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HomeMy WebLinkAbout"No Substitute for Preparedness" 1970 = co IC O a) c c lo co • CV o ' . .-. . ' O + . 0 c --' ' •w" 4- co cc o. 0 w 0 h w 0 ti N d 0 'i7 .- ' '.' • M 't7 ti y a d J .x o • 3 .O •1. C .C. C 0 co 0 U CJ s. co a, ti W O o -° .. V 0 'a o'' A '6 m" i, � o v . x z7 cr L 0, is 3 A _ 0 j 1 5 d 3 ..4 E o t- o m ;44... A w y o '" (a CC i-I ":1I M 0 a `° ° x : ° a i C 7 c w a> p • V ° U O d O w !-. d C C 0 ` u o — lz .R o 0 - - ' C : + .c :� A A 6 . 'i, c c c a s 0 a. w h� ai 0 ^, +. 'o A o , w b . r � a> .fl . C ,u N 0 UO 0 CC N O � ti''-^" u d .-. tC • O ... w LC " p c13 uJ v] O 0 41 a ) U - . - - . 8 s C O w i> , O . g .. ' , 'O. O to - w o w v o m 41 CZ N • _ 9 L, c r° 2 c v's g P. 1 + . o aHi 0 : T,rd N - 0 3 "Q To ms s. . ° : = av' c3 0 [a _ O O -.. 0 ...+ o O .-. .. v a) � :� 1 g F F 0 • �F = '" a) x Q • "sue — co , r� .."°•• r. 5 d � c. ■ • ( 3 c za A a... a-. •o ...E ` r. g .O '. E .n / . r p '-`72.7., � zoo n u�ao„ � h F4 U .a �:-. a...a 0 o. t S-i w ...a Y '18 4 .' N y c p , i y E CZ ... C c/J >. O. O m s. L s;: � 0 CO s ° . cU ..' C. b E 5, N 0 • m q:, r4 m� �' t., 0 • " c E no 0 Fr. no ': 4,M) V� a> c� C rn .. tic. p o G u 27:3- .: `I 0 G w O E..: 3 H N j�►� R a) m co o> cz l.f. T 6 ti N $ H m In c0 a> �, s. 1-. C W u o , ° o (4 q' w •o C p 'd 1. , � ' i� moCA t v' u c •;" �m .H v v! fi e _ —1 C P 'tl •› 6 w c. 0. 44i p o > P S.... Remarks by Colonel Wilson E. Speir Director, Texas Department of Public Safety Tenth Annual Conference for Texas Civil Defense Directors Villa Capri Motor Hotel, Austin 11:20 a.m. Monday, February 16, 1970 REPORT ON CIVIL DEFENSE IN TEXAS Ladies and gentlemen, your presence at this tenth annual conference for Texas Civil Defense Directors is most gratifying. Those of us with the Texas Department of Public Safety are highly honored to participate with you in this meeting and in a constructive approach to our mutual responsibilities. Today, I would like to report to you on the status of the civil defense and disaster relief program in Texas. But in a larger, overall context, I would also like to report to you on the entire field of public safety and the challenges all citizens face as we stand on the threshold of a new decade. The problems of crime, traffic, and disaster continue today, but on a scale greater than ever before. With your permission, we will take a brief look at each of these areas. Just yesterday, our Department released the 1969 crime report for Texas, coupled with some startling observations. Based on offense reports submitted by officers throughout the state, we found that major crime in Texas increased 15.9% last year over 1968. Crime was up in all categories including murder, 1.5 %; rape, 33.2 %; robbery, 53.1 %; burglary, 17.1 %; aggravated assault, 22.7 %; theft, 12.5 %; and auto theft, 22.8 %. In 1969, there were an estimated 432,251 major criminal offenses in Texas, or one every 1J minutes. Listen to what our crime clock ticked off: a murder every seven hours, a rape every 31/2. hours, a robbery every hour, a burglary every 4; minutes, an aggravated assault every 20 1/3 minutes, a theft every 20 1/3 minutes, and an auto theft every 14 minutes. -2- We found that crime, and I mean major crime only, increased by 16° last year in urban areas, and by 14.9% in rural areas of this state. At the same time, crime solution rates decreased statewide from 27% in 1968 to 26% in 1969. Crime is soaring, not only in Texas but in all states. Perhaps the time has come for us to ask ourselves why, and to listen and act when we get the painful answer. Ours is an age in which traditional values are rapidly changing. And it is a time when present generations try to place the blame on generations past. I submit to you that many people have lost their moral courage. Many lack the conviction to stand before the world and say that right is right and wrong is wrong. The waves of rioting, burning and looting by irresponsible mobs, the take- overs of college and university buildings by undisciplined and misled young people, the open counseling of our youth to disregard and violate those laws with which they do not agree...these actions, regardless of their immediate provocations, regardless of their underlying motives, are leading to such a complete disregard and disrespect for the law that the very foundations of our democratic way of life are being undermined. Our nation has become great and a model of freedom and justice for all men through its total dedication in the past to the rule of law. And we must continue to arbitrate our differences through the forum of law unless we desire that our land become a jungle for the lawless and unprincipled. In the traffic area, each passing year presents greater enforcement problems to the police agencies, and greater challenges to the motoring public. Final figures on the 1969 traffic situation in Texas are not yet available, but we estimate that approximately 3,580 persons were killed in traffic mishaps last year on our streets and highways. It is very likely that some 250,000 others were injured and that the economic loss pushed toward one billion dollars. -3- As with crime, there is no one solution to traffic accidents. Broad progress is needed on a variety of fronts, including strong and effective support for traffic safety in each community. The people of our state are going to have to let it be known that they favor stiff penalties for intoxicated drivers who, incidentally, account for some 40 to 50% of our fatal rural accidents. The Department of Public Safety is presently engaged in many programs designed to make law enforcement more effective in dealing with criminals and reckless and negligent drivers. I will not go into these in detail, but would like to note that special emphasis is being placed on police officer training, public education, and the acquisition of scientific devices and modern communications equipment. Turning now to the subject of disaster, our State and its communities are constantly being harassed by natural disasters of varying degree. Many of our local governments have been forced to cope with industrial accidents, and we are all still very much concerned over the problems of preparedness for national emergency. As you are so well aware, there are many trials, problems and frustrations in the civil defense program. Too many of our citizens recognize the need for emergency preparedness only when disaster is at hand. There have never been enough dollars available to do all of the things needed in civil defense. But you, as local civil defense directors, county judges, mayors, city managers and other officials have again and again found ways to stretch the available funds. This can only mean the application of good management principles. I am most grateful to all civil defense organizations in the state for the splendid cooperation given to us in the Department of Public Safety in carrying out our mutual program of preparedness. It is my sincere hope that this spirit of cooperation will continue, and that all of you will continue to give the state your sound advice and ideas on how to improve our programs and to do the most with what is made available to us. -4- I see no signs in the world situation which would let us relax our efforts or slow our progress in the civil defense program. Ours is still a world of crisis, and there is an ever present danger that some trouble spot might erupt into world conflict. And even if this ultimate calamity never occurs, we must still contend with fires, explosions, tornadoes, hurricanes and civil disturbances, all of which require a high degree of emergency planning and operational capability. Here in Texas, thanks largely to your dedication and hard work, the level of emergency preparedness has reached an all -time high. More and more of our local officials are recognizing and assuming their statutory responsibilities for emergency operations. With your permission, I would like to review some of the indicators of progress in the civil defense program of our state. One of the most conclusive indicators is the fact that during the past 12 months, we have received 258 program papers representing 543 political subdivisions, and we have not had a single city or county drop out of the program this year. As you know, these program papers are not easy to complete and require officials to have an active civil defense organization meeting national standards and achieving new goals each year. As of this moment, approximately 85% of the people in Texas live in jurisdictions covered by these organizations. And we know of several counties which have not yet completed national program papers, but which have good and active civil defense organizations. Another major advance has been the addition of field liaison officers to our staff in the Division of Defense and Disaster Relief. In the past, one of our biggest handicaps in working with you was the fact that Chief Layne had only a very small staff and these men often drove up to 50,000 miles per year but still could not visit everyone. During Hurricane Beulah, many key state officials were impressed by the need to have a state civil defense representative in each area who would be familiar -5- with local needs and could reach you quickly and coordinate incoming aid. As a result, the Department of Public Safety requested and was allowed to employ six regional liaison officers who are stationed in our regional offices at Dallas, Houston, Corpus Christi, Midland, Lubbock and Waco. Another very important phase of progress is the beginning of our program to build, in all of our 17 districts, protected district emergency operating centers. These will enable the districts to keep operating during radioactive fallout, and will facilitate more effective operations during natural disaster. This means that we will be able to keep our lines of communication open to you. Construction has been completed on district emergency operating centers in Houston, San Antonio and Beaumont. Funds have been appropriated for the Waco building and architects have been selected and planning is underway. In addition, we plan to ask the next legislature for funds to build new buildings with protected emergency centers in Lubbock and Dallas. Each of these has, or will have, space which can be occupied by represen- tatives of other state agencies, thus bringing coordinated state assistance closer to you. Without these protected district EOC's we could, under enemy attack, sit alone and isolated in our state EOC, unable to assess damage and rush assistance to you. On the local level, we are very proud of the fact that there are now 96 city or county emergency operating centers which meet national standards with a fallout protection factor of 100 or more. Some of the more recent of these include Angleton, Burnet County, Cuero - DeWitt County, League City and Denton. Construction continues at Port Arthur, and planning is in progress at Pasadena. A protected emergency operating center is at the very heart of any effective local civil defense program. And I know that several of you are interested but, unfortunately, the national Office of Civil Defense budget has almost no matching .b. funds for EOC's this year and those limited funds proposed for next year are already committed. Unless you can prevail upon your representatives to 'Improve these appropriations, you may have to improvise or try to secure inclusion of facilities in local government buildings without extra cost. Another high priority field of action is the shelter program, and Texas has set what may be national records in this area, During the past six months alone, 95,000 shelter spaces have been licensed and 15,000 marked, bringing the state total marked to 4.4 million at the beginning of this fiscal year. An additional one - million spaces have been licensed. There were 257,789 spaces stocked during the past six months, bringing the state total to more than 2.8 million. I feel that the stocking record, in particular, is one that few states will equal. The community shelter planning program remains this year as it was previously, Since our conference last year, our state staff has worked with the community shelter planner in assisting 19 counties to develop non-contract projects. Currently we are working with eight additional counties to develop local fallout shelter plans. We have received letters of interest from 13 other eounties. Also since our last state conference, Tarrant and Tom Green Counties have undertaken contract community shelter planning projects, contracting directly with the Army Corpe of Engineers. The Tom Green project has been completed and emergency information readiness materials submitted locally, with similar accomplishments in El Paso, Bexar and Lubbock Counties. Dallas, Harris and Webb Counties have progressed in their contract undertakings to the point that their emergency information readiness material is being printed and prepared for local distribution, Before moving on to another topic, I would like to remind you that suggested letters of interest are on a table in our registration area. If you would like to -7- begin a community shelter planning project in your county, we would urge you to complete one of these at the earliest possible date. To date we have had 27 emergency operations simulations exercises, and 15 more are tentatively scheduled for next year. These exercises, which are in great demand, are arranged by Texas A&M's Civil Defense University Extension Service. They involve assembling local elected officials and department heads for a simulated attack situation and decision - making. We especially recommended them for places which have completed a new EOC or a community shelter plan and want to try them out. The University Extension Service also has a variety of other courses to offer, of which the conferences for public officials are highly commendable. Sixteen were completed as of December 31st and 22 are scheduled next year. We can also point to accomplishments in the field of civil defense public and emergency information. The Division of Defense and Disaster Relief assisted the Office of Civil Defense in the production of a color film about the role of civil defense in Hurricane Beulah, known as "It Happened in Texas," which you have seen. This film and many others are available from the DPS film library or through army audio - visual support centers and are listed in your film catalogs. Our monthly civil defense publication, The Texas Defense Digest, has won two first places and one second place in national competition during the three years this award program has been approved by the National Association of State Civil Defense Directors. Entries will be submitted again this year, and I feel sure we can hold our own in this area. Vast progress has been made toward delivery of "In Time of Emergency" radio -tv and newspaper kits, through personal 'hand - carrying' of these kits by the regional liaison officers to civil defense directors. The civil defense directors, in turn, 'hand- carried' these radio and tv kits to their local media. These kits are of great value in the event of a period of increased readiness. -8- The first series of three interview scripts in a twelve script radio -tv series entitled, "Five Minutes of Civil Defense" have been distributed to local CD directors. It is intended that the series be hand carried to local radio and television stations. The other nine scripts will be distributed in the same manner as they are received at our CD office. In the area of emergency communications, the Division of Defense and Disaster Relief has completely updated and distributed the Emergency Communications Annex to the State Emergency Operations Plan. The State Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) plan has been revised and distributed. All operational plans are in the process of being updated where needed. The State has, with OCD guidance, developed sample warning plans for the use of city civil defense officials. A sample warning plan for counties has also been developed and is being printed. Both are scheduled for distribution. The protected portion of the Texas Emergency Broadcast System is complete, with 25 commercial broadcast facilities now having emergency power, fallout protection,azd remote pickup broadcast links to the local emergency operating center. In the field of radiological defense, there is also much progress to report. During the past six months, the Texas State Department of Health contacted governmental, including city- county civil defense directors, civic, and industrial officials through personal conferences promoting the development and expansion of the State RADEF Organization. During this six month period, rosters have been developed and maintained for radiological defense officers and monitor instructors, with 24 radiological monitoring courses completed. Some 134 monitoring stations with a protection factor of at least 100 were added during the period, bringing the state total to 3,055. An additional 338 shelter kits were provided, to make a new total of 3,270 shelter locations equipped with instruments. -9- The current updated State Radiological Defense Annex to the State Emergency Operations Plan is being revised to include provisions for all out nuclear emergencies and an updated radiological incident and /or accident section. The inspection of 93 packaged disaster hospitals and 5 natural disaster hospitals has continued in the state, with much stronger emphasis on good storage, and the importance of community planning for the use and location of these hospitals. Eight new packaged disaster hospitals are to be received in Texas during 1970 and all arrangements and storage sites are secured for them. Texas is still leading the nation in the Medical Self -Help Training Program, with 23,474 people completing this in the past six months, making a total of over 577,626 to date. The State Health Department arranges this training, which is especially valuable in rural areas, ranches and smaller places where a doctor is not readily available. The Civil Defense Adult Education Program has trained over 25,000 adults. During the past year, personal and family survival courses were held for adults and high school students, with teacher training courses and refresher workshops, Radiological monitoring and radiological monitoring refresher courses, plus shelter management courses, were completed by a large number of others. Incidentally, in case of any disaster in your area during the coming year, let me review with you the procedures and channels for getting prompt assistance. Your channel from the local government, when you wish to request any kind of state or federal assistance, is through the Department of Public Safety district in which you are located. We have the communications and will forward your request to the Governor or to the proper agency. A request through any other channels will merely be returned for verification through our disaster district and will be delayed somewhat. -10- Let me say again, that we, at the state level, will continue to promote the development of an effective defense and disaster relief program. We will continue to aid you to the full extent of our resources. There is no substitute for preparedness. Disasters are certain to occur in the future, and we -as responsible leaders of government -must be ready to take what- ever actions are necessary to save lives, protect property, and speed recovery. I salute you for your interest and congratulate you for your determination. Because in the final analysis, our moral responsibility is leadership- -to motivate for preparedness for the future, and to do this we must have: Energy-- integrity -- thoughtfulness - imagination and above all a love of country and neighbors.