Tentative Civil Defence Plan To Use City Schools

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29744, 10 February 1962, Page 15

Tentative Civil Defence Plan To Use City Schools

Tentative plans for civil defence and emergency use of high schools as medical, welfare and communication centres are being put to Christchurch headmasters. Cr. H. P Smith, the elvff defence area controller, is sounding out headmasters on their co-operation in a scheme, emphasised as “tentative,” and devised by the

Christchurch Civil Defence Officer, Mr J. Legigat. The proposal divides the eity into nine segments. Nine schools near the fringe of the metropolitan area have been designated as control points. Under the scheme, a well-known citizen would be chosen to supervise training and “operations": headmasters would probably be second in command in each segment. Cashmere View

Yesterday, the board of governors of Cashmere High School heard the letter written by Cr. Smith to the headmaster, Mr T. H McCombs The board agreed it should support the proposal and that the headmaster should attend a meeting to be held soon to discuss the plans. Cr. Smith said the civil defence officer had produced a tentative scheme for Christchurch envisaging the use of the Riccarton, Burnside. Papanui. Mairehau, Aranui. Linwood. Cashmere, and Hillmorten High Schools. It breaks the city into nine segments near main access roads and, in the event of “a national emergency or a major disaster.” the school grounds and buildings would be used for the establishment of medical posts, for the welfare of displaced persons and for communications on relief work.

"They are the kind of agencies that Hastings and Napier had to improvise during the 1931 earthquake." said Cr. Smith in his letter Discussions have been held already on the selection of segment controllers and it has been agreed that these should' be well-known and canable citizens. Cr. Smith’s letter said: “We feel that we could not do bet-

ter than ask the headmasters of the school* mentioned to act aa 2 i-ca with the specific responsibility of organism* and. in ‘operations.’ controlling the centre frtaMMhed ■S-4imr~s£hooto J ' These men would be well known and experienced. Mid Cr. Smith, ensuring that relief operations in the area around their Bchoote could be expeditiously carried out.