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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRemarks by Colonel Homer Garrison, Jr. Remarks by Colonel Homer Garrison, Jr. State Coordinator for Defense & Disaster Relief and Director of the Texas Department of Public Safety Sixth State Conference for Texas Civil Defense Directors Villa Capri Motor Hotel, Austin Monday, February 21, 1966 11:00 A.M. It always gives me great pleasure to address this group of distinguished visitors. We consider it a privilege to host this annual meeting of Texas Civil Defense Directors and public officials and we are highly honored that you have taken time out from the daily grind to allow us a few minutes out of the year to discuss some of the achievements- --and some of the problems- --in the field of Civil Defense. If in some small way we can either encourage or inspire continued interest and support of the program at the local level, then our time during this Conference is well worthwhile, When you consider that the State of Texas contains 263,513 square miles, and we have only nine staff officers who form the nucleus of the State Office of Defense and Disaster Relief, you can readily see that our job is difficult, Simple division discloses that this amounts to 29,279 square miles per man. You might also consider that the steadily increasing population of Texas has now exceeded the 10 million mark., making our meager staff extremely small by comparison; and the finan- cial and equipment programs administered by this staff exceeds $5 million annually. Certain responsibilities, particularly in the field of training, have been delegated to the State Department of Health, the Texas Education Agency, and Texas A &M University, coordinated by our Office of Defense and Disaster Relief. With the help and assistance of these departments, I think we can be justly proud of our many accomplishments since this group gathered in Austin one year ago. However, my report this morning is not necessarily based on what we have accomplished at the State Office, but more so on the concentrated effort of local governments which have accepted the Civil Defense responsibilities set out by the Texas Civil Protection Act of 1951, and which have contributed to the strength of this nation's defense posture. We can look back on defense and disaster operations for the past year with some measure of pride. We have made many advances, but like all operations in business and government, there are still many areas where improvements are needed, For example, 81 per cent of the State's population now comes under program papers submitted by the cities and counties. So, we need further cooperation between our State and local offices to get the remaining 19 per cent under a planned program of defense and disaster management. The program paper, as you know, was redesigned for the current fiscal year to cover more specific areas and to provide you with a broader basis for planning and mangement of local program activities. The very mention of "program paper" or "progress report" tends to scare of too many directors, As a result, there are some areas in this State that are doing nothing at all, or they have some type of organization and no planned method of increasing their capabilities. This four-page form can be effectively used by local governments as a i anFgement tool and a director can quickly see where his Civil Defense operation is strong and what areas can be improved. It is also an eligibility requirement in the event your city or county should desire participation in the financial and equipment assistance programs. One of these programs is Personnel and Administrative Expenses. As most of you know, we met with some budget diffi- culties at the beginning of the current fiscal year and available money just would not stretch as far as we would have liked. This called for some cuts at all levels of government, but we have survived. An increase in P &A allotments to the states has already been requested in the President's budget, and our expectations of getting it are better than ever before. A hike in P &A allotments will allow more cities and counties to participate in this pro- gram during the next fiscal year. Let me point out here, that the P &A program is designed to assist you in obtaining a Civil Defense director and office personnel who are qualified and capable to do the job, who can devote full time to this specialized field of planning and coordination of government services, and who can provide leader- ship that is imperative during any emergency. There are now 48 cities and counties in Texas participating in the P &A program, so there is much that could be done in this area. If you are not one of the participants, it might be worth- while for you to look into its possibilities. A centrally protected location for emergency government operations is of prime importance? and along this line we are beginning to make some noticeable progress. At the present time - 2 - there are 13 protected Emergency Operating Centers in this State where our office has administered Federal funds for con- struction or modification, and there are four other emergency operating centers now in the planning stage. From July 1, 1964, to date, we have disbursed over $480,000 in Federal funds to aid local governments in providing a protected Emergency Operating Center for their local defense and disaster relief staff. Of course, this can be considered a deficit area since every city and county government in Texas should have such a protected facility. We expect to continue this program with our fullest support, and eventually this goal may become a reality. In the Emergency Broadcast System we have doubled our capability since gathering here last year. To date there are 28 AM broadcast stations that have been hardened with protected facilities and emergency power. EBS will also continue to be one of our major projects since it will serve as the lifeline for vital public information during disasters. EBS meetings have been scheduled in each of the 17 disaster districts and subdistricts, and six of these have already been conducted. Such meetings bring broadcasters, public officials, and disaster personnel together for a better understanding of EBS and to promote the program throughout the State. The Surplus Property Program continues to grow steadily. Of course, this is one of the better known assistance programs, and there are many political subdivisions taking advantage of this equipment resource. During fiscal year 1965, surplus property valued at over $2 million was donated to cities and counties for Civil Defense purposes; and, I might add that this is one area where local governments recognize the value of such equipment because of its usability in maintaining day -to -day services. Although surplus property equipment is being used in daily operations, it is adequately maintained and ready for emer- gency use should a disaster demand. Texas continues to lead the nation in number of persons trained in Medical Self -Help. During the first half of the current fiscal year, more than 50,000 persons completed this course of study. Civil Defense Adult Education also continues to make new strides in the training of Mr. Average Citizen. During the last fiscal year 19,000 had received CDAE training. The number of Packaged Disaster Hospitals now totals 113. Each one is strategically located for maximum medical care fol- lowing a disaster. This year, we have been given authorization - 3 - to open Packaged Disaster Hospitals when any major natural - caused disaster creates a need for this equipment. On the slack side of our activities we have established approximately 2,300 fixed Radef monitoring stations over the State. This leaves us with over 7,800 installations yet to complete. We have trained some 8,600 personnel as monitors for the Radef stations nets. We need a total of over 40,000 monitors. The personnel to man these stations must come from the local level. Any encouragement and assistance we can lend toward increasing these figures is a step toward bolstering the pro- tection provided your citizens. While we are speaking of protection for citizens, and for your information, 71,000 dosimeters have been stored over the State for emergency use, and we have about 24,000 to distribute. The State now has a capability for training Radiological Defense Officers and Civil Defense Management. These courses are being held at various locations in Texas for the first time this year, and our plans call for six more classes in each course next year. Every city and every county should have at least one Radiological Defense Officer, and I would recommend that you put forth every effort to get some capable person from your com- munity to take this course. Also, I would recommend that all Civil Defense directors and coordinators take the Civil Defense Management course. The information you gain here will be a valuable asset to your future planning and coordination of activities. Even veteran Civil Defense people, who only recently took the CDM course, found it to be very helpful and worthwhile. The process of locating, licensing, marking, and stocking shelter spaces is slow, but we are gaining ground in this respect. At the present time we have some 4 million spaces available, yet we are a long way from sheltering our population of 10 million. Of these 4 million available spaces, we have licensed 3,249,000, an increase of 1,517,000 over last year; 2,802,000 have been marked, an increase of 355,000; and 1,657,000 have been stocked, an increase of 288,000. The process is slow, but since it is the number one program, we have established procedures to encourage the inclusion of fallout shelter space in every new school, and every new public and private building to be constructed. This is an area where we - 4 - need your fullest cooperation and support to sell this idea to building owners, contractors, architects, and engineers, Another step toward improvement of our shelter capability was made recently in a contract with the Federal government which may eventually affect every community. I am referring to the Community Shelter Planning Program. Initiated by the Office of Civil Defense as a three -year program, it will stress Community Shelter Planning throughout the nation. Austin and Fort Worth were among 57 cities in the nation used as test areas in developing a Community Shelter Plan. San Antonio, Waco, and possibly Galveston and Corpus Christi are next in line. Other cities will be added as funds are made available. The current contract is entirely federally funded and is geared toward a realistic and workable Community Shelter Plan, This Community Shelter Plan must first match the people of the locality to the best protected space now available. 2. Provide a movement plan to expedite people getting to their assigned shelter with minimum confusion. 3. It must insure that all the people know where to go and what to do in case of enemy attack. 4. It will define shelter deficit areas for application of efforts to locate and develop new shelter. 5. Provide for updating shelter allocations as population distribution and shelter inventory change. 6. And finally, a Community Shelter Plan will provide a basis for updating State and local Civil Defense plans so that State and local governments and their Civil Defense organizations will be ready to implement the plan should it become necessary. The Community Shelter Plan will also disclose all current available shelter space through the updating of existing shelter data, surveys of small structures, the use of packaged ventila- tion kits to increase shelter space in existing and new facilities, and provide use of the evaluation of fallout protec- tion in home systems. The Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Yards and Docks, and the Census Bureau will play a vital role in development of a Community Shelter Planning Program since they will negotiate and manage contracts between Federal and local communities. - 5 - Professional urban planners or planning groups will be utilized under the OCD- funded contracts where it is feasible. These planners and the local Civil Defense director will be given instruction and familiarization training in Community Shelter Planning at OCD Staff College in Battle Creek, This program also allows for an additional staff member for the State Office with the specific assignment of assisting both contract localities and other communities in developing Community Shelter Plans. This man is expected to be on the payroll by May 1. While on the subject of contracts, let me mention two more. Last July a contract between the State Health Department and the Federal government was negotiated by the Office of Defense and Disaster Relief for the maintenance and calibration of Radef instruments,, It is currently being carried out under the direc- tion of Mr, Charlie King, who will elaborate on this subject later this morning. Another contract, which got underway about this time last year, is almost complete. This contract deals with the Texas plan for Emergency Resources Management. This contract is scheduled to terminate in April and most of the plan has been completed. An interim draft of Part A has been submitted and on February 3 of this month won approval by the Federal government. Nine of the eleven sections to Part B have been submitted to the Federal government. Two of these interim drafts- - Construction and Industrial Production- -have received approval. The two drafts remaining to be developed pertain to Transportation and Housing. Both of these will be ready for submission by the end of this month. I have been informed by Larry Ayres, executive secretary for the Emergency Resources Management program, that the plan is scheduled for testing on March 10 and 11 Following the test and necessary revision of the plan, a final draft will be submitted to the Governor and the Federal government. This will climax 17 months of active participation by various industrial resources leaders who have given of their time and effort to develop a workable plan that could be suc- cessfully implemented in the event this State became isolated during a nuclear war, - 6 - Such contingency planning is an absolute necessity, not only in the field of Resources Management, but in the overall Civil Defense program. I believe Colonel Ayros should be highly complimented for the outstanding job he has done in coordinating the development of this new State Plan. It brings us one step closer to goals we are seeking. I have touched lightly upon a few of the major achievements during the past year because time does not permit going into the full details of every facet. As I said in the beginning, I think we can be justly proud of the accomplishments we have made, and when I say "we" I mean all the Civil Defense directors and public officials in Texas who have contributed to this program. Each of you played a vital part in totaling these facts and figures that I have quoted. Too, I mentioned some deficit areas where there is a need for more improvements. We all realize, I am sure, that although much has been done, there is more to do in the future - -that defense and disaster relief is a continuing effort- -that our work may never be done. So, as we sharpen our hoes for the next row, let us remember that Civil Defense is vital to the nation's total defense, that it serves as a strong deterrent to global war. But, if deterrence should fail and nuclear war is thrust upon us, then all our plans and preparations must work successfully the first time we need them - -We may not get a chance to do them over. In closing, let me not only invite you, but urge you, to call on your State Office of Defense and Disaster Relief when you need assistance of any kind. We are here to support and assist and we'll do just that upon your request. We certainly need your support and cooperation and together we can be victo- rious over the challenges held by the future, - 7 -