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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1964 Local Civil Defense Planning and Implementation TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY HOMER GARRISON, JR. Office of Defense and Disaster Relief CD-12 State Coordinator GEORGE W. BUSBY Director C. O. LAYNE Deputy Director Date July 31, 1964 TO: A11 Civil Defense Directors FROM: C. 0. Layne SUBJECT: "Local Civil Defense Planning and Implementation" Mr. Ray B. Patton, Planning Dire for the City of Norman, Oklahoma, gave permission for the attached paper to be reproduced. It is being sent for your information. Perhaps it will be of some assistance in your Civil Defense planning. Enclosure 15 pages LOCAL CIVIL DEFENSE PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION by Ray B, Patton Planning Director Norman, Oklahoma Any local civil defense plan is only as good as its implementation. The ability to implement the plan depends upon both the inherent sim— plicity and the workableness of the plan itself and the effectiveness of the public relations and information program that the local civil de— fense authority is conducting. This paper attempts to furnish local civil defense planners with some ideas that should be considered and could be incorporated, after modification to local situations, into the local planning. Combatine Apathy It would be unrealistic if every civil defense person did not make an initial assumption that people just aren't interested in Civil De— fense, Having made this assumption, then each CD person should establish a goal for himself and his agency to protect people in spite of themselves. This, of course, necessitates that the assumed apathy must be overcome, One of the greatest hazards for a CD person is to allow himself to become apathetic about the public's apathy. This attitude auto matically results in non — fulfillment of the primary CD goal --to protect the civilian population in the event of nuclear attack. Like the sales— man that didn't believe in the sweeper he was supposed to sell, the best solution for both the salesman and the company is for the man to find a new product to sell and let someone else who believes in sweepers try to sell them. If the CD person decides to protect people in spite of themselves, how does he go about it. There are three basic steps. The first is to conceive a simple, workable plan for survival. Secondly, he should get the plan accepted and adopted officially, and third, he must publicize and otherwise implement the plan. Local Civil Defense Planning & Implementation, pg. 2 The first step — conceiving a workable simple plan --must include some sort of testing — whether it be physical or mental testing. Otherwise, the plan could not possibly qualify as workable. The second step, that of getting the plan accepted and officially adopted, includes publicity prior to adoption. In fact, publicity (public exposure) is the lifeblood of any effective CD Program, and it must be indulged in constantly --- through all phases of the program. What and How to Communicate In order that step three above — publicizing and implementing the plan ---can be accomplished, one important consideration should be made in the initial planning stages and carried through to completion of the program. It is that the form of the plan document is dictated by your audience. Since there are two basic types of audiences--the official family and the public in general —you need two types of plans. These are Operational Plans for the official body and popularized survival plans for the general public. Don't ever make the mistake of attempting to get the general public to read --much less understand—your entire plan. Give them only the most basic information, primarily where their shelter is located; how do they get there; what they should take; and when and why they go. Thus we have divided planning into two types depending upon the audience. It is not accidental that you can make the same division based upon the functions of the two groups in an emergency. However, it is better to think of the division in terms of audience since this should result in a simpler, more workable, easier to publicize plan. Interim versus Long Ranee Plans There is a further distinction that should be made in CD planning. It is the intent or goal of your plan. Following this idea, there would be two basic types of survival Plans — Interim Plans and Long Range Plans. Local Civil Defense Planning & Implementation, pg. 3 The Interim Plan is based on shelter, facilities, organization, equipment, and population that exist in the community at the present time or which can be reasonably expected within the coming year. The Long Range Plan is a plan of goals to be achieved in the next 5 to 20 years. It is based upon projected population and, therefore, includes shelters, facilities, organization and equipment needed to accommodate and protect that population. In other words, this is the plan towards which we work. An Interim Plan, on the other hand, of necessity is short sighted and rarely results in any upgrading or improvement because inevitably it is based on deficiencies. An Interim Plan is not a framework to guide local decisions. It merely reflects the best use of what is already available. The Interim Plan Initially there is a very important decision that must be made in each local community. Federal CD officials might not condone this decision officially; however, it is one with which every local CD unit will be faced. It is, assuming that there is a deficiency in shelter spaces at the present time, which of the following three alternatives should be followed in an Interim Plan: Alternate I, Assign everyone to shelters even though there is not enough room; Alternate II. Assign shelters only to the nearest population which the shelter can accommodate under accepted standards; or Alternate III. Assign the correct number of people to existing shelters and assign the remainder of the population to substandard shelters with a protection factor of less than 100. There are advantages and disadvantages in selection of each Alternate. Some of these factors are listed below to aid each local Local Civil Defense Planning & Implementation, pg. 4 CD unit in making this important decision. Alternate I Alternate I provides that everyone will be assigned to shelters with adequate protection factors even though there is not enough room (under accepted standards) to accommodate this many people. The advantages of this approach are as follows: 1. In the Midwest particularly, storm shelters generally are of an unknown quantity. However, they will result in reduction of the number of people assigned from an area going to the assigned shelter; 2. There would be a panic loss factor that could be applied and planned suicide on the part of some people, and, therefore, 3. More population could be assigned to a shelter. In the event of emergency each shelter should be able to accommodate the people from a specific area who actually arrive at the assigned shelter; and 4. This type of plan aids good public relations in having every - one believe that he has a place to go, The primary disadvantages of this approach are as follows: 1, Overcrowding resulting from more people going to a shelter than anticipated could cause heat prostration or even suffocation in the shelter. This could result in no one surviving even in the best of shelter; 2. Overcrowding would result in some shelters anyway since people are more likely to be aware of certain shelters or near them in time of emergency, and they would go to the wrong shelter. This could happen particularly in the event that the plan was drawn to accommodate night— time or resident population and the emergency occurs during the daytime; and 3. This approach adds to apathy and doesn't help get deficiencies corrected. Local Civil Defense Planning & Implementation, pg. 5 Alternate II Selection of Alternate II means that those nearest the shelters would be assigned to the shelters in sufficient numbers to fill them under accepted standards, The advantages of this Alternate are as follows: 1. This assures that some of the population will survive; 2. This aids in arousing the citizenry to the extent that deficiencies are corrected. The disadvantages would include the following: 1. This approach may create considerable panic among the un— assigned in time of emergency; 2. This could result in gross overcrowding in the shelters that are more convenient to the unassigned people or which they, through daily activities, may be more aware --with the consequences described previously; and 3. Undoubtedly this would create considerable local controversy when great numbers of the people are told that they will have nowhere to go. Alternate III Alternate III includes two types of assignment. First, assignment is made on the basis suggested in Alternate II. Then the remaining population is assigned to "substandard" shelters or shelters with a protection factor of less than 100. The basic advantages of this approach would be the same as most of the advantages of both Alternates I and II, The disadvantages would be different, however, and would include at least the following: 1. There would be a planned loss of population—at least it would be likely; 2. This might create local controversy and, in times of emergency, panic if the public really understands what it means to them; and Local Civil Defense Punning & Implementation, pg. 6 3. This also aids public apathy and doesn't help get deficiencies corrected. In Norman, we favor selection of Alternate III -+-but only if the Interim Plan is combined with a Long Range Plan for Survival. Therefore, let us consider the nature, intent, and use of such a long range plan in CD planning. Lone Range Plans Having admitted that the Interim Plan reflects only the circum- stances of today and is not a framework to guide decisions, some other method or type of plan must be used to accomplish any upgrading of the local CD posture, This can be accomplished by use of a long range CD plan similar to typical long range, general, or master land use plans. Since the two types of plans--CD and land use plans --should go hand in hand, it would be well to consider first the nature of a "typical" land use plan. Generally, master or comprehensive plans are made up of one or more maps, a set of policies, and necessary supporting data. Typically only the maps and policies are adopted officially. Policies usually include assumptions --what is assumed will or will not happen; goals- - what is intended to be achieved, the aims of the plan; principles ---how to go about achieving these goals; and standards --how to measure the degree of achievement in more concrete, measurable terms. One of the most important assumptions of land use plans is that they assume that there will be no major war during the planning period. If it is assumed that there will be a nuclear war affecting the local community, then there would be no need for a separate long range CD plan --it would be incorporated in the land use plan. This has not been done in any local community with which we are familiar. Nevertheless, a long range CD plan should be based upon and reflect the community's land use plan. In the first place, the future population and population density will be shown or indicated generally on the land use plan. With this information at hand, the next step is identification of future shelter locations for this future population, If this isn't done far in advance, then the focal CD people will find themselves running to a contractor, a public official, a school board, or an owner trying to get him to build shelter facilities into the structure after Local Civil Defense Planning & Implementation, pg. 7 construction has already begun. Obviously, that is much too late. Norman, like many communities, has an adopted General Plan, It is for the year 1985, is presently being implemented, and contains a multitude of proposed structures that could be utilized in a long range shelter plan. Among these structures are the following: 1. A Civic Center which includes a library, art center, city hall, auditorium, and police and civil defense headquarters, 2. A new Post Office -- options have been acquired already. 3. Fire Stations -- • located in the center of approximately each four square miles. Shelter facilities are being included in the first station, now underway. 4. New Elementary Schools -- located in the center of each square mile or less with a service area bounded by major streets. 5. New Junior High Schools -- located in the center of three to five square miles - -which would be excellent as supplementary facilities. 6. A new High School ^ located in the center of a major section of the community. 7. Other structure and uses shown which would be useful include new Lhiversity of Oklahoma buildings, shopping centers (one in every square mile), and industrial areas. Shopping centers in particular will be difficult to utilize in a future shelter program; however such possibilities should not be over— looked-- especially since interim shelters with a protection factor of less than 100 are included under Alternate III approach, The Local Planning Commission and Staff There already exists in nearly every community an excellent organization and framework for Civil Defense programming, planning, and, especially, implementation --the local Planning Commission and their Local Civil Defense Planning & Implementation, pg. 8 staff. Usually these people are already functioning and receiving CONSIDERABLE publicity and coverage by the local press -- sometimes more than they can stand! Also, most medium and larger size cities have professional planners trained in long range planning and programming. The CD unit's job is to sell their program first to the planning staff, second to the Planning Commission, and third to the Council. All the way through, they must be working on selling the public. However, don't make the mistake of thinking that the planners will be any more interested in your program than the general public. Inevitably they have too much to do before you ever try to establish liason- -but don't let that stand in your way. Remember, each CD man must be a salesman - -just as the planner is a salesman. Both work with the same apathetic public. Both have ideas and ideals of the future to sell. The planner will appreciate the CD unit's position once it is proven to him the necessary direct relationship between his activities and CD, If you are not working with these people now, you're missing an excellent opportunity to really implement your program. There is another reason why CD should be coordinated with the local Planning Commission. This one applies in Oklahoma, but the same law may apply in other states too. Oklahoma State Law specifies as follows: Before final action shall be taken by any municipality or department thereof, on the location and design of any public building such question shall be submitted to the City Planning Commission for investigation and report." An example on how this can work to CD benefit should help illuminate this possibility. In Norman the adopted 1985 General Plan includes a Civic Center. The Capital Improvement Program, prepared by the Planning Department and under study by the Commission, includes a program and estimates for the building of the Center, Through active coordination between the CD Director, Mr. Ron Bourbeau; the City Manager, Mr, Joe Parris; the Public Works Director, Mr, Gene Sayers; and the Planning Director, a large Emergency Operations Center is being included in the administration building. Further cooperation has led to initiation of a long range survival plan now being prepared by the Planning Director Local Civil Defense Planning & Implementation, pg. 9 and the CD Director. This plan will be based upon and reflect the adopted 1985 General Plan and, therefore, projected population and land use. It will take present deficiencies into account as well as future possi- bilities. Plan Adoption Procedure Since each local situation differs, the procedure outlined below for plan adoption may be slightly different; however, the procedure suggested should work in most cities. First prepare both an Interim Plan and a Long Range Plan. Then take both plans and supporting data to the CD Advisory Board. This Board should be appointed by the City Council and made up of prominent men in the community. In Norman it is headed by the local State Senator, the retired commander of the 45th Infantry Division, General Hal Muldrow. After appropriate study, have the Advisory Board set the two plans for public hearing (including press coverage). After appropriate hearings, the Advisory Board would adopt the plans and forward them to the City Planning Commission. Here they would be set for additional public hearings and, eventually, adopted. With acceptance by both of these bodies already assured and obtained, the plans then would go to the City Council. After public hearings, the Council would adopt the plans by resolution. At this point, both plans become Official City Policy. During the adoption process and thereafter, try to interest the civic clubs, garden clubs, League of Women Voters, newcomer's clubs, and homebuilders, real estate and developers groups in the two plans. Ask to be on the program to present the plans, show slides, and give a brief talk, After the two plans are adopted, print them in appropriate form^^ each with a certification of adoption by all three bodies plainly visible. Print enough copies of the long range plan to send to members of the official family, school boards, real estate and development agencies, and identified community leaders. The interim plan, on the other hand, should be printed in popularized form and contain basic Local Civil Defense Planning & Implementation, pg. 10 warning and emergency condition information-..-similar to the New Orleans Fallout Shelter Assignment Map and accompanying information. Distribute this to all water or other customers to whom the city or other companies or organizations periodically sends letters or bills. Every school and library should have copies also. Be sure that the Interim Plan has the date of adoption displayed prominently on it in order that when the plan is revised and readopted it can be replaced with a minimum of confusion, That's another point-- at least once each three years (preferably each year) the Interim Plan should be reviewed, readopted, and republished. After the plans are adopted, set up a coordinate review procedure with the building permit issuing agency for all public, commercial and industrial buildings and all residential basements or separate shelters of any kind. This will help considerably in implementation by giving the CD people another opportunity to achieve minor improvements for CD at the last possible moment—as well as reach more people on a day to day basis with your program. Asset and Liabilities Many of the things that the local CD unit is now doing are assets and will positively affect the implementation process. Other activities and procedures can become liabilities, Since effective implementation depends upon the total public relations program of the CD unit, it is necessary that these programs and procedures be considered. Let us consider the liabilities first. The largest liability was mentioned previously -- allowing oneself to become apathetic about, aloof because of, or disgusted about, the public's apathy. The CD person is not just another department of the local community.- existing only within the official family. It must get out and reach the public. The public WILL NOT come to it. There are several potential liabilities that will show up only in event of the actual emergency; therefore, they must be taken into account in the initial planning and public information program. Don't assume that all the people will understand the warning system - M-especially sirensrhen an attack comes. Most of them won't. Local Civil Defense Planning & Implementation, pg. 11 They'll think it's merely another drill or a storm warning. Even if they understand it, don't assume that they will know --much less believe--.that they have thirty minutes (as is apparently typical) to go to their shelters, Therefore, don't assume that they will walk to their shelters.,,Not in automotive America! They will get in their cars, undoubtedly try to unite their family if possible, and move towards shelters--not necessarily their assigned shelter, When they can no longer move towards their intended shelter in their automobile, they will desert them and then go on foot. In planning, this means that you should take into account the traffic volumes, flows, and desire lines to and from the various living place areas and the work, education, and shopping place areas. Try to avoid setting up a potential conflict between those moving to shelters and those moving from the work or shopping place to their homes, The land use plan, which includes a major street or circulation plan, and traffic information and reports will be especially helpful in this re- gard. Also, at the shelter, plan for large parking areas if it will be necessary to keep adjacent streets open. This will necessitate police or CD authorities being there immediately, along with aggressive automobile moving equipment, if the streets are to remain open in a large shelter complex. Due to the confusion that undoubtedly will occur, it would be realistic to compute the number of cars that can be parked in an area on the basis of one car in every 300 square feet of available open space in the shelter area. This is not anything to be put into the interim plan. Rather, it is a process of testing. If the process and the plan indicate that additional control of these vehicles will be necessary in the shelter area, procedures for such control should be written into the operation plan. On the asset side, there are many things that can be done now to achieve a more effective CD program. Only a few will be related here. Local imagination and initiative should be able to supply many more. In the midwest especially, people worry about tornadoes every spring. Therefore the local CD unit might correlate with the Red Cross on Public Storm Shelters, This is not within the normal CD mission and Local Civil Defense Planning & Implementation, pg. 12 many CD people may resent this suggestion, but nevertheless it is an opportunity that may be overlooked now. It is not suggested that CD people go out and try to get owners to allow the use, of their structure as a Public Storm ShelterMleave this to the Red Crows. But it is suggested that it may be highly desirable to show the loc*tion of these Shelters on the popularized Interim Plan for Survival. If this is done, you can be better assured that not only will the public read and retain the CD plan for future reference, but also that they will understand better the difference between fallout and tornado protection. Consider one other thing if this is done. It is the timing of the release of the Interim Plan to the public. Summer or fall is not the time to send out the plan if it can be avoided. Send it out in early spring or late winter. That's when they'll be interested! Another program that can be a tremendous asset to the local CD program is equipment purchased either with matching CD funds or through surplus property, This may be a touchy subject in many areas; however let's look at it from this standpointit almost insures that there will be continued support by City officials and the informed public of the CD program, This is especially true in under — financed communities (of which there are rather a few). This program can be helpful in public relations - '-. but only if it is regarded as a legitimate function of government and not as a "gimmie " plan for public pork barrelling and political wheeling and dealing. In Norman, for example, every single piece of equipment that has been acquired from surplus property has been immediately reconditioned, repainted, marked, and assigned to the department that will be using it in an emergency. Not one single piece of equipment is inoperative in Norman at least not as far as the City is concerned. The Council, the City Manager, and every department is justly proud of this equipment. It is taken care of because it has a definite function to fulfill - especially in case of emergencyin protecting our most precious asset: our citizens. Responsible government cannot possibly take any other attitude. Local Civil Defense Planning & Implementation, pg. 13 Let us consider one final asset, Get the local mayor or manager (or both) to give a talk on civil defense at an important meeting or conference. Give him the material that he needs to write his speech, but let him actually write it. He'll not only sell himself on the value and importance of civil defense, but he will publically and mentally commit himself to support of the program. In this regard and as an appropriate summation of this paper, allow me to quote portions of the speech given by Mayor Earl Sneed of Norman (also Dean of the Law School of the thiversity of Oklahoma) at the recent Oklahoma Governor's Conference on Civil Defense. His topic was "The Legal and Moral Responsibilities of Local Officials." "we who are public officials are probably not living up to moral responsibilities as far as CD is concerned. The legal responsibilities involve the adoption of an ordinance, the appointment of a CD Director and the development of a current operational CD plan. Our moral responsibilities are far more important than our legal responsibilities, This is true in many areas of our public life. We can meet the letter of the law--.-we can do all that the statute books and ordinances say, and yet we fail miserably in our positions of public responsibility if we do not measure up to the moral and ethical demands of our time. I think this is dramatically true in civil defense. Of what avail is it to do all these things the law requires -'to pass the ordinances, to designate shelters, to publish a plan -.and then forget to educate, to lead, to urge our people into the knowledge and into the motivation which must be theirs if they are to use the shelters and the plans for their ultimate survival, I repeat that the moral responsibilities of elected officials are far, far greater than our legal responm sibilities," Local Civil Defense Planning & Implementation, pg. 14 " ....The twin troubles of civil defense are (1) lack of knowledge, and (2) complaisance. Our lack of knowledge is appalling. We are certain that the missiles and bombs will not come our way. And if some way, some how, we are lead to believe that the missiles might come, we convince ourselves that everyone will be reduced to cinders and so why worry about shelter, And so, our first moral obligation is to convince our people that all life will not be destroyed. Give them the Teller story -- perhaps that is the way to say it, Tell them that a very respectable deterrent to the nuclear warhead is the knowledge that the U. S. has an effective and sound civil defense posture. If we are attacked, we will retal.' late, on a massive scale. No matter what they do, we will survive. In time, we will come out of our shelters, clean up the mess and set about to rebuild our great nation. And the second trouble of civil defense is comma placency and you know this. Complacency comes and goes with the International Situation. In October, 1962, at the time of the Cuban confrontation, civil defense was a salable and popular commodity in your town and mine. But recently, things have simmered down. And so at the moment civil defense is resting -along with the invasion of the Beatles and the Jack Ruby and Hoffa Trials. Let us remember that civil defense is, in truth, a local matter. The Federal Government, the State Government may pass legislation, may set up agencies and commissions and bureaus and may provide money. But in the final analysis, civil defense involves people and you who are local of— ficials work more closely with people than any one else in public and political office. You know of the intimacy of local government. You have experienced critical telephone calls about the Local Civil Defense Planning & Implementation, pg. 15 uncollected garbage, you have felt the hot blast of anger about zoning and bumpy streets. If the nuclear warheads ever come, you will be the ones immediately responsible for the survival and the subsistence of your people. And so you can do the specifics- --you can adopt the ordinances, you can designate the shelters, you can rehearse and exercise the plan. But in the final analysis your moral responsibility is that of leaders. You have asked for and accepted respon— sibility•ft.you must lead. You must educate. You must motivate your citizens to pay the price now -- in time and money..—for preparedness for the future. To motivate, to lead, requires energy, integrity and thoughtfulness, imagination and above all a love of country and neighbors."