Category Archives: Civil Defence

Take Cover! – Civil Defense During the Nuclear Age

Posted on by

After the end of the Second World War Richmond returned to a semblance of normal life. The Air Raid Precautions Brigades were disbanded, wartime activities were ended and the prospect of further wartime Civil Defence measures seemed unlikely. Then, in September 1949, a routine American Air Force Weather Service flight from Japan to Alaska picked up traces of radioactive debris in its filters, indicating that a nuclear explosion had taken place in the Soviet Union and that the Communist Bloc had tested an atomic weapon. The ensuing build-up of nuclear weapons and fear of a potential “atomic Pearl Harbor” led to the next outbreak of Civil Defense action in Richmond and in the rest of Canada.

Newspaper articles like this front page of the March 17, 1953 Vancouver Province did little to ease concerns about the threat of nuclear war.

By 1951 Ottawa had begun the process of planning for the possibility of a nuclear attack and had declared that Vancouver, New Westminster, North and West Vancouver, Burnaby and Richmond were a “Target Area” for the purpose of Civil Defense. Committees and sub-committees were organized, and a chain of command was set up. At the request of the authorities, maps were prepared by local officials showing details such as population density (day and night), transportation and communications, location of hospitals (including number of beds), schools (number of students and staff), police and fire stations, Government buildings and bridges.

The intent of the planning was to ensure the survival of as many people as possible after an atomic strike. The destruction and casualties resulting from a direct strike on Vancouver would have been massive, but it was felt that with sufficient warning and training of the civilian population, injuries, deaths and sickness from radiation could be halved.

This full-page article by reporter Bill Ryan published in the August 9, 1951 issue of the Vancouver Sun speculates on the effects of an Atom Bomb attack on Vancouver.

Newspaper articles about Civil Defense became common, giving instructions on ways to survive an “Atom Attack.” By early 1953, Civil Defense courses were offered, first a nine-week course for civilians who volunteered to become instructors and then basic general courses for the public. The federal Government sent out a convoy of tractor-trailers with an exposition on civil defense which travelled across the country, arriving at the Seaforth Armouries in late October, 1953. The displays, on loan from the USA, offered the latest information on national readiness and atomic warfare. It was expected that approximately 10% of the population would sign up for civil defense duties and many did.

This article appeared in the May 9, 1951 issue of the Richmond Review, repeating instructions from a U.S. Government publication.

In 1953, the four old A.R.P. sirens mounted at the four fire halls were the only warning devices in Richmond. At the request of the Coordinator of Civil Defense, the Richmond Superintendent of Public works produced a map showing the requirements for a system of sirens to alert all residents of Richmond. The network of sirens used 17 of the same type of units presently mounted at the fire halls, 5 horsepower electric sirens with an audible area of one mile radius. The four existing sirens could be used, but three of them would be moved for better coverage. Four air horns were to be provided for use by the fire departments. The total cost of the installed network was expected to be $12,446.72, divided equally by the Federal, Provincial and Municipal Governments, with the Federal Government supplying the sirens free of charge. New installations were to be mounted on wooden poles, supplied with three phase power, and telephone connections to allow their operation. either locally or from a control centre in Vancouver. Each siren had two signals, an undulating wail (indicating a Red Alert) and a continuous siren (indicating All Clear.) This “wish list” of siren placement never took place and it took until the 1960s for Richmond’s warning system to reach its final configuration.

Notice of the civil defense exercise in the June 17, 1953 Richmond Review. Testing of the warning system evolved into silent tests to check electrical and telephone connections, but occasional glitches caused sirens to sound and caused confusion and alarm around the community.

As more attack warning sirens were installed, they were located in a pattern to accomplish maximum coverage of the municipality. Relocation of sirens, usually because of a planned use of the siren’s original location or for upgrading, could take place provided the relocation was not much more than 100 yards away from the original location.

This siren located on Garden City Road just south of Lansdowne was a replacement for one that was on the roof of the Lansdowne Racetrack clubhouse. City of Richmond Archives photograph 1988 123 578.

By 1955, Richmond had seven air raid sirens installed. They were erected at the River Road pumphouse in Hamilton, on Tucker Avenue near No.1 Road in Terra Nova, at River Road near Duck Island and the cedar mill, the Steveston Firehall, the Municipal Hall, Mitchell School and near the airport at Lancaster Crescent. These sirens were all old style A.R.P. units, leftover from the Second World War and, over the years, most would be removed from civil defense service, replaced by more modern models in nearby locations, although some remained active for local use by the firehalls. In 1957 the siren at the Municipal Hall was moved to the top of the hose tower at the Brighouse Firehall only to be supplanted by a newer unit near the intersection of Moffatt Road and Granville on the Richmond High School grounds in 1962.

This pole-mounted siren at Richmond High School replaced one at the Municipal Hall area. Photographs of Richmond’s air raid sirens are surprisingly hard to find. Installations on or near school grounds seemed to be common with examples like this one, and others at Lord Byng School and Hugh Boyd School. City of Richmond Archives photograph.

A new siren north of Lord Byng School in Steveston took over for the one at the fire hall around 1960. A siren proposed for the intersection of Ferndale and Garden City in 1958 was installed on the roof of the Lansdowne Clubhouse and was later replaced by a modern unit on the Garden City lands. Another new siren proposed for the River Road-Shell Road intersection was installed on the roof of the Dr. Ballard’s dog food plant near River Road and No. 5 Road and was later replaced by a pole-mounted unit.

This siren at Lord Byng School, shown here in 1977, was mounted on a steel pole with a maintenance platform. It replaced the Steveston Fire Hall’s siren for Civil Defence alerts. City of Richmond Archives photograph 1978 26 34.

As sirens were added through the 1960s, coverage of the municipality improved, although there were none east of No. 5 Road until Hamilton. Richmond ended up with a total of 15 sirens in the civil defense system.

This annotated map shows the approximate locations of air raid warning sirens in Richmond. Installed from the 1950s through the 1960s, they gave warning to the most populated areas of the Municipality. City of Richmond Archives map 1987 32 10.

Information on surviving an attack continued to be provided by all levels of government throughout the 1960s. A series of free booklets, “Blueprint for Survival,” were published by the federal government and included titles such as “Fallout on the Farm,” “11 Steps to Survival,” “Survival in Likely Target Areas” and “Your Basement Fallout Shelter” were provided free from local Civil Defense authorities.

A page from the “Blueprint for Survival” booklet No. Four, sets out the eleven steps to survive a nuclear attack. City of Richmond Archives reference files.

At Richmond Municipal Hall plans were drawn up for the modification of a part of the outside of the west side of the hall to create a blast/fallout shelter using sheets of plywood and sandbags. Several building permits were issued to local residents who wanted to build similar types of shelters. Basement shelters were unrealistic in Richmond with its high water tables, so the standard of three feet of packed earth or two feet of concrete were considered sufficient for protection against radiation in an above ground shelter.

Illustrations in “11 Steps to Survival” show the difference between an air burst and a ground burst attack. City of Richmond Archives reference files.

The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 saw the world teetering on the edge of nuclear war and raised tensions to their highest point during the Cold War, but as time passed and the threat of mutually assured destruction created a stalemate between the nuclear powers, attitudes began to change and by the mid 1970s local officials were questioning the need for warning sirens in the community.

This clipping from the October 19, 1961 Richmond Review gives details on the modifications made to provide a bomb shelter at the Municipal Hall.

In response, Major W.W. Baldwin of CFB Chilliwack stated, “The current federal government justification on this matter is that, at present, these sirens are the only available warning system that can alert the greatest number of citizens in time to take action that will allow maximum survival or limit the effects of a surprise attack, be it nuclear or conventional in nature.” “If we wish to close our eyes to the possibility of another war then the possibility of a nuclear accident or major industrial accident such as the accidental leakage of toxic substances into the atmosphere should be considered.”

With the end of the Cold war in the early 1990s, a warning system based on 1950s technology, with all of the associated glitches and false alarms, was deemed to be no longer necessary. Between 1994 and 1996 the Department of National Defence removed all the sirens in Canada and destroyed most of them.

This siren at Victoria Park in North Vancouver is one of the few remaining Cold War era sirens. It was preserved as a Municipal Heritage site. Google Maps image.

Today, nearly everyone carries a warning system in their pocket, allowing notifications to reach a much wider part of the population. Smart phones, even with their associated glitches and false alarms, have taken the place of yesterday’s pole-mounted warning sirens.

Air Raid Precautions – Civil Defence in Richmond during the Second World War

Posted on by

Today, with Federal and Provincial Ministries and Municipal departments in charge of response to emergencies and most people carrying devices which can alert them in real time, it’s hard to remember a world when this kind of coordination did not exist. In Richmond the most basic kind of emergency response, fire protection, was established around 1912 in Steveston with a full time Fire Chief in charge of about 24 men. The canneries also took part, providing equipment, like a hand pump, and support, but by 1920 the Steveston fire Brigade had disbanded.

The first Steveston Fire Hall, police station and courthouse, ca. 1915.
City of Richmond Archives photograph 2006 39 64, Chilton Family fonds.

In 1922 a volunteer fire brigade was established in Brighouse under Fire Chief E.W. Ackroyd. The unit, consisting of about 10 men, raised money for equipment, used the police telephone to receive fire calls and responded quickly to calls as two of the members owned vehicles. Despite the department being well run and funded, in 1929 it too disbanded leaving Richmond with no fire department and dependent upon Vancouver Halls to respond to fires.

The Brighouse Volunteer Fire Brigade practices on an old shed near the intersection of Cambie and River Roads, ca. 1923. City of Richmond Archives photograph 1988 95 2.

This was the case until the onset of the Second World War when a Federally mandated Civil Defence program was organized. It was developed to protect civilian populations and minimize damage to materials and infrastructure from the effects of an attack from the air. This was accomplished with the formation of Air Raid Precautions Units of civilian volunteers who received training in preparedness, fire protection, rescue, first aid and evacuation. The Greater Vancouver region was divided up into 28 A.R.P. Districts, each led by a District Chief Warden and a Deputy Chief. Richmond was covered under District 21 and soon had a large cadre of volunteer wardens.

Air Raid Precautions Wardens wore distinctive uniforms with arm bands and steel helmets and received specialized training. In addition to fighting fires, they were tasked with warning the public of potential attack using sirens, whistles and noise makers. They enforced night time black-outs, making sure no light escaped from houses and industrial buildings and that vehicles were equipped with the proper headlight hoods. They distributed gas masks and stirrup pumps and trained civilians in their use. Public firefighting demonstrations were put on along with displays dealing with gas attacks and how to extinguish incendiary bombs.

The Steveston A.R.P. Volunteers demonstrate the effectiveness of the pump on their home built fire truck in April 1942. The gasoline powered pump could supply three hoses, drawing water from a hydrant or any other nearby water source. City of Richmond Archives photograph 1978 40 20.
Marpole-Richmond Review March 24, 1943.

Women’s A.R.P. groups were trained in all aspects of first aid through the St. John’s Ambulance Brigade and the Canadian Red Cross Society and took on the responsibility of setting up first aid stations, caring for casualties, raising funds and providing food and refreshments. They also took part in demonstrations and training in the use of gas masks.

The creation of the A.R.P. resulted in the first coordinated fire protection to cover all of Richmond. The Municipality was divided into six local districts, Steveston, Brighouse, Bridgeport, Sea Island, East Richmond and Mitchell Island and A.R.P. Brigades were assembled in each, receiving some equipment but responsible for funding and building their own fire trucks. These were assembled from purchased farm trucks or large passenger cars, stripped down to their chassis, rebuilt as needed, and fitted with gasoline powered pumps of either 150 or 500 gallons per minute mounted behind the driver’s seat. The bodies were rebuilt with mounted hose, ladder and tool carrying fittings. A rivalry ensued with the different brigades, each trying to complete their vehicle first.

The first mobile A.R.P. Unit in Canada. The Steveston Volunteers with the truck they built out of a 1925 Packard Sedan, Harry Hing at the wheel. City of Richmond Archives photograph 1978 40 13.

The first truck completed was by the Steveston group who were declared to be the first mobile A.R.P. unit in Canada. It was built with volunteer labour by Harry Hing, Jack Gollner and others at the Steveston Service Station at No.1 Road and Steveston Highway. There being no fire hall yet, the truck was kept at the service station, often with a volunteer sleeping there to be ready in case of a call. As reported in the April 15, 1942 Marpole-Richmond Review, “One watching the realistic looking fire engine streak down the road, siren shrieking, crew aboard hanging on for dear life, would never guess that this efficient looking unit had a short time ago been a 1925 Packard sedan purchased in North Vancouver for the big sum of $25.” Where no hydrant was available to supply the pump with water, the suction line could be dropped into a handy ditch or the river, providing a source for the three hoses.

The Brighouse Volunteers with their truck, a modified 1929 Buick Sedan.
City of Richmond Archives photograph 1978 40 31.

The Steveston unit was followed closely by a truck built at McClelland’s Service Station and Brighouse Motors. The Brighouse machine was constructed from a 1929 Buick Sedan and was fitted out much the same as the Steveston unit. The third fire truck built was from the Bridgeport unit, a 1935 Ford truck, outfitted like the other two vehicles.

The Bridgeport A.R.P. Volunteers pose on their fire engine, a converted 1935 Ford Truck.
City of Richmond Archives photograph 2016 16 1.
Richmond’s Air Raid Precautions volunteers pose in front of the Town Hall with their three hand-built fire trucks. On the left is the Bridgeport unit, at centre is the Brighouse truck and on the right is the Steveston truck. These three custom built vehicles responded to calls all over Richmond.
City of Richmond Archives photograph 1978 40 30.

By April 1942 there were four air raid warning sirens erected in Richmond at Steveston, Brighouse, Mitchell and at the Airport. They were all operated from a control room at 650 Burrard St. in Vancouver which sounded all fifty sirens in Vancouver and surrounding areas. Local sirens were also operable individually. A trial of the sirens on Saturday, April 25, 1942 was described in the Richmond Review under the heading “Sirens Heard In Quiet Richmond,” “The rising and falling tone did not sound unfamiliar at that, as anyone who has attended picture shows has heard the mournful wail in war pictures.” “The “imminent danger” signal came first, being five minutes of up and down intonations reaching most parts of the Island very clearly.” “The next message sent out was “raiders past,” being three minutes of steady tone.” “The sirens have one more call, the “alert,” which was not sounded Saturday but which will be five minutes of steady tone.”

The A.R.P. grew rapidly in Richmond and by the end of 1942 had around 850 members, serving in many capacities. The most active group, Steveston, had refurbished a small building next to the former Fisherman’s Hospital on No. 1 Road and set it up as a club room with donated pool tables and furniture. In Brighouse, the A.R.P. group had built a 16 by 30 foot fire hall, complete with a hose drying tower and space for a club room on the upper floor.

Harry Hing mans the pump on the Steveston A.R.P. unit’s home built fire truck. He designed and built both of Steveston’s fire trucks and its ambulance and, like most of the other volunteers, put in countless hours raising funds, fighting fires and building halls. City of Richmond Archives photograph 1984 7 5.

The District Seven (East Richmond – Mitchell) group met at the St. Thomas Hall (East Richmond Community Centre) and took specialized training in blood grouping and blood transfusion. A boy’s bicycle brigade was also formed, training schoolboys to act as dispatch riders in the event of the loss of telephone communications during an attack.

As the Second World War progressed, the A.R.P. in Richmond grew. By 1944 the Steveston group had built a modern fire hall with space for its new truck, built on a new 2-ton truck chassis by Harry Hing. He had also built an ambulance from a 1927 Lincoln car which found a home in the hall, along with the original truck which had been retired but was kept for sentimental reasons. Brighouse also had a new truck and gifted their old one to the Burkeville unit.

The newly built Steveston Firehall No.1 with the new truck, old truck and ambulance parked outside. Built by volunteer labour and lumber donated by the canneries, it and the vehicles parked outside, are an example of the capabilities of organized civilian volunteers.
City of Richmond Archives photograph 1978 40 16.
This Victory Bond ad from the April 26, 1944 Marpole-Richmond Review shows the four Richmond A.R.P. Auxiliary Fire Brigades with their vehicles.

When the Second World War ended in September 1945, the A.R.P. was disbanded and volunteers left the Brigades. The trucks were retained however and some limited volunteer fire response remained until the Steveston, Brighouse, Bridgeport and East Richmond Volunteer Fire Brigades were reorganized in 1947. The story of the A.R.P. is a testament to the effectiveness of groups of volunteers, organized in the service of their communities and the significant impact they can make. Many of the A.R.P. members went on to form the Richmond Volunteer Fire Department which formed the foundation of the present Richmond Fire-Rescue which exists today.

Notice from a September 1945 Marpole-Richmond Review announcing the disbanding of the Richmond A.R.P.

The demobilization of the A.R.P did not spell the end of Civil Defence in Richmond. With the end of the Second World War came the advent of the Atomic Age and Richmond’s response to the threat of nuclear aggression during the Cold War. Stay tuned for part two of Outside The Box – The Richmond Archives Blog’s civil defence posts.