[The Defense Coordinator in Industrial Plants. Part VII the Emergency Control System] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov] OCD Publication 3100 Part VII THE DEFENSE COORDINATOR IN INDUSTRIAL THE EMERGENCY CONTROL SYSTEM October 1943 PLANTS U. S. OFFICE OF CIVILIAN DEFENSE Washington 25, D. C. NOTE: This manual is issued as a unit of the OCD Publication 3100 series. When assembled in a ring binder, the series is designed to serve as a guide for the Plant Defense Coordinator. Each unit of the series concludes with one or more selected references pertaining to the subject in question. Many of these titles have been selected from OCD and other Governmental publications that may be obtained free or at small cost and inserted at the end of the unit to which they apply. The complete series, together with these references, will supply the Plant Defense Coordinator with assistance in organizing and administering the protection program for his plant. THE EMERGENCY CONTROL SYSTEM While an emergency in wartime presents a situation somewhat similar to peacetime catastrophe, it differs in several vital respects. One of the most important variations is that the demand for emergency services may come simultaneously from many points. The usual peacetime catastrophe is confined in one plant area and there is little necessity for holding equipment and personnel in reserve for a potential disaster elsewhere in the plant. Un-, der enemy attack, the demands may be widespread and require the attention of several or all the emergency services. Coordination of the protective sendees and control over the expenditure of the plant’s defensive resources are essential for the proper operation of the protective organization during an attack. To insure the most effective use of the protective resources at his disposal the Plant Defense Coordinator must keep informed as to the details and status of the emergency situation, and he must be able to coordinate the dispatch and use of the protective services. The mechanism which he uses for these purposes is the control system. The suggestions which follow are based upon the fundamental factors necessary for the proper handling of an emergency. The control arrangements discussed are applicable primarily in event of attack or an emergency in which damage is widespread or occurs simultaneously at several points. The communications arrangements, however, will facilitate action against such emergencies as fire or explosion which, may occur at any time. Thp exact systems suggested may not be applicable to each industrial plant, since the number of persons employed, the size of area involved, and the amount of mobile emergency equipment available will vary from plant to plant, but the basic ideas on which the suggested procedures are based should be considered and adapted by each plant. REQUIREMENTS OF THE CONTROL SYSTEM The elements of the control system are the Plant Control Room and the communications system. The physical installations and number of personnel required to operate the control system will vary according to the size and nature of the plant. Regardless of the details of the control system, however, it must provid: 1. A system of gathering and properly correlating information regarding thè details and status òf the emergency. 2. A headquarters for the Coordinator and his staff where they may evaluate this information and determine the action required. 3. A means of dispatching orders to the various protection units and services within the plant. 4. A means of coordinating the plant defense with the community. This involves a means of receiving the air raid warning signals, and of maintaining contact with and forwarding reports to the community control center, and of requesting help from the community if and when it is needed. Even a small plant will require some form of emergency control organization. The size, staff, and equipment of the Plant Control Room, however, will vary in accordance with the needs of the particular plant. A communications center from which the Coordinator can keep in touch with all parts of the plant and with the community control center may be sufficient in a small plant. In such a situation, no system of records or tallies may be necessary except for a log sheet or memorandum, briefly noting the substance of all telephone calls received or made in connection with air raid activities. The plan presented is a control system for larger plants. Perhaps few plants will find it necessary to incorporate all these suggestions in establishing a control system adequate to their needs. However, the suggestions should be 544842°—43 1 adapted to provide unfailing control over any emergency the individual plant may be called upon to cope with, and yet be as simple as possible. The Plant Control Room The Plant Control Room is the headquarters of the plant protection organization during an air raid. It is the message and intelligence center, and the command post of the plant protection force. Here the reports from the wardens are received and evaluated, the strategy of defense decided Upon, and the orders for action issued. The Control Room is organized to facilitate the gathering of information^ and to present this information to the Coordinator and his staff in such form as to quickly make clear the details of the attack and the action taken to counteract it. Variations from the pattern here suggested are to be expected, but the Coordinator should be sure that variations are justified in the light of greater combat efficiency for the protective organization. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS Selecting the Plant Control Room.—The Plant Control Room should be located as centrally as possible from the viewpoint of distance from various points in the plant with which communication may be required. In selecting the location, consideration should also be given to its accessibility to members of the Control Staff, availability of existing telephone facilities, and, where possible, nearness to the plant switchboard. The size of room needed will be determined by the size of the plant and the number of personnel that niust be accommodated. In general, however, it should provide adequate desk space for the staff and sufficient room for unimpeded passage of messengers. It must also be properly ventilated. Adequate physical protection should be provided. The Plant Control Room site should be selected with protection against bomb fragmentation and blast effects in mind. The Control Room and its communications facilities should be properly guarded. When the Control Room is not in use, doors should be kept locked. This should be checked regularly by the watchman on his rounds. During an emergency, a guard should be posted at the door to keep out all unauthorized persons. Blackout provisions must be made so that the Control Room may operate unimpeded by blackout. Accommodations of the Plant Control Room should include sanitary facilities and lockers, cloak rooms, or similar provision for coats and hats. It is desirable to have a place where messengers may dry their clothes in wet weather. An alternate location where the Plant Control Room can be temporarily established in event that the regular Còntrol Room is put out of action by attack should be selected and arrangements made for its use. The location selected may be a room with good telephone facilities, and should be equipped with blackboards or similar emergéncy charting material. Equipment of the Plant Control Room.— A large map of the plant from which the staff will at all times be able to get a clear picture of the extent of the raid, the location, and the types of incidents, should be mounted on the Plant Control Room wall. A large enough scalè should be adopted so that all details of the map will be clearly visible. The map should be mounted on insulation board or soft wood which will permit the easy insertion of map pins. Colored pins are usually placed in the map to indicate the number, type, and location of the incidents. Colors in general use are: Blue for high explosive bombs; Red for incendiary bombs; Yellow for gas; Gréen for unexploded bombs, fallen aircraft, and other fallen objects; Black and white striped pins for blocked roads, passageways, and driveways. A supply of properly segregated colored piqs adequate to meet all possible attack demands should be kept on hand. Additional reference maps should be supplied to each chief of service and to the Coordinator or their deputies for use in the Control Room. These maps should include all special information useful in making decisions in an emergency. For example, details of water mains, telephone terminal boxes, power lines, boundaries of the air raid warden’^ organization with post loca* tions and numbers, fire and police posts, and other operational details of particular interest 2 to an individual chief of service should be included on these reference maps. An incident chart ruled off in lines and columns should be placed on the wall next to the map of the' plant. Each incident is recorded on a horizontal line on this chart. Vertical columns provide for listing the incident number, location, time, type (whether H. E., incendiary, or war gas), and remarks. The “Remarks” column is used to indicate any special features of the incident, such as casualties trapped or blocked roads. The incident chart may be made up on a blackboard, white cardboard, or on tablets of heavy paper. It should bejdesigned to provide for 25 or more incidents, depending upon the size of the plant. - A control panel which will indicate at a glance the location and status of all mobile equipment and personnel is desirable. The details of this panel will vary, but it should indicate clearly what services are available for use and what units are already in action at incidents. In moderate size plants, a blackboard ruled in columns which provide space for listing all emergency equipment, and for writing in the assignment of each piece, whether still in reserve or dispatched to an incident, will serve the purpose. Larger plants with consider-, able mobile equipment will require a more complete control panel. The large plant control panel is divided horizontally into spaces to correspond to the number of sectors or areas (grouped into divisions or zones) in the plant. These subdivisions are indicated by number or name at the left side. Another column is used to indicate thè fire priority. Each subdivision of the plant is given a fire priority rating depending upon its relative importance, combustibility, local fire fighting equipment, and other relevant factors. These ratings are determined in advance by the Coordinator and the plant Fire Chief. They are shown on the chart either by color or by letter. In case of conflicting demands for fire equipment, the Coordinator and plant-Fire Chief can use these fire priority ratings to guide their decisions. Additional vertical columns are used for each . of the four services having mobile equipment— fire, police, maintenance, and medical. Finally a column is included marked “Community Reenforcments.” In this column is shown the location and amount of any equipment sent into the plant by the community. Large pins (1 inch diameter) are used to designate regular plant services. The pins are colored to show the type of service. If desirable, symbols instead of colors may be used to identify the services. The pins are numbered to indicate the sector or area where the units they represent are permanently housed. A circle slightly larger than the pin itself is permanently drawn in the area where the equipment has its headquarters. When the equipment is not in use, the pin is kept in this circle. If the equipment is in use in its own area, it is moved out of the circle. If it is dispatched for use in another area, the pin is moved to that area. When the equipment is returned to its headquarters, the pin is again placed in its circle. Smaller pins (one-half inch diameter) are used to indicate the mobile auxiliary services, such as auxiliary police, auxiliary firemen, and medical teams. These pins are used in the same manner as the large pins representing the regular mobile services. Black pins to indicate unfilled requests are kept at the bottom of the panel when not in use. These pins are used only when an incident has occurred which cannot at the time be served with equipment. They are placed in the proper space on 4he panel to indicate the location and the service needed. A device for indicating the air raid warning stage should be located so that it is clearly visible from all parts of the Control Room. Such a device may consist of colored lights— yellow, blue, red, and white—or of a disc divided into four sections to correspond, to the stages of warning,-and equipped with an arrow that can be pointed to the proper section. The community control center telephone number should also be prominently posted in the Plant Control Room. An adequate supply of message and report forms must be kept on hand. Sample forms indicating the essential information required are included here. The number of copies of each form will vary depending upon the size of the plant and the Control Room organization. Sufficient copies should be provided to produce speed of operation. Copies will be required for 3 the Coordinator and the map clerk. It will also be found desirable to have a copy for each of the chiefs of service. . A simple filing system should be established, in order to have instantly available all records pertaining to an incident. There are two types: 1. A current action file. In this will be kept all messages and reports by incident number. This may be in the form of an open vertical file which will be kept on the recording clerk’s desk during the raid. A file drawer of paper or composition board 12 inches in width is sufficient for this purpose. 2. A permanent record file which will consist of the accumulated message forms for each incident plus an index consisting of the originals of all damage reports filed by location. The file will be made up after the raid by the message supervisor in accordance with instructions from the Plant Defense Coordinator. 4 CONTROL PANEL COMMUNITY-REINFORCEMENTS COLORS r A . ■■ U..,,, IXCrlZ— POLICE BLUE MAINTENANCE YELLOW MEDICAL-—, GREEN SERVICES NEEDED SLACK SERVICES NEEDED: • • • 9 0 t MEDICAL © © t c t MAINTENANCE POLICE © • © © FIRE © o © © (D © © FIRE PRIORITY 00 O o o «< O CO CO O o o OQ O SECTOR — CM CO =r 10 50 00 CO 10 — CM CO DIVISION Ö ° SUGGESTED CONTROL PANEL FOR LARGE PLANTS 5 In the absence of a filing system, a large book may be kept to record incidents. A file of other necessary information should be available in the Control Room. This would include such things as a list of plant air raid warden personnel giving post location and telephone numbers, lists of service unit headquarters, casualty stations, and other pertinent information. Other necessary equipment in the Plant Control Room includes sufficient desks, tables, chairs, telephones, and clerical supplies to enable the Control Room staff to function properly. Layout of Plant Control Room.—The room layout should provide for maximum efficiency in operation. To a large extent the layout will be determined by the size and shape of the room selected as the Control Room. In large plants, it may be desirable to have as many as three rooms—the operations room, a message room, and a waiting room—to minimize noise and confusion in the operations room. In most cases, however, a one- or two-room arrangement is all that is required. A primary consideration in laying out the Control Room is that all service chiefs and the Coordinator should have a clear, unobstructed view of the plant map, incident chart, and control panel. Three typical Control Room layouts are illustrated in this section. ORGANIZATION OF THE CONTROL ROOM Personnel present in the Control Room may be classified as the control staff and the operating PLANT CONTROL ROOM FOR SMALL PLANTS 6 PLANT CONTROL ROOM FOR MEDIUM SIZE PLANTS NOTE; EACH SERVICE CHIEF DISPATCHES HIS SERVICE UNITS BY TELEPHONE BEFORE SENDING THE ACTION RFPORT TO THE MAP CLERK. staff. The control staff is composed of all those with a control responsibility. In large plants it may also include such specialists as a bomb reconnaissance agent and a gas reconnaissance agent. The operations staff is made up of those with specific job assignments within the Control Room which enable the control system to function. Control staff.—The control staff is made up of the Coordinator, the Controller (if any), and the chiefs of services. The Controller is responsible to the Plant Defense Coordinator for the proper operation of the Control Room. His duties are to supervise the control system as an aide to the Coordinator. In large plants, the appointment of a Controller will be desirable in order to relieve the Coordinator of much detail. In smaller plants, the Coordinator will normally perform this function himself. An air attack, like any other emergency, may be over in a very short space of time. It may last 2 minutes and it is quite likely to be over in * 7 PLANT CONTROL ROOM FOR LARGE PLANTS NOTE: EACH SERVICE CHIEF DISPATCHES HIS SERVICE UNITS BY TELEPHONE BEFORE SENDING THE ACTION REPORT TO THE MAP CLERK. 8 from 15 minutes to half an hour. In all but the largest plants, therefore, it is quite likely that many of the chiefs will choose to be with services directing their operations at major incidents rather than taking their posts in the Plant Control Room. However, if the chief is not in the Plant Control Room, he is represented by a deputy with authority to act for him in dispatching the service units to an incident. Each of these deputies is responsible to the chief of the service whom he represents, and to the Plant Defense Coordinator (or Controller). References to duties of the chiefs will be understood to apply to the deputy if the chief is not in the Plant Control Room. The duties of the emergency service chiefs are as follows: 1. Consider and evaluate air raid incident messages as rapidly as they are received. 2. Observe the changing air raid situation as shown by the incident map and control panel. 3. Order the dispatch of needed emergency service units to incident scenes. Operations staff.—The Control Room operations staff is made up of telephonists, messengers, a message supervisor, and a map clerk. In some large plants it may be desirable to have assistants to the map clerk to take care of the control panel and incident chart, but normally this will be done by the map clerk. The job of the telephonists is to take the incoming telephone messages. The message supervisor takes the messages after they are received from any source, and routes copies of the message to the Coordinator (or Controller) and the map clerk. He also maintains the Control Room file as previously described. The map clerk is responsible for maintaining a clear, up-to-the-minute picture of the bombing sitùation on thé incident map and other charts. Specifically, his duties are: 1. To review incoming messages to determine whether they relate to new incidents, or to incidents previously recorded and mapped. 2. To assign the proper incident number to the message in accordance with this determination. 3. To spot each incident on the map according to the location and type of the incident. 4. To record the proper incident data on the incident chart and control panel if they are in use. (In larger plants, he will require assistants to carry out these assignments.) 5. To call the attention of the staff to significant road blockages and to the clearance of roads previously reported blocked. EMERGENCY ACTION IN THE CONTROL ROOM A definite pattern of action for the Control Room staff at the different stages of air raid warning should be set up and followed. A suggested operations plan is given here: YELLOW MESSAGE— advance confidential warning. 1. Take steps to place key plant personnel on the alert. BLUE MESSAGE—raid probable. 1. Sound “Blue” air raid warning signal.1 2. Order steps taken to effect blackout. 3. Check Control Room protection. This would include door locks, bomb-splinter protection, ventilation, and guards. RED MESSAGE—raid imminent. 1. Sound “Red” air raid warning signal. 2. Make final check of all personnel and equipment in Plant Control Room. 3. Check on readiness of protective services, if feasible. 4. Make certain all materials with which each member of staff must work are ready for instant use. 5. Clear desks for action. BLUE MESSAGE—raiders passed. 1. Sound “Blue” warning signal. 2. Staff of Plant Control Room continues to function until all incidents are cleared and damage under control. If no incidents have occurred, the staff functions until relieved by the Coordinator following the “All Clear” signal. WHITE MESSAGE—all clear. 1. Protection services demobilized if all incidents have been cleared. This will be authorized by the Coordinator after consultation with the chiefs of service. 2. Plant restored to operation as speedily as possible. (In plants having proper light, obscuration, production should be resumed on the second “Blue” warning.) - 1 This is based on the signal system prevailing in all parts of the country except the Western Defense Command. 9 THE REPORTING PROCEDURE Reports of damage, fire, casualties, war gases, persons trapped in wreckage, or the presence of possible unexploded bombs are sent to the Plant Control Room by the wardens by telephone or messenger. Facilities are available in some large plants for two-way short wave radio. This provides an alternate means of reporting, where the emergency use of such equipment has been cleared through the Commander of the local Citizens Defense Corps. The form of such reports should be standardized to save time in transmission. If the warden reads his report in the same order as the telephonist’s message form, the possibility of misunderstanding is minimized. The details of the message should be concise, but complete enough to give the Control Room staff adequate information upon which to base decisions. A suggested Warden’s Damage Report form is shown on page 13. If the incident involves war gas, an unexploded bomb, or fallen aircraft, the Coordinator (or Controller) immediately notifies the community control center. In those cases where the Coordinator has a trained bomb reconnaissance agent or gas reconnaissance agent on his staff, he will also dispatch such agent to the scene and notify the control center of this fact. When the emergency service units are mobilized and ready for action, this information should be sent to the Control Room on a regular message form. Headquarters of the mobile units should report to the Control Room when a unit returns from an incident and is available for use elsewhere. PREPARATION AND FLOW OF INCIDENT REPORTS Reports are received at the Plant Control Room in one of two ways: 1. By telephone.1 2. By messenger. The method of handling a message received by telephone is as follows: 1. Telephonist writes message as received on an Incident ’Report Form making as many car 1 In those plants using two-way short wave radio, the procedure is the same as used for reports received by telephone. bons as are needed. It is desirable to make a carbon copy for each person who will be required to act on the message. 2. Message is sent to the message supervisor who initials it and sends all copies to the map clerk. The map clerk supplies the incident number, and, keeping one copy, forwards the remainder to the Coordinator and the Chiefs of Services. The method of handling a message received by messenger is as follows: 1. The message is delivered to the message supervisor, who makes out the necessary number of copies. 2. The copies are then transmitted to the map clerk, and on to the Coordinator and Chiefs of Services in the same manner as a telephone message. It is essential that a check be made of each incident report to determine whether it concerns a new incident or one previously reported. This is a responsibility of the map clerk. Immediately on receiving an incident report, he checks his map to determine this point. If the incident has been previously reported, he indicates this fact on the copies which are routed to the Coordinator and service chiefs. If the incident has not been previously reported, it is given a number and plotted on the map. It is then listed on the incident chart. EVALUATION AND DISPATCH OF SERVICES As each Chief of Service receives his copy of the incident report, he decides (either individually or in consultation with the Coordinator or other service chiefs) the attention required of his service. He then writes out his action inessage and dispatches it either by telephone or messenger as conditions warrant. The action message is then delivered to the map clerk who records on the control panel the action taken. It is then routed to the message supervisor for the current action file. In small plants, the Coordinator may receive the incident report and read it aloud to inform the chiefs of services, who then write out their action message as described above. NEED FOR TRAINING The successful operation of the Plant Control Room can be assured only if each member of the IO GENERAL MESSAGE FORM To Date From Time Text: Message out: Telephone, by_____________________________ Messenger by_______________;______________ Other by__________________________________ Message in: Telephone by________________________ Messenger by ______________________ Other by____________________________ 11 INCIDENT REPORT FORM 1. Date Telephonists Initials: Time Received: Warden Post: x Incident No. : 2. Location Original □ Supplementary □ 3. H. E. □ Incendiary □ Gas □ Other (state) Fire?' 4. Yes □ No □ Fire Brigade on Scene? Yes □ No □ Trapped Persons: 5. Number (approx.) Casualties: Number (approx.) Location of Unexploded Bombs: 6. Roads Blocked: (Passageways, Driveways) 7. Yes □ No □ Location — Other Damage 8 (state): • Remarks: 9. ACTION REPORI (To be filled out by Coordinator or Chief of Service) 10. Services Dispatched \ 11. Services Returned 12. Action Ordered By — 12 WARDEN’S DAMAGE REPORT s* Your Post: Location of Incident: - Type of Incident: 3. H. E. Fl Incendiary □ Gas □ Other (state) . Is There a Fire? 4. Yes □ No O Is Plant Fire Brigade Fighting Fire? Yes O No □ Trapped Persons: 5. Number (approx.) Casualties: Number (approx.) Location of Unexploded Bombs: ( Roads Blocked: (Passageways, driveways) - 7. Yes □' No □ Location Other Damage (state): 8 - Remarks: 9 —. - 13 Control Room staff is thoroughly competent in performing his duties, and works with the other members in a coordinated manner. A comprehensive program of training and exercise should be carried out to develop proper individual efficiency and effective teamwork. Practices for the Control Room staff should be held frequently until the Coordinator is satisfied that the organization will run smoothly in an emergency. Such practices can be carried out independently of the individual services, but it will add to the over-all efficiency if some of the practices also include practice incident reporting for air raid warden personnel. Plant Control Room exercises should also be carried out in connection with community practices, so that experience in coordinating the plant protection with the community will be gained by staffs of both the Plant Control Room and the community Control Center. The Communications System Facilities required for communication vary according to the size and nature of the plant. The following factors should be considered, however, in setting up a communications plan for any plant: 1. Arrangements should be kept as simple as possible. 2. The telephone system will ordinarily be the primary communications medium. However, alternate methods should be provided for use in the event that telephone service is disrupted and for normal use at locations where it is not feasible to provide telephone equipment. 3. Procedures to be followed should be specified in detail, so that each member of the protective force knows when and how he is to communicate with the coordinating group under all conditions. 4. All communications, except those related to coordination of the protective services should be prohibited during the period of the emergency. 5. Existing telephone and other communications facilities should be used wherever possible, in order to conserve critical materials. Broadly, the communications system in most plant control plans is made up of three equally important parts—the Plant Control Room facilities, the facilities available to the plant protection services, and the telephone switch board service. Regardless of the size or type of plant, certain common requirements apply to the communications arrangements provided at each of these points. PLANT CONTROL ROOM Telephony lines for receiving warnings and incident reports.—A minimum of two telephone lines (from the plant switchboard or dial private branch exchange system where such equipment is in service) should ordinarily be available for the sole purpose of receiving warnings, and incident reports.. More lines should be provided where the anticipated call load justifies. Any available type of telephone instrument-can be used. These lines should be consecutively numbered since by so arranging them they will be grouped together on the switchboard and the operator will more readily be able to select an available line. This also applies where dial private branch exchange systems are in use. If the design of the system permits, the lines should be arranged for what is known as “group hunting,” that is, mechanical selection of any available line in the group by simply dialing the first number. Where sizable groups of lines are required, consideration should be given to silencing the bells and mounting them in front of the attendants in such a way that the movement of the bell clappers will be visible on incoming calls. Noise and confusion in the Control Room will be minimized in this way. (In some instances, because of the importance and location of the plant, a direct line from the community control center to the Control Room may also be provided solely for the receipt of warning messages.) However, in cases where 24-hour coverage of the Control Room is provided and advance confidential warning messages are routed direct to that point, care should be taken to insure that signals on the line used for this purpose will be audible at all times to the person on duty. General alerting of plant personnel.— Ordinarily it is practicable to adapt some existing signal system for this purpose, for example, fire alarm systems, signals used for announcing change of shifts, luncheon periods, etc., or codecall and voice-paging systems (the latter as a means of transmitting a distinctive sound, followed where appropriate by a vocal announce- , ment). Whatever medium is used for alerting 14 the plant, it is important that the signal be distinctive so it will not be confused with other normal signals. Also, the warning should be audible in all parts of the plant where employees are likely to be located. Provision should be made wherever possible for operating the warning signal system directly from the Control Room. By so doing, it will be possible to avoid delays and to guard against sabotage, such as false warnings to disrupt production or prematurely to lift the black-out. Dispatching and coordinating protective services.-—Except in very small plants, sepa-. rate telephone lines (from the regular plant telephone system) should be available for this purpose. They should not be a part of the group of liftes used for receiving warnings and incident reports. The number of lines required will depend on the size of the plant and the organization of the protective services. Ordinarily each key member of the Control Room staff who will have occasion to dispatch and coordinate protective services should be provided with a separate line. In small plants one or two people may coordinate all services, whereas in a large plant a considerable number of people with highly specialized duties may require telephone service. The lines provided for this purpose need not be arranged as a consecutive group since any incoming calls to these lines will be intended only for the person responsible for coordinating a particular service. Normally, any communication with the community control center for the purpose of reporting incidents or requesting outside assistance would 'be handled over one of these lines. PLANT PROTECTION SERVICES Telephone service for reporting incidents and receiving instructions.—All parts of the plant should be surveyed and telephones designated for use by the various protective forces during emergencies, including: 1. Warden posts, sector and division headquarters. 2. Emergency service unit headquarters and stations. 3. Guard stations. 4. Shelters. , The telephone posts selected should be in protected locations where possible. They should provide an unrestricted view of the area covered by the post or should be near such a point. Existing plant telephone facilities should be used wherever possible. Ordinarily, the only additional telephones which might be required would be for roof spotters. However, even this addition can usually be avoided by assigning two spotters to each location, one of whom would be responsible for going to a nearby telephone in the plant to report any incident which occurred. When installation of telephones for roof spotters is required, a typical installation might be a regular desk-type telephone located in an elevator or stairway penthouse or in a weatherproof roof shanty. All telephone posts should be covered immediately by designated persons in the protective force as soon as the force is alerted. This coverage should continue during the period of the emergency: 1. To report incidents. 2. To prevent unauthorized use by employees. 3. To prevent attempted sabotage through the reporting of false incidents. 4. To insure prompt answering of calls from the Control Room (particularly important where noise or distance would make it difficult to hear the telephone bell from the post of the person in charge of the particular area). TELEPHONE SWITCHBOARD SERVICE The following material applies specifically to plants served by some type of switchboard, but the fundamentals apply also where the central answering facilities consist of simpler equipment, such as key cabinet, key telephone, or one or more telephone instruments. Physical protection of telephone quarters.—The telephone switchboard and dial equipment rooms (or other central answering point, where such facilities are not in service) should be checked from the standpoint of their vulnerability, both in case of attempted sabotage and from air raid. While shortage of critical materials will not permit relocation of equipment except in unusual cases, the following measures will reduce the hazards involved: 1. Telephone rooms should be kept locked and access should be restricted to designated people whose duties require that they be 15 admitted. These people should be positively identified before being admitted. 2. Where windows, skylights and ventilators in the telephone quarters are so located and are of such a type that they might permit access in the case of attempted sabotage, provision should be made for locking or otherwise securing them against entrance. In addition, consideration should be given to providing wire screen guards for exposed windows of rooms housing vital telephone equipment and operating personnel as a protection against air-raid damage. 3. Where the general construction and location of the quarters is such that they would be particularly vulnerable to bomb fragments and concussion, consideration should be given to reenforcing floors, walls, and ceilings. 4. Particularly during periods when the switchboard is unattended, the telephone room should be covered in the regular tour of watchmen. While not directly related to this subject, an important consideration in the physical arrangements of the telephone quarters is the provision of some adequate form of emergency room lighting for use in the event of power failure (for example, lamps, flashlights, or a small generating unit). Personnel arrangements.—In the case of an emergency occurring at a time when the switchboard is attended, relief operators—that is, operators who assist during luncheon reliefs, rest periods, or who substitute during other absences of regular operators—should be instructed to proceed at once to the telephone room to assist in handling any call load that may develop. In the case of an emergency occurring at a time when the switchboard is unattended, designated employees who are fully competent to operate the switchboard under the stress of heavy loads should man the board immediately. Because of the vital importance of the switchboard in the whole plant defense coordination system, it is essential that -an adequate number of operators be available during emergency periods. In all cases, at least two operators should be on duty at such times in order to avoid breakdown of the system if one of them should become incapacitated. Operating procedures.—— In cases where a preliminary confidential warning is received at the switchboard by telephone, the operators should be provided with written instructions covering a limited number of people which it will be their responsibility to alert. This list should specify the order in which the calls are to be placed. Facilities for receiving warnings by telephone vary according to the requirements of the case. They may consist of a trunk line on the switchboard, reserved for this purpose and not consecutive with the regular group of trunks serving the plant (in this case provision must be made for temporarily connecting the line to some other point such as a guard station at times when the switchboard is unattended); they may consist of a separate central office line terminating at some point such as the plant protection headquarters; or a direct private line may be provided from the community warning center to the Plant Control Room in cases where the latter is so located that 24-hour coverage is available. Operators should be provided with lists of plant people to whom priority should be given in the event that the swithboard becomes overloaded. In the case of large switchboards, distinctive marking of priority lines, such as by the use of colored lamp caps, will facilitate operation at such times. Operators should also be instructed as to the types of incoming calls to be connected to extensions during emergency periods and the procedure to be followed in disposing of other incoming calls received at such times. Emergency lists should be prepared at the switchboard showing the names and telephone numbers of all key people in the plant protection organization. Where arrangements have been provided through the community central office for dealing with congestion which might delay or block incoming and outgoing calls, operators should be familiar with procedures to be followed when such arrangements are in effect. WAR EMERGENCY RADIO SERVICE Some plants have two-way short wave radio equipment. Where such equipment is available, it can be used to supply a thoroughly reliable communication link virtually impervious to interruption during an attack. It is suggested that this equipment be located at the Plant Control Room, and at other fixed points 16 such as key warden posts, headquarters of mobile units, and the like. The plant should be licensed as a part of the War Emergency Radio Service (WERS). Details of this licensing should be cleared through the community- Citizens Defense Corps. All radio operation for civilian defense is subject to the rules and regulations of the Federal Communications Commission. Military requirements also may affect the use of radio for control system purposes. Consideration should be given these factors in planning the use of radio, and proper authorization should be secured. • AUXILIARY MESSENGER SERVICE Messengers should be available at key points throughout the plant for use in the event of partial or total disruption of telephone service. They should be stationed at such locations as the Plant Control Room, wardens’ posts, and the assembly points for the various protective groups. Messengers may also be required as the primary communications medium at locations where it is not feasible to provide telephone service. The volunteers designated for this purpose would ordinarily be trained as * combination messengers and auxiliary helpers. The number of messengers required will depend largely on the size of the plant and the distance involved. In plants covering large areas, fast transportation should be available for use of messengers at remote locations. GENERAL COMMUNICATIONS REQUIREMENTS The communications procedures to be followed by the plant protection services under all conditions should be covered by detailed written instructions. Each member who has communication responsibilities should be provided with a copy of at least that portion applying to his work. Emergency lists should be prepared and furnished to each such person showing the names and telephone numbers of all key people with whom communication may be required during an emergency. All communications should be kept as brief as possible in order to minimize the load on the communications system. General instructions should be issued to all employees directing that those not required to make calls in the line of duty during an emergency refrain from using the telephone at such times. These instructions should also direct that families and friends of employees refrain from calling the plant during these periods. All areas where telephones are located should be policed by the protective forces to assure that only people authorized to make calls during an emergency are permitted to do so. TESTING COMMUNICATIONS FACILITIES It is of utmost importance in the development of an effective communications system for plant defense coordination that arrangements be tested out under a variety of conditions to insure that they will function properly at any hour of the day or night and under any conditions. Such tests should include reporting of incidents, dispatching protective services, maintaining contacts with incidents. They should simulate actual conditions to as great a degree as possible. Since the facilities available in plants vary greatly, it is not feasible to establish a precise pattern for any given type of plant. However, observance of the points outlined above should make it relatively simple for each plant to set up an effective plan which will be within the scope, of its normal communications system. In translating that plan into a specific arrangement of telephone facilities and in correcting difficulties encountered under test conditions, local telephone company representatives should be consulted in order to secure their advice on the technical communications aspects of the plan. SELECTED REFERENCES United States Office of Civilian Defense. Civilian Protection Control System for Smaller Communities. OCD Publication 3065, Washington 25, D. C., 1943, 18 pp. United States Office of Civilian Defense. Passive Protection for Industrial Plants. OCD Publication 3031, Washington 25, D. C. October 1942, 45 pp. United States Office of Civilian Defense. War Emergency Radio Service. OCD Publication 3040, Washington 25, D. C., 1943. U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1943 17