New York State War Council Division of Civilian Protection Emergency Medical Service Survey and Planning Files A4286

New York State War Council Division of Civilian Protection Emergency Medical Service Survey and Planning Files

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Overview of the Records

Repository:

New York State Archives
New York State Education Department
Cultural Education Center
Albany, NY 12230

Summary:

This series contains correspondence, reports, and memoranda relating to the administration and coordination of the War Council's Division of Civilian Protection Emergency Medical Service in its preparedness to respond to medical emergencies in the event of wartime bombings.

Creator:

New York State War Council. Division of Civilian Protection. Emergency Medical Service

Title:

War Council Division of Civilian Protection Emergency Medical Service survey and planning files

Quantity:

4 cubic feet

(including circa 240 cards)

Inclusive Dates:

1940-1945

Series Number:

A4286

Arrangement

Organized into six subseries: Subseries 1, Blackout and Casualty Stations Files, 1942-1944, 1.2 cubic feet; Subseries 2, Emergency Base Hospitals Files, 1942-1945, 0.6 cubic foot; Subseries 3, Emergency Medical Field Unit Reports, 1940-1943, 0.6 cubic foot; Subseries 4, District Medical Officers Files, 1941-1943, 0.6 cubic foot; Subseries 5, General Files, 1941-1943, 0.6 cubic foot; Subseries 6, County Readiness Books, ca. 1943, 0.4 cubic foot.

Alphabetical by county or subject within each subseries.

Scope and Content Note

This series contains correspondence, reports, and memoranda relating to the administration and coordination of the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) in its duties to respond to medical emergencies caused by bombings.

Subseries 1, Blackout and Casualty Stations Files, 1942-1944, 1.2 cubic feet. This subseries contains materials relating to the establishment and evaluation of blackout procedures and casualty stations in each county. The EMS undertook these efforts to minimize the number and severity of bombing casualties. Well-prepared casualty stations were integral to effective response; therefore a survey of each county's (and the State's larger cities') casualty stations was conducted which delineated the facilities and amenities, including: type of heat; type of lighting; if a telephone was present; if a canteen was present; if a toilet was present; number of stretchers available; number of beds available; doctors and nurses on staff; auxiliary staff available; number of ambulances available; and equipment holdings.

Subseries 2, Emergency Base Hospitals Files, 1942-1945, 0.6 cubic foot. This subseries consists primarily of the office records of Dr. Ward L. Oliver, who worked to establish a network of hospitals which could be relied upon to tend to the needs of massive bombing casualties. The records relate to the surveying of resources and personnel.

Subseries 3, Emergency Medical Field Unit Records, 1940-1943, 0.6 cubic foot. This subseries consists of records relating to the inspection and supplies available at these hospitals. Reports entitled "Report of Local Chief of Emergency Medical Service to N.Y. State Health Preparedness Commission" from each county and the State's larger cities contain information on Emergency Medical Field Units including: address of participating hospitals; number of beds available; number of physicians and nurses; auxiliary personnel; and transportation arrangements. Also, these reports discuss casualty stations (including equipment inventories), first aid posts, and transportation facilities. This information was collected to assist in the allocation and coordination of resources among hospitals.

Subseries 4, District Medical Officers Files, 1941-1943, 0.6 cubic foot. This subseries contains materials relating to the administration of the Emergency Medical Service and the coordination of meetings, supplies, and facilities. The State had three District Medical Offices, but Roy Seidman from the Rochester office is best represented. Especially well-documented are blood plasma issues such as designation of holding centers, distribution, and a policy for sharing or loaning plasma units. This information was collected to assist in the allocation and coordination of resources among the State's districts.

Subseries 5, General Files, 1941-1943, 0.6 cubic foot. This subseries contains materials on emergency nursing, plasma reserves, and District Medical Officer J. A. Walsh. These records reveal the EMS's attempts to solve specific problems of supply and personnel.

Subseries 6, County Readiness Books, ca. 1943, .4 cubic foot (ca. 240 cards). This subseries consists of a file of 5 x 8" cards arranged alphabetically by county. Each county and most larger cities have at least one card containing information distilled from the above subseries (details on hospitals, equipment and personnel). The cards provided a summary of the State's medical resources and would permit a fast and efficient allocation of those resources when responding to bombing casualties' needs. They are color coded as follows: green indicates communities receiving federal equipment; blue indicates that the community has a federal grantee blood bank; yellow indicates the community is not a war council; and the red scale shows the amount of blood plasma in the community (scale 100 units/1).