Conducting a Neighborhood Civil Defense Meeting Pt 1

Ever wonder where those tin-helmeted civil defense wardens got their training? It appears that one popular way of informing wardens to be was through a slideshow/ record presentation such as the one presented here. Conducting a Neighborhood Civil Defense Meeting, created by the FCDA in November of 1952, gives an in-depth look at how to get the best results when speaking to a diverse and uninformed crowd. Sometimes humorous, sometimes sexist, and always colorful, the slide show offers some excellent artwork as well as a theatrical atmosphere to civil defense (a script for acting out various parts was included with the record!).

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Conducting
• Neighborhood
• Civil
• Defense
• Meeting
• 1952
• FCDA
• Department
• of
• Fallout
• Radioactivity
• Radiation
• Shelter
• Warden
• Rescue
• Slide
• Show
• Record
• Atomic
• Bomb
• Nuclear
• Education

[Petemonster62]

One isoated exception; there is a film on YOUTUBE " Tornado " from 1956 with a classroom scene of weather spotters receiving training. One of the spotters is sporting a CD arm band.

[atomicfilmsite]

@Petemonster62

Well I certainly must thank you for tipping me off to that clip, it was an interesting film. All it would take to make the transition to a nuclear civil defense film would be to change the word tornado to bomb, every other element was identical. Fascinating Stuff!

[Petemonster62]

Ah yes, the combination filmstrip projector/phonograph that was a classroom fixture for Baby Boomers! Originally trained to help in the event of an atomic attack, the civil defense volunteer proved invaluable during natural disasters; WCCO-AM radio's recorded account of the tornadoes that struck the Minneapolis/St.Paul area on 5/06/1965 have pleas for civil defense volunteers to meet & mobilize at fire stations. Many volunteer fire fighters also did double duty as civil defense members.

[atomicfilmsite]

@Petemonster62

That's very true. It's interesting that, except for a few notable exceptions, most civil defense films didn't really exploit the similarities between preparedness for an atomic attack and a natural disaster until the late 1960's and early 1970's at which point it became the focus of most plots.

[Petemonster62]

Also I read somewhere that the Civilan Observer Corps who watched the skies & reported sitings of aircraft by hotline phone to a military base starting in 1950 also started watching & reporting tornadoes & other severe weather around 1955 until 1959 when the program was cancelled because the aircraft radar warning system was considered complete.