Notes on City Gas for Air Raid Wardens

[Notes on City Gas for Air Raid Wardens]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

NOTES ON CITY Gl

FOR

AIR RAID WARDENS

United States
OFFICE OF CIVILIAN DEFENSE
Washingtons D. C»

Prepared by the Training Section
U. S. OFFICE OF CIVILIAN DEFENSE
Washington, D. C.

U. S. Government Printing Office, August 1942, Washington, D. C.

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C.

Price 5 cents

NOTES ON CITY GAS FOR AIR RAID WARDENS

The purpose of this bulletin is to provide the air raid warden with definite information about city gas which will be of direct help in the event of bombing or other attack in his area. The air raid warden will be better prepared to save life and property and render assistance by learning some of the fundamentals of city gas service. Normal conditions will be restored much more quickly in the bombed area if the air raid warden reports in the correct manner the damage to street and buildings involving gas. This will enable the gas company to send out proper material and an appropriate repair squad with a minimum of delay.
The first thing for the air raid warden to remember is the statement of the Office of Civilian Defense to the public as to the procedure to follow during an air raid alarm or damage resulting from actual attack.
“The American Gas Association recommends that you make no attempt to shut off the main gas valve. Simply turn off the stove burners that are lit but not the pilot light. If the house is badly damaged, the main gas valve should be shut off. Once the main valve is turned off for any reason do not turn it on again yourself; call for a trained man. Your local gas company is working out further detailed directions with your

local defense council. Watch for these instructions and then follow them.”
The words “main gas valve” in the above statement refer to the principal valve or cock on the premises by means of which gas supply to a building can be turned off. Wardens should inform themselves of the location of this main gas cock in premises under their jurisdiction and should be equipped with a suitable wrench to operate these cocks.
In the case of houses which are undamaged but in the immediate vicinity of a bombed area, air raid wardens should advise occupants to check immediately gas appliances which have been left in operation to see that they are continuing to function satisfactorily. If pilots are extinguished or any other evidence of unsatisfactory operation is disclosed, occupants should turn off the affected gas appliance immediately.

Special Note to Apartment House Wardens.
Tenants in apartment houses which have a

FIGURE 1. Gas piping (a common arrangement.)

meter and metercock within the individual apartment should follow the procedure recommended above. Where gas meters are not located within the individual apartments, the building superintendent will be familiar with the location of gas shut-off valves or cocks, and should be responsible for closing them if the building is badly damaged. Once these valves are turned off for any reason, they should not be turned on again except by a trained man.
Special Note to Wardens Covering Commercial or Industrial Buildings.
Some air raid wardens may cover small commercial or industrial establishments in their area. In this case, the procedure recommended is the same as for household premises.
Larger plants are staffed with competent engineers familiar with the use of gas who will be expected to take care of their own situations. Be sure that you know which plants are your responsibility.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE CITY GAS SYSTEM

The following material furnishes information on the steps air raid wardens should take when confronted with damage to gas mains in streets, or gas pipes and meters in buildings. The words “city gas” refer to the gas furnished by your local gas company.

GAS DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

The distribution system of a gas company consists essentially of three parts which are shown in Figure 1.

a. Mains,

Gas mains are pipes which generally run under and parallel to the street although they may be located elsewhere as, for example, between curb and sidewalk or in alleys. They vary in size from 1 inch to 48 inches or more in diameter.

b, Service Pipes,

These are the pipes which deliver gas from the main to the meter in each building and which normally run at right angles from the main to the buildings.

c. House (Internal) Piping,

These are the pipes in the building connecting the meter to the gas appliances.

STREET VALVES AND COCKS

a. Street Valves,

Valves, generally located in the street, are used to control the flow of gas in mains. On no account should these street main valves be touched except by the gas company personnel.

b, Meter Cocks,

Every premise served with gas is provided with one or more cocks somewhere between the gas main in the street and the meter. This cock controls the flow of gas to the meter and the whole of the house (internal) piping and appliances served by that meter. This cock may be found adjacent to the meter or at some other nearby point. The warden should familiarize

himself with the location of this principal shut-off. The cock usually is a “plug” cock which can be turned off by the use of a medium-sized Stillson or monkey wrench or special key (consult your local defense council as to the type of wrench or key required in your district). In turning the cock, do so slowly. As a general rule, meter cocks are “on” when the head is in line with the line of pipe and “off” when the head is at right angles to the line of pipe.
Figure 2 shows a typical gas meter and its inlet cock. As shown, the cock is in the open position. The sketch at the left shows the meter cock in the closed position.

FIGURE 2. Typical meter and inlet cock.

Figure 3 shows another typical installation with a pressure reducer or regulator and service cock. As shown, the cock is in the open position.- The sketch at the right shows the service cock in the closed position.

FIGURE 3. Typical meter, regulator, and inlet cock.

To turn some of these cocks requires considerable force and consequently the greatest care should be exercised to avoid damaging or breaking the pipe.
The flow of gas to large buildings (hospitals, institutions, theaters, public housing projects, and the like) can usually be controlled by an exterior valve on the service pipe. Such service valves are usually operated by keys which are carried by gas company repair squads and sometimes by the Fire Department.

ACTION TO BE TAKEN BY WARDENS WHEN DAMAGE TO GAS SYSTEM HAS OCCURRED

POINTS TO REMEMBER

1. Never ignite a suspected leak or look for it with a match or open flame.
2. Any mixture having the smell of gas may be explosive.
3. Do not attempt to extinguish any gas flame except by stopping the flow of gas.
4. Ordinary war gas masks offer no protection against city gas and render its detection difficult. If wearing a gas mask, be doubly cautious if leaks of city gas are suspected.
5. Gas company personnel are equipped with special gas masks for protection against city gas when required.
6. If you do anything to gas equipment of any kind, be sure to tell the gas company representative what you have done as promptly as possible.

DAMAGE TO GAS SYSTEM RESULTING FROM ENEMY ACTION

The types of damage to the gas system which may result from air raids may be grouped as follows:
1. Street main broken and gas burning.
2. Street main broken but gas escaping un-ignited.
3. Service pipe broken, the escaping gas being either ignited or unignited.
4. Damage to buildings causing damage to internal gas piping, the escaping gas being ignited or unignited, or both.
The following recommendations will serve as a guide as to what should and should not be done where gas is escaping from damaged mains, service pipes or house piping.

1 • Street Main on Fire,
Do not extinguish fire. Call your report center to notify the Fire Department to prevent spread of fire. Extinguishment of flames and shutting off of gas mains must be done by gas company personnel. There is no danger except from fire spreading to adjacent inflammable material.

2. Unignited Gas Escaping from Street Main.
Do not try to stop the escape of gas and DO NOT IGNITE the escaping gas. Guard against all possible sources of ignition since pockets of a mixture of gas and air (perhaps explosive) may have formed in cavities, sewers, manholes, etc.

City gas is usually lighter than air and will dissipate rapidly in the open air.
Be sure that no open flames are used in the vicinity and that no smoking is permitted. Strike no matches. Stop all traffic to prevent a passing car or trolley from striking a spark near the leak.
Keep everyone away from the escaping gas. Stay away yourself, and to avoid risk of being gassed, endeavor to keep “up wind” of the leak.

3. Service Pipes Damaged or Broken.

If the escaping gas makes a loud rushing noise, stay away.
In other cases, broken service pipes up to 2 inches in diameter, whether the gas is ignited or not, may be controlled by wardens or rescue personnel before the arrival of the gas company squad. The simplest method of temporarily stopping a small pipe is to seal it with moist clay, soap or a wet rag. The moist clay is best applied with a spade or shovel, by throwing a shovel full over the leak. Or a large mass of the clay (about half a bucketful) can be thrown at or dropped over the leak.
If this clay blows off, stay away and keep others away.
If the escaping gas is burning, there is no danger except from the risk of fire spreading to adjacent inflammable material. No attempt should be made to extinguish the gas flame except by completely shutting off the flow or sealing the escape of gas. Incomplete sealing of the leak may result in the escape of unbumed gas—a more serious hazard.

4» Bouse Piping Damaged or Broken.
Get the occupants out of the house. If possible, turn off the cock at the meter. If this is impossible, you may be able to shut off the flow of gas by temporarily stopping the broken pipe with soap, a wet rag, a wooden plug or moist clay.

WHERE UNIGNITED GAS IS ESCAPING WITHIN OR ENTERING INTO BUILDINGS

1. Immediately evacuate all persons in the building or buildings, including any persons who may be sleeping or ill, to a place free from gas fumes. Don’t expose yourself or others unnecessarily to a gaseous atmosphere. Use extreme care wherever there is escaping gas and guard against all possible sources of ignition. Never strike a match anywhere where there is an odor of gas.
2. Any persons rendered unconscious by gas should immediately be given artificial respiration at a safe distance from the leak. Other first aid and medical attention may also be required and should be asked for if needed.
3. If the bomb has not already ventilated the buildings by shattering the windows, promptly ventilate the buildings by opening doors and windows. This applies particularly to basements and cellars in which the doors and windows should always be opened or, if necessary, broken from the outside.
4. The flow of gas should be brought under control after the above steps have been taken if it appears safe to do so.

REPORTING

Include reports of damage to gas mains in your ordinary warden report to the control center.
If asked for supplementary report, you should be prepared to give the following details:
WHAT—gas main, service pipe, or house piping; burning or not burning; pipe broken in crater, crater flooded, or gas escaping through earth.

WHAT TO DO AFTER A RAID

Although the turning on of gas service in undamaged buildings after an air raid is not the normal function of an air raid warden, cases may arise in which a warden may be asked for advice. In such cases, normally refer the person to the local gas company. For the information of air raid wardens, the following typical procedure is given.

TYPICAL INSTRUCTIONS FURNISHED TO GAS COMPANY CUSTOMERS WHO ARE COMPETENT TO TURN ON THEIR OWN GAS

Turning on your gas supply after an air raid should not be attempted until official notification has been received that gas may be turned on again and that gas pressure has been properly restored in the street mains. Occupants of premises where the main gas valve has been turned off for any reason should then appeal to plumbers, gas company employees, or other properly qualified persons for assistance in turning on their gas sup-

ply. Whenever individual gas users are thoroughly familiar with the operation and lighting of their own gas appliances, the following three steps may serve as a guide in restoring gas service.
First.—All gas-burning appliances must be TURNED OFF before restoring gas service. Go to each gas appliance and see that all burner and pilot valves, “keys” or cocks are turned off. Gas range pilots may be “shut off” by a thumb screw or adjustment screw even if there is no pilot gas cock. Some gas range pilots are not so equipped and these are the only permissible exception to the rule “SHUT OFF BEFORE TURNING ON” the gas.
Second.—Go to the gas meter and turn on the inlet gas cock slowly. Watch the dials on the gas meter for at least ten minutes to see if there is any movement of any hand on the dial. If there is movement, reclose the inlet meter cock immediately and get in touch with a plumber or the gas company. If there is no movement on the dials proceed with the third step.
Third.—Go immediately to the gas range and turn on one cooking top burner, applying a match until the burner lights and burns with a normal flame. If the gas range has a pilot light, it should then be lighted. Other gas appliances, such as the refrigerator, water heater, etc., should then be lighted in the usual manner.
If not entirely certain and familiar with the proper method of lighting and operating your gas appliances, do not attempt these steps but call on the services of a plumber, gas company employee, or some other qualified person to turn on the gas.

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U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1942

16-30089-1