects of blast and fire in an
atomic air burst.
Herbert Scoville, jr., technical
director Of the armed forces spe-
icial weapons project, declared the
effects of residual radioactivity
from an A-bomb bursting in the
air have been greatly exag-
gerated." In residential commu-
mites. he said. the greatest dan
ger is from glass and small OBJ
jects flying through the air.
Brig. Gen. James P. Cooney,
chief of the Pathological branch of
the military applications division,
Atomac Energy Commission, told
the group that thousands need
lessly burned. to death at Hiro-
shima because no effort was made
to evacuate them. They were
victims of fire rather than radio
activity, he emphasized.
Gen. Cooney was the speaker
who gave the 90-second estimate.
The public. he said, must be
educated to know where they can
go and what rescue work they can
perform in an atomic attack.
To Concentrate On Fires.
Sergt. Joseph H. Mattare of
the Fire Departments instruc-
tional division said the fire fight
ing forces would concentrate on
checking the spread of fires, en-
abling rescue and medical services
to remove and treat the injured
before they are trapped.
Sergt. Mattare made it clear
that fire trucks would be unable
to get into the area Immediately
under the bomb burst. Assuming
a bomb burst during business
hours in the downtown section,
he said, these streets would be
clogged with fleeing persons,
stalled and burning autos and
debris.
The streets themselves, he said,
might be burning with gasoline
from ruptured gas tanks and water
pressure probably would be so re-
duced that water would not be
available to fight fires.
Police Plans Sketched.
Police Inspector John E. Fon-
dahl, acting civil defense director.
sketched these plans for the
Police Department.:
A field command, under the
direction of an assistant superin-
tendent of police, would be set
up in the disaster area to make
an immediate reconnaissance of the
extent of damage.
Traffic control points would be
set up at the edges of the dis
aster area to permit the passage
only of emergency vehicles. Be-
ginning at the rim of the disaster
zone. the police forces probably
aided by wardens, would start
working toward the center to
evacuate walking wounded, depu-
tie the able-bodied and work
with medical units.