HomeMy WebLinkAboutNational Fallout Shelter Survey and Marking Program 1960 NATIONAL FALLOUT SHELTER SURVEY AND MARKING PROGRAM
G. L. JENTZ
STATE CONFERENCE OF DEFENSE AND DISASTER RELIEF DIRECTORS
NOVEMBER ii, 1961
During the past day and a half we have had presented to us various aspects
of civil defense and disaster relief programs and discussions of the responsi-
bilities and functions of various Federal and State agencies in these programs.
I have been invited to discuss briefly with you this morning the national Fallout
Shelter Survey and Marking Program for which Office of Civil Defense has been
given primary responsibility and in which the Corps of Engineers with major sup-
port by the Navy Bureau of Yarda and Docks has been requested to furnish assis-
tance in implementing the program. The objectives of the program are (1) To
provide the people of the United States with an increased capability of surviving
a nuclear attack by locating and marking existing facilities which will provide
protection for the public against fallout, (2) To obtain data for an evaluation
of existing fallout shelter capability as a basis for planning improved capability
through modification of existing facilities. Good business practice recognizes
the need for an inventory of resources to assist in planning future operations.
This practice is applicable not only to private business but also to governmental
operations, which after all, are probably some of the largest business operations
in existence today. I think of the Fallout Shelter Survey and Marking Program
basically as a national inventory of existing facilities which have potential for
use as public fallout shelters. This inventory will provide a basis for State
and local authorities in future planning and the development of a program to pro-
vide to the citizens of our nation capability to survive in the event of a nu-
clear attack.
Due to the urgency of the problem and the need for expeditious completion
of the inventory, Office of Civil Defense of the Department of Defense upon being
assigned responsibility for this function in the National Civil Defense Program
recognized that such an undertaking would necessitate several organizational
levels of engineering administration. Office of Civil Defense further recognized
that the inventory could best be accomplished by agencies with in -house engineer-
ing capability to assure the required degree of control and coordination necessary
for application of the concept throughout the United States. By requesting the
assistance of the Corps of Engineers with major assistance from the Bureau of
Yards and Docks, Office of Civil Defense combined the talents of two organiza-
tions which have approximately 50 operating district offices throughout the country
and which are staffed to handle architect - engineer service contracts. The Chief
of Engineers delegated to the District Engineer, Fort Worth, the primary respon-
sibility for completing the Fallout Shelter Survey and Marking Program in the
Statepf Texas. The Chief of Engineers also delegated support responsibility to
the U. S. Engineer Offices at Galveston and at Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the
8th Naval District at New Orleans. The State of Texas had been divided into four
sections for the purpose of this survey with Galveston District being assigned
the South Central part; Albuquerque, the far Western portion; and the 8th Naval
District, the Sourthern part of the State. Survey of the remaining 115 counties
of the State will be accomplished by the Fort Worth District.
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The plan for undertaking the mission provides for architect- engineer firms
under contract to accomplish the actual physical field investigations, studies,
and compilation of required basic data. Because of the specialized na#sure of the
work, training centers have been established in various parts of the county for
the purpose of indoctrinating and training representatives of architect - engineer
firms to be employed on this mission in the effects of nuclear weapons and proce-
dures for evaluating the potentiality of existing structures for use as public
fallout shelter facilities. As of this date our primary efforts have been con-
centrated on tentatively selecting A -E firms to participate in this program,
training their technical personnel, contacting state and local authorities in-
cluding Governor Daniel, the mayors of the larger cities, and county judges in
their respective counties to advise them of our undertaking of this program, its
scope, and requesting assistance by civil defense coordinators as may be required
and conducting pilot studies in various locations. Many of you who are attending
this state conference of civil defense directors are recipients of letters from
our offices and have offered to personally assist us or have been designated as
the individual who will assist us in accomplishing our undertaking in your area.
I have been advised that Governor Daniel through his State Coordinator will in
the immediate future contact local authorities in regard to their participation
in this survey with suggested actions for coordination with our effort and full
utilization in your local planning of data developed by the survey.
Specific phases of the program in which you can materially contribute to
its ultimate success are (a) acquainting people in your area of the nature and
scope of the program emphasizing the fact that this is the first nationwide
survey ever to be conducted and that its purpose is to identify for the public
the location of shelters which will provide protection against radioactive fall-
out in the event of a nuclear attack, (b) assisting our survey teams when they
come into your respective area by extending to them the benefit of your authority,
experience and the capability which you have acquired in this field throughout
the years of concerted effort which you have put forth in developing a civil
defense plan for the areas under your s1p visi.on, (c) through your local con-
tacts, your interest and recognition of the importance of the program, build up
a favorable atmosphere through dissemination of information which will assist
our survey teams to obtain from building owners, public utility personnel and
others contacted during the survey basic information and data required to eval-
uate and locate facilities which can be used as,public fallout shelters and access
to these facilities in Phase 2 of the survey, (d) help resolve conflicts, if any,
between fallout shelter criteria and local building codes.
The program upon which we are embarking is purely and wholly a civilian
operation under civilian control and direction. In conducting this program, it
is not the intent of the Federal Government to assume the responsibility for
local civil defense planning or direction. This responsibility rightfully be-
longs to and is to be retained by the State or political subdivisions thereof.
Data developed during the course of the survey will be made available to you for
your information and use in preparation of your local civil defense planning and
shelter utilization plans. Maps showing day and night population and lists
of potential shelters in your respective areas where to date these data have not
been compiled should be extremely helpful to you in your planning work. I wish
to point out that this survey of facilities for use as public shelters will iden-
tify shelters for protection against radioactive fallout. It is not the intent
that shelters identified will necessarily provide protection against blast and
thermal radiation. Our survey will be conducted with rigid respect for private
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