THE FALLOUT SHELTER SIGN IGNORED AND FADING ON BUILDINGS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES , PART OF A FEDERAL PLAN TO SAVE THE AMERICAN PUBLIC IN THE EVENT OF A INCOMING SOVIET ATTACK, PART OF A LEGACY WHEN A YOUNG PRESIDENT WENT AND URGED AMERICANS TO BUILD FALLOUT SHELTERS OR PARTICIPATE IN THE FEDERAL ONE IN A ISSUE OF LIFE MAGAZINE THAT SPARKED A SHELTER BUILDING CRAZE THAT LASTED A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AND FORCED CITY,MUNICIPAL,&COUNTIES TO LOCATE BUILDINGS WITH PROTECTIVE FACTORS-PF FROM FALLOUT AND ENOUGH SPACE TO ACCOMODATE A CIVILIAN POPULATION FOR AT LEAST 2 WEEKS FOOD, WATER, SANITATION, BEDDING, TO BE STOCKED PRIOR TO OCCUPYING BY CIVIL DEFENSE SOME SHELTERS WERE STOCKED AND REMAIN THAT WAY, I HAVE BEEN CALLED TO VARIOUS LOCATIONS IN NYC WHILE A BUILDING SUPER OR A PARKING GARAGE OWNER IS CLEANING OUT HUNDREDS OF CRACKER TINS AND WATER DRUMS RUSTED AND BULGING, CIVIL DEFENSE LOGO STILL VISIBLE ON WATER DAMAGED BOXES AND RUSTED WATER BARRELS, I ALWAYS HOPE TO COME ACROSS ONE OF THE MANY CIVIL DEFENSE ITEMS THAT I CONSIDER MY HOLY GRAIL ,I KNOW I WILL CONTINUE TO SEE THIS HAPPEN MORE AND MORE AND STOP FINDING LESS PILLAGED SITES ON MY OWN AS THESE STOCKED RATIONS ARE WAY BEYOND THEIR SHELF LIFE AND ARE HOW NYC RATS STAY HEALTHY BUT ONE CONSTANT IS THE FALLOUT SHELTER SIGN 75% ARE SO SCREWED INTO CONCRETE OR BRICK THEY ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE AT 50 YRS OLD NOT AS REFLECTIVE AND VIVID THEY STILL ARE A HIGHLY VISIBLE AND ARE PART OF THE NYC LANDSCAPE I HOPE FOR A LONG TIME TO COME.
NYC RESIDENTS WHY THEY NEVER PLANNED ON USING THE FALLOUT SHELTER
Images: A model fallout shelter, 1955. Image Wiki Commons
Decades after the end of the Cold War, ominous black-and-yellow fallout shelter signs still mark buildings across New York City’s five boroughs. The actual number of designated fallout shelters in the city is difficult to discern. What is known is that by 1963, an estimated 18,000 shelters had been designated, and the Department of Defense had plans to add another 34,000 shelters citywide.
While the presence of a fallout shelter in one’s building may have given some residents peace of mind in an era when nuclear destruction seemed imminent, in reality, most of New York’s fallout shelters were little more than basements marked by an official government sign.
A small percentage of shelters were fortified underground bunkers stocked with emergency supplies, but these were rare and primarily built for high-ranking government officials. The majority of shelters, including nearly all those that were visibly marked, were known as “community shelters,” and by all accounts, they offered little special protection. Inspector guidelines simply indicated that “community shelters” should be kept free of trash and debris and have a ventilation system that can provide a “safe and tolerable environment for a specified shelter occupancy time.” Regulations for the ventilation systems appeared to be open to interpretation, leaving individual inspectors to determine which of the city’s windowless basements would ultimately make the cut.
A December 1961 article in Popular Mechanics featured the above chart to help people determine when it might be safe to leave their fallout shelter and how long it would take to return to “normal life.”
What is now now clear is that had New York experienced a nuclear attack, most fallout shelters would have done little or nothing to protect residents from fallout. There is also evidence, however, that some New Yorkers had no intention of evacuating to a local shelter either way. In fact, at the time, many city residents appeared as concerned about the negative side effects of fallout shelter living as they were about radiation.
The Social and Psychological Side Effects of Fallout Shelter Life
In the 1960s, many New Yorkers firmly believed that being trapped inside a windowless basement for days and even weeks with their neighbors may be potentially more harmful than being showered with nuclear fallout. That’s right—for many, toxic neighbors were considered an even greater threat than toxic fallout.
To be fair, New Yorkers were not alone in fearing the idea of being trapped in a windowless basement with their neighbors for days and weeks on end. By the late 1960s, the Office of Civil Defense was studying the potential social problems raised by fallout shelters, and in some cases, carrying out fallout shelter simulations. In one study, carried out in Athens, Georgia, 63 of the study’s 750 participants left within the first 15 hours. In the end, most studies had similar results with a relatively high percentage of participants fleeing shelters only hours into the simulations.
An October 1960 feature in Popular Mechanics provided educational advice on fallout and how to avoid it.
Nevertheless, the Office of Civil Defense attempted to put a positive spin on the results, noting that participants who were able to stick it out often emerged feeling stronger and more prepared for the event of an actual nuclear attack. They also asserted that with the right precautions, the recognized psychological effects of living in a fallout shelter, which include severe depression, can be mitigated.
A 1963 study by the Office of Civil Defense recognized that “each person will be a victim of severe stresses to his need system so that a new, overall need may emerge, to get out, away from the multiple stresses.” But this need, which the study suggests may be as strong as the desire for group acceptance, a Cadillac, or smoking, can be controlled by ensuring the shelter is a hopeful, calm, and most importantly, well managed environment. Acknowledging that “poor management will result in an inferior adjustment and attitude on the part of shelter occupants,” by the mid 1960s, the Office of Civil Defense had launched a fallout shelter manager training program to ensure that every fallout shelter would also have a live-in superintendent.
Unfortunately, in New York, going crazy or suffering from severe depression in the close company of one’s neighbors wasn’t the only problem residents feared facing if forced to take refuge underground.
Idealized American fallout shelter, around 1957. Image via Wiki Commons
The Quality of New York City’s Fallout Shelters
While designated shelters in some neighborhoods were pristine and equipped with emergency supplies, in other areas of the city, they were considered too hazardous to enter. One 1963 article in the New York Times profiled a fallout shelter running under three tenements on East 131 Street in Harlem. Reports indicated that the shelters were full of leaking raw sewage, garbage, and rats. “Who’d want to go down there?” one local resident told a reporter. “If fallout came, I’d just run.” Asked about the designated shelter, another woman in the neighborhood said that in it, “rats are as big as dogs and run through the house like horses.”
With typical New York City resolve, officials noted that if people were already living in the tenements above, they could certainly survive in the basement for a week to 10 days in the face of radioactive fallout. After all, survival not luxury was the objective. According to the article, however, most local East Harlem residents had already concluded that exposure to radioactive fallout would potentially pose fewer risks.
Fallout Shelters Today
By the late 1970s, many New Yorkers were more concerned about the rotting food in the city’s fallout shelters than they were with a pending nuclear threat and with good reason. In the 1960s, an estimated $30 million worth of food had been stashed away in basements across the New York City area. Two decades later this food had started to attract roaches, rats, and sometimes, vandals. For this reason, long before the Cold War was officially over, many residential fallout shelters were already being cleaned out and reclaimed as storage spaces or converted into more other types of common spaces from laundry rooms to fitness rooms.
Whatever the purpose, these windowless basement common spaces are still not a favorite of most tenants, but if you happen to have one in your building, it is worth noting that while the average load of laundry takes only 40 minutes, the average stay in a community fallout shelter was expected to last at least 10 days, and in some cases, much longer.
 |
| I Think That This Letter From President Kennedy Speaks Volumes As To The Countries Frame Of Mind During The Cold War. This Letter To Read Is A Very Serious Indication About What The Government Thought The Near Future Might Hold For Its Citizens. Between The Vibe In Berlin To The Cuban Missile Crisis This Letter Must Of Seemed As Though The President Was Warning The American Public That An Atomic War Is Going To Start Soon. |
 |
FAllOUT SHELTER SIGNS CAME WITH A SHEET OF STICK ON LETTERS AND NUMBERS AS WELL AS OCCUPANCY CIRCLES TO ADD TO THE STANDARD SIGN. THIS HERE INDICATES WHERE THE SHELTER STARTS.
(THE TEXT BELOW IS THE NATIONAL CODE TO FOLLOW CONCERNING SHELTERS BY THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE)
THE NATIONAL FALLOUT SHELTER
The National Fallout Shelter Sign will be a familiar sight all over the United States next year. It will mark buildings and other facilities as areas where 50 or more persons can be sheltered from radioactive fallout resulting from a nuclear attack.
The fallout sign will be used only to mark Federally approved buildings surveyed by architect-engineer firms under contract to the Department of Defense.In awarding the contract for design of the sign to graphic arts studios it was designated the services of a psychologist be obtained to recommend a visual symbol that could be easily identified and remembered. The sign had to meet the psychological requirements of simplicity, easy identification, retention, and arresting color combination.It had to be simple enough to be easily identified by children, non-English speaking persons or others who may not be able to read. The color combination, yellow and black, is considered as the most easily identified attention getter by psychologists in the graphic arts industry. The sign can be seen and recognized at distances up to 200 feet.
The shelter symbol on the sign is a black circle set against a yellow rectangular background. Inside the circle, three yellow triangles are arranged in geometric pattern with apex of the triangle pointing down. Below the fallout symbol, lettered in yellow against black, are the words Fallout Shelter in plain block letters. Yellow directional arrows are located directly underneath the lettering which will indicate the location of the shelter. PUBLIC FALLOUT SHELTERS
Public fallout shelters are facilities providing protection from fallout radiation which are intended for use by the general public during emergency periods. These do not include private fallout shelters in residences and other buildings which are not intended to be available to the general public, although the standards are the same for both.
Basic Considerations
Public fallout shelters have but one purpose–to provide the minimum necessary protection from fallout radiation in a minimum life-sustaining environment. The minimum protection level for public fallout shelters is PF 40. The minimum life-sustaining environment consists of a supply of drinking water, tolerable temperature and humidity (these are combined in a human comfort factor called effective temperature), sanitary facilities, adequate fresh air, and low-level lighting if natural light is not available in the shelter. These are the basic elements covered in the standard for public fallout shelters.
The standard for public fallout shelters includes a few other items which relate to a general concern for the public safety and welfare, such as access and egress, fire safety, and proximity of hazardous materials or systems. These considerations are addressed in all building codes. They are included in the standard for public fallout shelters, not because they are essential to the purpose of protecting occupants from fallout radiation or to sustaining life, but because prudent design for the public safety requires their consideration. In addition, the standard includes consideration of fallout shelter supplies and their storage. These are not required for a public fallout shelter, but their presence may be desirable in otherwise austere living conditions.
Dual Use
Public fallout shelters need not be separate, single-use facilities. Indeed, all buildings offer some degree of fallout protection; although some buildings provide better protection than others, and not all have protection factors high enough to qualify as public fallout shelters. This characteristic of inherent radiation shielding in all buildings, with PF 40 or better shielding in some, makes it possible to designate either all or parts of some buildings as public fallout shelters. The buildings or spaces therein which may be designated as public fallout shelters typically have an everyday use, and in that sense they are called dual-purpose shelters. Most public fallout shelters are of this type.
Identifying The Shelter
Since it often is the case that only part of a building will provide protection of PF 40 or better, the suitable shelter space must be identified for users, including its boundaries and limits. Diagrams of floor plans are one way to do this; trained shelter managers offer another way. A Minimum Standard
As is the case with most building standards, minimum criteria which meet the intended objectives are given in the standard for public fallout shelters. The principal reason is to keep the cost for meeting the standard to the lowest possible level and yet meet the desired objectives. Accordingly, there should be no hesitation to exceed the standard for public fallout shelters, provided that the particular building situation and economics permit.
Radiation Shielding
As indicated in the description of the radiation hazard above, the fundamental objective of a fallout shelter is that it provide protection from fallout radiation for occupants. Suitable radiation shielding is the most important feature that any shelter offers and should be given priority attention in establishing any fallout shelter.
Higher protection factor values, if they can be achieved with little or no extra effort, are especially worthy of consideration. The advantages of minimizing the amount of radiation that a person receives are indicated in the preceding discussion of radiation effects upon living tissue. The ultimate measure of the amount of radiation received, of course, is the protection factor. If protection factors greater than PF 40 can be achieved, they certainly should be provided.
Temperature
The maximum effective temperature value for public fallout shelters is higher than would be permitted in spaces used daily. The effective temperature value of 82°F (28°C) for public fallout shelters is an upper limit of tolerance for sedentary people, and should not be exceeded. Fully occupied fallout shelters in warm, humid climates are especially likely to produce effective temperatures in excess of the upper limit value unless large air-flow volumes are provided.
Because heat buildup occurs in a relatively closed fallout shelter at full or nearly full occupancy, a minimum dry-bulb temperature of 50°F (10°C) normally can be maintained without adding heat to the space. Dry-bulb temperatures that are too high will be the usual situation rather than temperatures that are too low for comfort.
Ventilation
Proper ventilation of fallout shelters is, perhaps, the second most important consideration. Fresh air–that is, oxygen–is essential to sustain life. Ordinarily, this is not a great concern for buildings which are designed for daily use. We take for granted that a fresh air supply is introduced into building spaces through normal ventilation, which may be either natural air flow or mechanically driven airflow.
Fallout shelters present new ventilation problems. First, the very purpose of a fallout shelter usually results in it being a relatively closed space, possibly a basement or an interior space. Natural ventilation is restricted in such circumstances, and mechanical (forced) ventilation cannot be relied upon, because electric power cannot be assured to remain available during and after a period of nuclear attack. Second, when a fallout shelter is fully occupied up to its limit, which is one person in every 10 square feet of floor area, the consumption of oxygen, discharge of carbon dioxide, buildup of unpleasant odors, and heat and moisture buildup from occupants combine to create nearly intolerable conditions in spaces which have poor or no ventilation.For these reasons, the ventilation system of a fallout shelter must be carefully checked. If natural ventilation is to be used, then the air-flow volume must be sufficient to meet the health and comfort conditions as prescribed in publication TR-20 (Volume 3), Shelter Environmental Support Systems, Appendix C, “Ventilation Requirements for Fallout Shelters,” May 1978 edition, available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. If deficiencies are found, then either the shelter occupancy must be reduced, or forced ventilation must be provided. If forced ventilation is to be used, then a reliable power supply to the fans must be assured to maintain the required air-flow volume.
Potable Water
A supply of drinking water is the only other feature of public fallout shelters which is essential to sustain life for periods longer than just a few days. Accordingly, provision must be made for the needed water. 3.5 gallons of potable water per shelter occupant are to be provided. This amount is based upon a 14-day shelter stay-time, or one quart per day, and is for drinking purposes only. No other uses are included in the base amount. If other uses of water are expected in the fallout shelter, such as for sanitary purposes, then the storage capacity must be increased.There are several ways in which the required drinking water can be provided in a fallout shelter. The one way not to be counted upon is the public water main. Public water supply systems are likely to be disrupted during a period of nuclear attack–either due to power failure which could render pumping stations inoperative or due to breakage of the water lines at some remote point. This means that the emergency water supply must be at or near the fallout shelter–either storage tank(s) or a well at the site. Water can be stored either in permanently installed tanks or in individual containers. Occasionally, it will be possible to obtain the required water from that trapped in building lines. In such cases, a suitably located outlet valve will be needed to withdraw the water.
YOUR VERY BASIC DODFS-1 1963 DESIGN BUILDING MARKER DESIGNATING SHELTER WITHIN BUILDING , FALLOUT SHELTER SIGN STICKER KITS ALLOWED FOR OPTIONAL MESSAGES LIKE ABOVE "STARTS HERE" ALSO "CAPACITY" AND "NUMBERS" WERE USED AND "ARROWS" DIRECTING THE PUBLIC TO SHELTER SPACES |
 |
| JUST LIKE THE FALLOUT SHELTER SIGN ABOVE THESE CIVIL DEFENSE OFFICIALS ARE PUTTING THE OPTIONAL "STARTS HERE" DECAL ON THE LOWER HALF OF THE SIGN |
 |
| ANOTHER PUBLIC SHELTER BECOMES PART OF THE NATIONAL FALLOUT SHELTER PLAN AND MOUNTING THE FALLOUT SHELTER PLACARD WAS THE BASIC GRAND OPENING |
 |
ONE OF THE WATER BARRELS OF THE CIVIL DEFENSE FALLOUT SHELTER STOCK, EVEN THOUGH THIS WATER BARREL IS RUSTED AND AGED THANKS TO THE PLASTIC BAG LINER OF STURDY DESIGN WATER CAN STILL BE STORED IN THIS CONTAINER |
 |
| BELIEVE IT OR NOT SHELTERS IN NYC OR TRI STATE NY,NJ,CT DO HAVE SHELTERS WITH STOCK IN THIS CONDITION |
 |
| ONE OF MY HOLY GRAIL FINDS WOULD BE AN UNOPENED MEDICAL KIT EVERY ONE I HAVE COME ACROSS WAS PILLAGED EVEN THOUGH IT SAID IN VERY LARGE LETTERS "NO NARCOTICS INSIDE" |
 |
| THE ABOVE LETTER FROM THE DOD IS ASKING A COUNTY TO SURVEY A NIKE ANTI AIR MISSILE MAGAZINE THAT IS ABANDONDED AS A SPACE FOR A FALLOUT SHELTER |
 |
| Suffolk County ,Long Island New York Had Developed A Community Shelter Plan By 1969 It Was Mass Mailed To Every Postal Address In The County , There Is A Post On This Blog Showing The Plan And Describing The Various Shelters What They Actually Looked Like. I Spent My Spare Time Crawling Around Alot Of These Fallout Shelters And Most Were Never Stocked And The Majority As Of 2010 Do Not Exist. These Days You are On Your Own And FEMA Calls It "Shelter In Place" Basically Where ever You Are Is Your Fallout Shelter. Even As The Cold War Has Ended The Importance Of Having A Safe Place Is Important Too Many Of The Old Guard Who Remember The Power Of Nuclear Weapons Are Passing On. The People Who Saw Hiroshima And Nagasaki The People Who Tested These Weapons Built Them Even Those That Lived In The Fear Of Them Being Used Are Growing Old And Passing On Soon Nobody Will Remember The Horror That Can Be Unleashed And The Power Of The Weapon And Someone Will Use It In Anger, And People Will No Longer Be Around Having Gone Away Just Like The Dinosaur's Did. |
THE SHELTER MANAGER GUIDE IS USUALLY TAPED OR PLACED IN A SHELTER IT EXPLAINS IF YOU PICK THIS UP AND BREAK THE SEAL(shelter manager and management fema) YOU ARE TAKING ON THE DUTY OF SHELTER MANAGER BE THE VOICE OF REASON AND NEVER TAKE SIDES AND WHATEVER YOU SAY IS THE LAST OF IT, PLUS IT KEEPS RECORDS OF SHELTER LIFE ,INVENTORY,SHELTER OCCUPANTS BACKGROUND AND A LOG.
 |
| THIS BOEING PLANT GUARD HAD PUBLIC SAFETY DUTIES AS WELL AS RADIOLOGICAL EQUIPMENT TO MONITOR THE BOEING PLANT SHELTER |
SOME AREAS OF THE UNITED STATES HAD LARGE PLACES TO STORE SUPPLIES AND BIG COMPANIES LIKE MONTSANTO,BOEING, STOCKED LARGE AMOUNTS TO SHELTER THEIR EMPLOYEES AND FAMILIES THESE COMPANIES HAD US DEFENSE CONTRACTS AND THEIR SURVIVAL WAS IMPORTANT TO GETTING POST ATTACK AMERICA BUILDING AGAIN ACCORDING TO DEFENSE DEPARTMENT PLANS.
THE RADIOLOGICAL CIVIL DEFENSE EQUIPMENT PILFERED FROM COUNTY EOC's IN THE EARLY 1990s MAY HAVE BEEN THE THOUGHT THAT SINCE THE BERLIN WALL WAS TORN DOWN RUSSIA HAS SEPERATED INTO REPUBLICS THAT THESE DEVICES WOULD NOT GO MISSING , WELL WHEN E-BAY STARTED THESE METERS WERE BEING SOLD BY THE TRUCKLOAD AND FULL KITS WENT FOR LESS THAN THE ORIGINAL PRICE, THIS IS PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT JOB IN CIVIL DEFENSE AND THAT IS THE RADIOLOGICAL TEAM MONITORING YOUR AREA BY CAR,PLANE AND ON FOOT CONSTANTLY TAKING READINGS AND THE SHELTER IS DEPENDENT ON THESE MEN & WOMEN THAT WERE RADEF MONITORS
I HAVE NOT MET A SURVEY METER I DID NOT LIKE.
 |
| THE COMMUNITY SHELTER PLAN CAUSED MOST OF THE BUILDINGS THAT WERE PUBLIC LIKE SCHOOLS, COURTS, HOSPITALS TO INCORPORATE COMMUNITY SHELTERS IN TO BUILDING PLANS SPACE THAT WAS FUNCTIONAL BUT QUICKLY COULD BE TURNED INTO SHELTERS THAT AFFORDED PROTECTION, SCHOOLS FOLLOW THIS BUILDING STYLE AND PROVIDED SPACE FOR SUPPLIES TO BE KEPT AND USUALLY THE SCHOOLS LOCKER ROOM WERE DESIGNED TO ALLOW FOR USE AS A SHOWER AREA FOR SHELTEREES. |
STANDARDS FOR PUBLIC FALLOUT SHELTERS
Purpose
Section 1.0. The purpose of this standard is to establish minimum criteria for application to the design, construction, or designation of a space in a building or other facility as a fallout shelter.
Scope
Section 2.0. The scope of this standard extends to buildings, spaces, or other facilities designated for use as public fallout shelters.
Section 2.1. The standard establishes technical, architectural, and environmental criteria for public fallout shelters.
General
Section 3.0. The standard furnishes minimum criteria which provide for the protection of occupants from nuclear fallout radiation in spaces whose habitability and environmental characteristics are governed by the prevailing emergency situation and the essential lifesaving purpose of the fallout shelter. The criteria to be met typically are different from criteria ordinarily required for buildings and spaces having an everyday use.
Section 3.1. The standard indicates objectives to be met in the design and designation of fallout shelters in new and existing buildings. If all of the objectives cannot be met, then primary consideration shall be given to providing radiation shielding. In such instances, plans shall be developed to include the other fallout shelter features at a later time.
Section 3.2. This standard for public fallout shelters is a minimum standard. Nothing contained herein shall be construed to preclude exceeding this standard for any fallout shelter, except as may cause noncompliance with other requirements for the shelter space which may be prescribed in the local building codes.
Definitions
Section 4.0. The following definitions shall apply to all portions of this standard.
FALLOUT SHELTER is any room, structure, or space designated as such and providing its occupants with protection at a minimum protection factor (PF) of 40 from fallout radiation resulting from a nuclear explosion.
PUBLIC FALLOUT SHELTER is any fallout shelter which is intended for use by or is accessible to the general public. Fallout shelters which are a part of a private residence and are intended for private use are not included.
SINGLE-PURPOSE FALLOUT SHELTER is a fallout shelter having no use or occupancy except as a fallout shelter.
DUAL-USE FALLOUT SHELTER is a fallout shelter having a normal, routine use and occupancy as well as an emergency use as a fallout shelter.
PROTECTION FACTOR, sometimes abbreviated as PF, is a numerical value which expresses the relation between the amount of fallout radiation that would be received in a protected location and the amount that would be received if unprotected in the same location.
EFFECTIVE TEMPERATURE is an empirical index which combines in a single number the effects of temperature, humidity, and air movement on the sensation of warmth and cold felt by the human body.
UNIT OF EGRESS WIDTH is 22 in.
Occupancy
Section 5.0. General. Nothing in this standard shall be construed as preventing the dual use or multiple use of normal occupancy space as fallout shelter space, providing the minimum requirements for each are met.
sec 5.1. Mixed Occupancy. The occupancy classification shall be determined by the normal use of a building or space. When a normal-use space is designed to have an emergency use as a fallout shelter in addition to the normal use, the most restrictive requirements for all such uses shall be met.
Section 5.2. Occupancy Separation. No occupancy separation is required between that portion of the space designed as a public fallout shelter and the remainder of the building. A plan indicating the fallout shelter space and its boundaries shall be furnished as a means of identifying the fallout shelter.
Section 5.3. Space. Space allowances for use as a fallout shelter shall be as follows.
(a) Floor Area. A minimum of 10 sq. ft. of net floor area shall be provided per shelter occupant. Partitions, columns, areas occupied by moveable furniture or other materials within the fallout shelter space, and any areas within the fallout shelter space used for storage of shelter supplies may be included in net area.
(b) Head Room. A minimum head room of 6.5 ft. shall be provided.
(c) Volume. A minimum of 65 cu. ft. of net volume shall be provided per shelter occupant. Net volume shall be determined using the net area calculated for the space.
Protection
Section 6.0. The minimum level of protection for public fallout shelters is PF 40. Protection factors shall be calculated using methods approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency based upon publication TR-20 (Volume 1), Shelter Design and Analysis–Fallout Radiation Shielding, June 1976 edition.
Ventilation and Temperature
Section 7.0. Ventilation of the fallout shelter space shall comply with the standards of Appendix C, TR-20 (Volume 3), Shelter Environmental Support Systems, May 1978 edition, available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Section 7.1. Fresh Air. A minimum of 3 cu. ft. of fresh air per minute per fallout shelter occupant shall be provided to prevent oxygen depletion and carbon dioxide buildup in the fallout shelter.
Section 7.2. Effective Temperature. The fallout shelter shall have a ventilation rate sufficient to maintain a daily average effective temperature of not more than 82°F (28°C) with at least a 90-percent reliability of not exceeding that value during the year. Effective temperatures shall be determined using procedures contained in the Handbook of Fundamentals, 1977 edition, prepared by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. (ASHRAE). Zones of equal ventilation rates in cu. ft. of air per minute which meet the requirements of this section are shown in Figure 1.
Section 7.3. Ventilation Systems. Ventilation systems for public fallout shelters shall be designed to provide the ventilation rates required by Section 7.2. during periods when electric power may not be available from public service utilities. Emergency electrical generators or positive natural ventilation flow for fallout shelters may be used to meet this requirement.
Section 7.4. Temperature. A temperature of not less than 50°F (10°C) shall be maintained in the fallout shelter during the occupancy period.
Section 7.5. Air Intake. Ventilation systems shall be designed so that the outside air intake opening is positioned not less than 2-ft. above any surface on which radioactive fallout could be deposited. The air intake opening shall be hooded or positioned to prevent deposits of radioactive fallout on the intake face.
Section 7.6. Filters. Special filters are not required for ventilation systems for public fallout shelters. No filters are required for fallout shelter ventilation equipment if the face velocity at the outside air intake is less than 150 ft. per minute.
Lighting
Section 8.0. No special lighting is required for fallout shelters which receive natural light. Spaces without windows, above or below ground, shall be provided with a minimum lighting level of 2 footcandles at the floor. Normal lighting fixtures may be used for this purpose if they are powered by an emergency generator, or battery-operated lights may be used.
Structural
Section 9.0. Structural design of the fallout shelter shall comply with the local building codes. No special structural arrangements are required for public fallout shelters.
Section 9.1. Minimum Design Loads.
(a) Minimum Design Loads for Dual-Use Fallout Shelters. The design live load required for normal use shall apply for dual-use fallout shelters.
(b) Minimum Design Loads for Single-Purpose Fallout Shelters. The minimum design live load for floors in single-purpose fallout shelters shall be 40 lb. per sq. ft. The minimum design live load for roofs of single-purpose fallout shelters shall comply with the requirements of the local building codes.
Access and Egress
Section 10.0. Public fallout shelters shall have no fewer than two widely separated means of access and egress leading to other spaces of the building or directly to the outdoors.
Section 10.1. Means of access and egress for dual-purpose fallout shelters shall meet the requirements prescribed by the local building codes for normal, routine use of the space.
Section 10.2. Means of access and egress for single-purpose fallout shelters shall aggregate at least one unit of egress width for every 200 fallout shelter occupants. In no case shall a single opening be less than 24-in, wide.
Section 10.3. Emergency-type hatchways may be used as a means of access and egress, provided that at least one means of access and egress for the fallout shelter is a standard opening conforming to the requirements of the local building codes. Hatchways, if used, shall be a minimum size of 24-in. x 36-in.
Fire Resistance
Section 11.0. Fallout shelters shall meet fire-safety requirements as indicated below.
(a) Dual-purpose fallout shelters shall comply with requirements applicable for normal occupancy of the space.
(b) Single-purpose fallout shelters shall provide a flame-spread rating for interior surfaces not exceeding 200 on the flame spread scale and 450 or less on the smoke test scale when tested in accordance with ASTM E-84.
Hazards
Section 12.0. Hazardous utility lines, such as steam, gas, and oil lines, shall not be located in or near the fallout shelter unless provision is made to control such lines by valving or other approved means which permits shut-off of flow through the fallout shelter. Valving or other controls shall be readily accessible from the fallout shelter and shall conform with the local mechanical and gas codes.
Sanitation
Section 13.0. Toilets, either flush-type operating from the normal water supply system, or chemical or other types, shall be provided on the basis of one toilet per 50 fallout shelter occupants. Toilets may be outside the fallout shelter in other portions of the building provided that they may be reached by occupants of the fallout shelter without exposure to direct fallout radiation as defined in TR-20 (Volume 1), Shelter Design and Analysis–Fallout Radiation Shielding, June 1976 edition, available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Austere provisions, such as empty water containers, for disposal of waste may be considered as fulfilling this requirement.
Drinking Water
Section 14.0. A minimum of 3.5 gallons of potable water shall be available for each fallout shelter occupant. If it cannot reasonably be assumed that the public water supply system will be operational at all times when the fallout shelter may be occupied, then other means shall be provided for meeting this requirement. Storage tanks, trapped potable water in building lines, or auxiliary water wells at or near the premises may be used to fulfill this requirement.
Supplies and Storage
Section 15.0. Consideration shall be given to fallout shelter supplies and their storage, but provision of such supplies is not required. Supplies and other storage considerations for public fallout shelters are discussed in publication CPG 1-19, Guidance for Development of An Emergency Fallout Shelter Stocking Plan, July 1978, available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Section 15.1. Radiation-measuring instruments, which may be furnished by the Federal Government for fallout shelters, shall be accommodated in secure storage space within the fallout shelter.
THIS CIVIL DEFENSE DIRECTIVE EMERGENCY RATIONS AND EQUIPMENT FOR CIVILIANS TO SURVIVE A TWO WEEK STAY IN A PUBLIC FALLOUT SHELTERS IS THE REQUIREMENTS NEEDED TO DO SO AS DIRECTED FROM CIVIL DEFENSE
Thanks to the Civil Defense Museum For Use Of Some Of The Artwork in This Post.
A still from the 1964 government produced film, Public Shelter Living: The Story of Shelter 104, which dramatized fallout shelter living.
