Evening star., 1951-01-11
Air Raid Safety
Rules Prescribe
basementH Haven
Folders to Go Out
To 275,000 Homes
With Electric Bills
By Crosby S. Moves


By Crosby S. Noyes
Every District resident is being
advised to select the safest spot
in MS house as an air raid shelter
area and to stock it with food and
medical supplies that would be
needed in case of an atomic at
tack.
This is urged in a summary of
air raid safety rules to be distri-
buted to some 275,000 homes in
the District area next month. The
folders, outlining the ABC's of
survival under atomic attack, will
be distributed by the Potomac
Electric Power Co. along with it's
regular January electric bills.
The home -owner is urged to
familiarize himself with the pres
ent all raid warning signal for an
imminent attack-a three-minute
raising and falling blast from all
stationary fire and police equip
ment. The all-clear signal consists
of three, minute blasts, Sc
parated by two-minute intervals.
Basement for Safety.
The home shelter area, accord
ing to the pamphlet, should be
located in the basement, if pos
sible. away from windows and
under heavy furniture. In case of
an alert. doors and windows should
be closed and blinds drawn. All
open flames, including pilot lights,
should be put out. Members of
the household should go to the
shelter area and cover themselves
with blankets.
The shelter area should be
stocked with first aid supplies,
including bandages, gauze and ad-
hesive tape. A flashlight, a reserve
of drinking water and a stock of
canned food is recommended.
A more detailed instruction
booklet on personal survival is
being prepared for distribution to
all children in public, private and
parochial schools in the area, ac-
cording to officials.
Medical Progress Report.
Meanwhile. members Of the civil
defense Medical Advisory Com
mittee were brought UP to date
yesterday on progress made by the
medical and health services in
developing co-ordinated plan
for handling casualties of a pos
sible atomic disaster.
DR. Daniel L. Seckinger, Dis
trict Health Officer and head of
the civil defense division. reported
the planning stage is virtually over.
With facilities. which we hope
will be made available to us soon,"
he said. "the operation of the
medical and health services will
be completed for the community"
DR.. Villa MI. Claudy, head of
the emergency care section, said
plans call for keeping stocks of
medical supplies and mobile equip
ment in 81 points in the District
area, making use of police and
fire station. In case of disaster,
the mobile units would be rushed
to stricken areas to treat victims
until they could be evacuated to
hospitals.
Plan for Staff Dispersal.
A plan for dispensing stats of
destroyed hospitals to outlying
areas was described by DR.. Alfred
Brigulio. head of the hospital sec
tion. A survey for suitable public
buildings, such as schools, is now
under way, the committee was
told,
The overall problem of medical
evacuation from the, city to un-
affected cities as far away as
Richmond or Pittsburgh was out
lined by DR.. Cyrus H. Maxwell.
The operation. he said, would be
directed from a central evacua-
tion headquarters and W, uld make
use of commandeered trucks, as
we'll as railroad and air transport.
Methods are under study for
quickly converting trucks and rail-
road box cars to carry large num-
bers of casualties, he said.
DR.. A. Clagett Gray reported
that. while stockpiling of medical
supplies on large scale must
await an appropriation, a survey
is under way to provide civil de-
tense officials with an inventory
of other medical resources In the
community.