Volunteers were ascribed to different units depending on experience or training. The organization of civil defense was the responsibility of the local authority. Over 1.9 million people served within the CD nearly 2,400 died from enemy action.Īir Raid Warden testing his equipment in Brisbane in October 1942.
Its remit included the pre-existing ARP as well as wardens, firemen (initially the Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS) and latterly the National Fire Service (NFS)), fire watchers, rescue, first aid post, stretcher party and industry. A different government department proposed setting up camps for refugees for a few days before sending them back to London.Ī special government department, the Civil Defence Service, was established by the Home Office in 1935. To control the population harsh measures were proposed: bringing London under almost military control, and physically cordoning off the city with 120,000 troops to force people back to work. It was believed that there would be "total chaos and panic" and hysterical neurosis as the people of London would try to flee the city. The Committee produced figures estimating that in London there would be 9,000 casualties in the first two days and then a continuing rate of 17,500 casualties a week. The most devastating raids inflicted 121 casualties for each ton of bombs dropped this figure was then used as a basis for predictions.Īfter the war, attention was turned toward civil defense in the event of war, and the Air Raid Precautions Committee (ARP) was established in 1924 to investigate ways for ensuring the protection of civilians from the danger of air-raids. German bombing operations of the First World War were surprisingly effective, especially after the Gotha bombers surpassed the zeppelins. The bombing of the United Kingdom began on 19 January 1915 when German zeppelins dropped bombs on the Great Yarmouth area, killing six people. The advent of civil defense was stimulated by the experience of the bombing of civilian areas during the First World War. History Origins United Kingdom īritish First World War poster, bringing attention to the threat posed by aerial bombardment from German Zeppelins. Some countries have organized civil defense along paramilitary lines, or have incorporated it within armed forces, such as the Soviet Civil Defense Forces (Войска гражданской обороны). For example, the Swedish-language word totalförsvar ("total defense") refers to the commitment of a wide range of national resources to defense, including the protection of all aspects of civilian life. Some countries treat civil defense as a key part of defense in general. The new concept is characterised by a number of terms, each of which has its own specific shade of meaning, such as crisis management, emergency management, emergency preparedness, contingency planning, civil contingency, civil aid and civil protection. Since the end of the Cold War, the focus of civil defense has largely shifted from responding to military attack to dealing with emergencies and disasters in general. Civil-defense structures became widespread after authorities recognised the threats posed by nuclear weapons. Programs of this sort were initially discussed at least as early as the 1920s and were implemented in some countries during the 1930s as the threat of war and aerial bombardment grew. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, or emergency evacuation and recovery. The international distinctive sign of civil defense, defined by the rules of international humanitarian law and to be used as a protective signĬivil defense (British English: civil defence) or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from man-made and natural disasters.
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