National Museum of Civil Defense

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National Museum of Civil Defense

The National Museum of Civil Defense is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring and interpreting the history of the U.S.

Civil Defense and Emergency Management programs.

08/27/2026

In the late 1950s, planners in the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization began to project that the new G-series nerve agents like Sarin (GB) might be an even bigger threat than the Soviet Union's small arsenal of nuclear weapons. The Army Chemical Corps was tasked with development of equipment useful to civilians. This rare, experimental Infant Protector is in the collection of the U.S. Army CBRN Museum at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. Known as the E3R4, it is a predecessor to the CD V-815 (M2) that was ready for production by the early 1960s. However, the development of the National Fallout Shelter Program in 1961 resulted in most chemical warfare focused efforts to be abandoned or curtailed.

08/21/2026

FALLOUT FRIDAY: The "R" stamped or otherwise marked on CD V-715 series ionization chamber survey meters indicates a mid-1970s retrofit ordered by the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency occured. While some online sources report that this involved the black metal "ruggedized" meter, it did not. Alongside the installation of a gasket and other small matters, several high-impedence resistors that were unreliable from the factory were replaced by the State Radiological Instrument Maintenance & Calibration facilities on every instrument with the "R." This gray-painted trunk once contained a CD V-457 Radiological Demonstration Unit, but was converted into a storage container by the Texas Department of Health (now Texas Department of State Health Services) to store leftover components from their retrofit efforts. Doubtful that NMCD will see the need - but we're surely well prepared if we needed to!

08/11/2026

TRUCK TUESDAY: City of Fresno, California's 1954 Swift-REO Heavy Rescue truck, photographed while in service by Chuck Madderom. It is - by design - similar to the other standardized vehicles which included the NMCD's own 1954 Swift-REO. These vehicles were initially all owned by the California Office of Civil Defense (now California Governor's Office of Emergency Services) before eventually being fully granted to the local community in which it served.

Thanks to Chuck for his support of the NMCD!

08/05/2026

This postcard of the Federal Civil Defense Administration's (FCDA) headquarters in Battle Creek, MI must date from prior to 1958. At that time, FCDA was combined with the Office of Defense Mobilization (which controlled matters of rationing and defense industrial production) into a single entity known as the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization (later Federal Emergency Management Agency). This image displays an interesting FCDA flag flying over the building's entrance.

07/31/2026

FALLOUT FRIDAY: There's not many places you can see that many Civil Defense radiological instruments in one place. Doesn't this look tidy? The NMCD continues to organize its new Museum Artifact/Archive Center over the last months, preparing for an expanded CD V-755 Radiation Education Set program.

02/16/2026

SIREN SUNDAY: This bright yellow Federal Signal Systems 3T22 Outdoor Warning Siren on top of the Vigilant Hose Company No 6 station in Emmittsburg, MD was photographed by the NMCD Director in 2021. These omnidirectional sirens were both popular for fire companies as it can produce a "Hi-Lo" sound desirable for "Fire Calls."

02/12/2026

Sometimes, you just need your First Aid Kit to also be vacuum packed! This example in the NMCD Collections from the Clyde Robin Seed Company was clearly designed for long-term storage, we believe for home shelter use. The "P-38" can opener could be found under the plastic lid. The Clyde Robin Seed Company was founded in 1934, and also sold a "Survival Garden" can of seeds into at least the 1980s.

02/07/2026

DC-area Auxiliary Fire personnel pump water using Office of Civilian Defense supplied fire pumps loaded into the back of various commercial trucks in this undated WWII-era photo. Image courtesy the late Jim Embrey of the DC Fire And EMS Museum.

01/30/2026

One of the more unique Civil Defense patches we've seen, this patch from the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) in the NMCD Collections features more imagery from almost all of the common radiological instrumentation. The analog scale from the CD V-715/717/720 series high-range survey meters and CD V-742 dosimeter is at the top and bottom respectively. The CD V-715, CD V-700, and CD V-742 dosimeter are also shown. No further history is known about the origins of this patch or its designer.

01/21/2026

TRUCK TUESDAY: Beverly Emergency Management's Auxiliary Engine 23 in undated scanned slide from the collction of the late Mark Foster, longtime Emergency Manager fror Beverly, Massachusetts - City Government. Auxiliary Fire Service originated through Civil Defense planning for enemy attack to add volunteer capabliites to paid/professional departments. However, it became a capability utilized day-to-day, often for lighting or other tasks. The concept was common in Massachusetts and other northeastern states, but has waned in recent years.

Address

PO Box 784
Randolph Afb, TX
78150

Website

http://www.nationalmuseumofcivildefense.org/

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