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Show NEXT WEDNESDAY IS NATIONAL CIVIL DEFENSE DAY "Civil Defense Day, Dec. 7, falls on the 19th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor disaster a date which reminds us of the vital need for swift warning for our civilian population in an attack emergency," said Director Leo A. Hoegh of the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization. "The lesson of Pearl Harbor is that national disaster can stem from an inadequate warning system sys-tem and incomplete public knowledge knowl-edge of warning signals. Thus, OCDM considers the maintenance and expansion of the National Warning System (NAWAS) to be one of its most vital operations." Mr. Heogh pointed out that OCDM Attack Warning Officers are on duty at all times at North American Air Defense. Command Headquarters. The same information infor-mation that would trigger military mili-tary retaliation in case of attack would cause a warning to be flashed across the country to the civilian population in less than 90 seconds. NAWAS today has 376 major warning points thruout the nation na-tion on 24-hour aleart. The addition ad-dition of 60 more stations is planned during the next year, the OCDM director revealed. Inadequate public knowledge of the warning signals is being overcome by public information and education at all levels of government, Mr. Heogh pointed out . Wallet cards and pamphlets that explain the warning signals are available free at every civil defense office. These cards tell the public that a steady siren blast of 3 to 5 minutes means: "Attack probable take action as ; indicated by local government." A wailing tone or short blasts for 3 minutes means: "Attack imminent immi-nent -take cover immediately in best available shelter." Knowledge of the warning signals sig-nals is one of five fundamentals of effective civil defense, Mr. Hoegh points out. The others are: Know your community . plan for emergency action. Know first aid, which is valuable valu-able for everyday living as well ' Know how to use CONELRAD. In an emergency, turn to 640 or 1240 on your radio dial for local official instructions and information. informa-tion. Know fallout protection measures. meas-ures. Plan your home shelter. Get from your local civil defense office or by writing Box Home Shelter, Battle Creek, Mich., a copy of "The Family Fallout Shelter" booklet. "If we wait until the sirens sound to prepare, it could be too late. We must prepare our homes and families now to meet an emergency if it should come. Civil defense begins with a prepared pre-pared family and ends with a protected nation. This is the lesson of Civil Defense Day, 1960," Mr. Hoegh concluded. |