New York State War Council Committee on Fire Defense Correspondence, Bulletins and Minutes

The New York State Committee on Fire Defense organized a state-wide administrative framework to mobilize quickly and efficiently the firemen, fire equipment and fire fighting resources of the state in times of war emergency.

The proposal for state-wide emergency fire mobilization and mutual aid was intended to provide fire departments a blueprint for war-time emergency mobilization by, for and of local fire services. It provided for standardization of fire department connection threads, a state-wide communication system, and mutual aid arrangements for adjacent sections of neighboring states. The plan established a reception depot for fire equipment which came to the state and its localities from the Federal Government and other sources, and also established definite principles of command at the scene of fires. In addition, the plan optimized cooperation between local fire authorities and industrial fire brigades. The Committee organized its efforts together with War Council Offices of War Training, Civilian Protection and Civilian Defense.

The files contain general planning correspondence; correspondence with the Firemen's Association of the State of New York, minutes; bulletins from the Directors of the Office of Civilian Protection; press releases from the Secretary to the Governor; and lists of allocations of fire equipment.

A4271-14: This accretion consists of digital images of the original county resource inventory done on December 15, 1941, just after the United States entry in World War Two. The originals are held in in New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control's Academy of Fire Science Library.

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the material.