Who Takes UFOs & E.T.s Seriously?//Only Every Police Station and Fire
Department in America!!
The Fire Officer’s Guide To Disaster Control
The Fire Officer’s Guide To Disaster Control by William M. Kramer,
Ph.D. and Charles W. Bahme, J.D. is a totally serious book which is
found in all fire and police department libraries across the United
States. In June 1993, a new chapter (pp. 458-473) was added to this
book. Bahme himself saw “UFOs” fly over Los Angeles on Aug. 26,
1942, and they were subsequently fired upon by ground defenses which
killed nine people. During the Korean War, Bahme was Security
Coordinator for the Chief of Naval Operations. The Guide is published
by the Delaware State Fire School and made available through the Fire
Engineering Book Service at 800-752-9768.
The Fire Officer’s Guide To Disaster Control can also be found in your
local library. The Dewey Decimal number is 363.378. The ISBN # is
0-912212-26-8. Ask the local librarian for help if you have trouble
finding this. If it is checked out, you may put a reserve on it when
it is returned. This is for the benefit of all the UFO debunkers out
there who can’t figure out how to use a library!
Chapter 13 is titled “Enemy Attack and UFO Potential” and it starts on
page 439 and goes through to page 473, references are included. Page
number 458 is where the UFO material begins, the main heading is “The
UFO Threat - - A Fact.” So now you know that every police and fire
department has on hand instructions on how to handle a UFO “crisis.”
Under the main heading, as listed above, the authors
explain”...interest in UFOs was greatly heightened when Congress in
1969 adopted a law which gave the NASA Administrator the arbitrary
discretion to quarantine under armed guard any object, person, or
other form of life which has been extraterrestrially exposed.”
The next heading, is called, “UFO Discussion - - Why Now?” It goes on
to explain how, during the early morning hours of August 26, 1942,
sirens had signaled and “spectacular aerial fireworks filled the
heavens all around.” It has since become known as “The Los Angeles
Air Raid of 1942,” The was the army’s’ response to an UFO flyover,
which was treated as an hostile “attack.”
The following two chapters describe the UFO classification systems
devised by Dr. J. Allen Hynek, and the various shapes, speeds and
maneuverability “not attainable by aircraft of any kind commonly
observed,” of UFOs. The authors have a warning to the readers who
have made up their minds that there is no such things as UFOs,
“...notwithstanding the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, it
should be pointed out that there is circumstantial evidence that
disastrous effects have already been attributed to UFO activity in
more than one nation, including the United States!”
The “History of UFOs” details the “hundreds of years of mysterious
objects in the sky and strange moving lights” along with the World War
II description of “Foo Fighters.” Also explained is the Apollo 11
mission, where Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins “reported sightings of
what seemed to be a UFO during the first half of their flight to the
lunar surface.” Moreover, “There were many more sightings by U.S. and
Soviet Astronauts. On November, 11, 1966, Gemini XII astronauts Jim
Lovell and Edwin Aldrin said that they saw four UFOs linked
together.” Dr. J. Allen Hynek emphatically stated, “Where they are
coming from and why they are here is a matter of conjecture, but the
fact that they were here on this planet is beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Why The Secrecy?
The section titled, “Why the Secrecy?” starts off detailing Jim and
Carol Lorenzos’ book “UFOs Over America” in how “...the CIA has been
closely involved in collection and suppression of UFO information.
Witnesses to the phenomena have been bribed, coerced, and threatened
by the CIA, who wanted valuable evidence given to them alone.”
One reason given is that military intelligence may view the UFOs as a
tool of either a known or unknown potential enemy. “If these
vehicles prove evasive and surreptitious, all the more reason to
suspect them...the probability looms large that the minds behind these
vehicles may well be gathering intelligence of their own.”
Another reason for secrecy may lie in the hope of obtaining knowledge
relating to advanced propulsion methods and ANTI-GRAVITY systems
before other potential enemies on earth may acquire it. Hence, though
many nations are secretly investigating UFOs, they are reluctant to
share their findings. Robert Lofton, in his book “Identified Flying
Saucers,” claims that the Air Force became the “goat” in the effort of
the CIA to DEBUNK many sightings by pilots, radar technicians, and
reliable civilian observers. He thinks that the suppression of
information about how dangerous UFOs can be is wrong.
Major Donald Keyhoe describes in his book “Aliens From Space, The Real
Story Of UFOs,” the difficulties he had in 1957 in trying to get the
truth from government agencies after he was director of NICAP, at the
time the world’s largest UFO research organization with over 30
subcommittees in the U.S. and abroad.
According to some UFOlogists the attempts at cover-up by the CIA
extends to destruction of evidence that it could not confiscate.
Apparently some of our nation’s important leaders have been denied
access to some UFO secrets in the possession of an agency of the
United States, the very existence of which is classified ABOVE TOP
SECRET! Ex-Presidential nominee and a retired Air Force Reserve
Brigadier General, Barry Goldwater was quoted as saying, “I think some
highly secret government UFO investigations are going on that we don’t
know about—and probably never will unless the Air Force discloses
them.” Goldwater said he was refused permission to check the Air
Force files on UFOs!
Unleashed by the policy of Glasnost [greater openness] the Soviet
media felt free to include accounts of UFO sightings. A Tass report
of October 10, 1989, reported a large shiny ball or disk hovering over
a Voronezh park, residents saw the UFO land and three creatures
similar to human beings emerged, accompanied by a robot. ---One
wonders when we in America are going to have an AMERICAN GLASNOST in
regards to the alien presence-- In 1966, Representative Gerald Ford
responded to a rash of sightings in his home state of Michigan by
calling for, and getting, a House hearing on UFOs.
UFO Missions
Many reasons have been advanced for the purpose of the UFOs visits to
our planet. Although some of the persons who apparently have been the
subjects of genetic investigation, the majority of those who have
studied possible UFO visitors, feel that they are friendly.
From the thousands of reports he has studied, William Spaulding,
aerospace engineer and head of the Arizona-based ground Saucer Watch,
believes that a pattern indicates that UFOs are here on a surveillance
mission; the fact that a majority of sightings occur around our
military installations, research and development areas leads to the
conclusion that a methodical study is being made of the earth and its
defensive and offensive capabilities. “The phenomena is not unlike
our own space explorations; scout ship surveys; soil samples;
landings.”
In his book “Incident at Exeter,” John Fuller discusses the seeming
affinity of UFOs for electrical power lines in the northeastern part
of the United States. In a later section of this chapter dealing with
the effects of UFOs on our terrestrial activities, we will see how
this affinity may have been responsible for causing 36 million people
to lose power over an area of 8,000 square miles.
Because of our recent adventures into space, there are some who
speculate that UFOs are more concerned with what we will do there,
than in settling here. In any event, the Air Force’s official
publication (issued by the Government Printing Office 1968) called
“Flying Objects” says that “No UFO has been determined to represent a
threat to our national security.” That conclusion, however, should
not rule out less disastrous consequences than the overthrow of our
government.
Adverse Potential of UFOs
Despite the skepticism of scientists, the UFOs sent from other planets
do exist and have visited earth. UFOs may have exhibited some
destructive effects, whether or not intentionally in every instance,
which we need to consider when drafting a plan for coping with an
emergency situation where UFOs are involved. Some of these documented
effects are as follows:
UFO Hazards
The two principal hazards noted with relation to UFOs have been
attributed to powerful electrical fields which they can project in a
general or localized area and the psychological effects they have
produced on the general populace or individual contacts.
Force Field Impact
The disruption of air and ground travel has often been reported in the
presence of UFOs. The ignition systems of auto and aircraft engines
have apparently been affected by energized force fields to such an
extent as to stop their operation; the headlights and radios also
ceased to function. These effects have also been noted to influence
the controls and instruments of aircraft, e.g., the pilot of a Piper
PH-24 reported that his controls became inoperable when he was
approached by three disk-shaped objects, 10 to 12 feet in diameter,
over Mexico City on May 3, 1975. Similar cases have been reported by
military pilots, illustrated by the classic case of the near mid-air
collision of an army helicopter with a UFO on October 18, 1973, over
Ohio, where not only did both the UHF and VHF radio wavelengths go
dead temporarily, but the downward movement of the helicopter with its
four occupants was levitated upward by a green beam from the UFO in
time to prevent its crash into the ground.
Communications Disruption
In addition to the impedance or radio transmissions and reception,
telephone interference has occurred, illustrated by the chagrin of
President Lyndon Johnson in having his conversation from the Texas
White House cut off while talking to assistants in Washington D.C.
The ability to render inoperable all electronic forms of
communications, including those that control the launching of defense
weapons systems, has been considered within the range of UFO
capability. Whether this could extend to the erasing of recorded
computer data such as bank records, personnel data, FBI, CIA and NSA
files, along with critical information of every kind, is not beyond
the realm of possibility.
Regional Power Blackouts
It has long been suspected that UFOs have the capability of blacking
out a city, state, or many states by exerting a force field sufficient
to overload the circuits of public and private utility installations.
Few things are more disturbing than to be plunged into pitch darkness
without warning; it is dangerous for masses of people. It paralyzes
cities, blocks highways, stops trains, leaves elevators suspended
between floors. In general, it simply plays hell with the modern way
of life.
The Granddaddy of all blackouts to date was the stygian blanket that
fell over 30 million people in the northeastern corner of the U.S.
during the early evening rush hour period on November 9, 1965. Relay
services that were supposed to automatically transfer the load in case
of failure in one area to an alternate source malfunctioned. Military
communications relying on public power without alternate backup
systems also failed, but communications were operable to make a quick
public announcement that there was no military emergency.
Fireballs Over Syracuse—The Blackout Connection
Airplane pilots reported that UFOs were being chased across
Pennsylvania about 4:30 p.m., and electronics and construction
engineers who were driving in the area of the Syracuse airport saw
UFOs moving about 5:30 p.m., just prior to the Great Blackout. A
veteran flight instructor who had been flying over Syracuse on a
training flight saw a glowing globe over the power lines leading to
the Niagara Falls generating plant. Hundreds of others saw the
glowing object in the sky on the night of the big power failure.
That was on November 9th. On December 2nd, about 700,000 persons in
Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico also had their power fail. It was said
to have originated in a regular failure in El Paso; then on December
5th, three nights later, 40,000 homes plus military installations in
the area of East Texas were also blacked out—overloaded! Missile
grounds (White Sands), Fort Bliss, Holloman Air Base, and numerous
airports were all blacked out (with no emergency power backup), and
this was when President Johnson’s telephone call to the White House in
Washington was cut off.
An incident on April 18, 1962, involving a UFO that had been tracked
from New York, through Kansas to Eureka, Utah, is well documented.
The Air Force spokesman admitted that the object had landed, and
during the 42 minutes that it was on the ground near the power station
there was no power, but it was restored when the UFO left. The object
was pursued by jet interceptors summoned from Phoenix and Stead Field
in Reno until it exploded over the Mesquite Range in Nevada in a
brilliant glare that was visible over five states.
UFOs—The Panic Hazard
The second major disastrous effect that UFO activity, real or
imagined, can have on the populace, is the creation of fear, panic,
flight, and all kinds of irrational behavior.
Though most persons reporting UFOs do not interpret them as personal
threats, it is possible that some of the large volume of reports may
be attributable to hysterical contagion. In any case, one of the
reasons often cited for the tight secrecy on government UFO research
findings is the need to prevent the possible panic that a revelation
of the truth might arouse. Hysteria could cause frightened persons to
imagine that their water was poisoned, the air contaminated with
undetectable but lethal aerosols or nerve gas. With hundreds of UFO
squadrons zooming across the landscape from California to New York,
Toronto to Mexico City, communications disrupted, widespread power
failures, airports and railroads paralyzed, highways turned into giant
parking lots of immobilized vehicles full of terrified motorists, the
problem of restoring order and sanity would be a tremendous challenge
to all of the emergency services, assuming their personnel would
remain calm, detached, and able to resist the human impulse to put the
safety and well being of their own families ahead of the public’s. To
make matters worse, some of the more excitable gun owners might be
tempted to rush out Rambo fashion, and in utter disregard of the
damage that falling bullets might cause innocent residents below their
fallout, start firing at the evasive objects regardless of the range.
Personal Hazards—Physiological
The force field affects on the physical environment - communication,
transportation, illumination, and computerized data storage—have
already been considered. We might have added that some physical
effects have been observed at locations where UFOs have landed—
circular patterns of crops destroyed by heat or radiation and baking
or sterilization of the soil at the site.
On a more practical basis there may be grounds for concern that more
than just the environment can be adversely affected by UFO actions.
While pursuing UFOs, military aircraft have disappeared in mid-air,
exploded, and suffered harassment. Persons on the ground have
sustained serious burns, paralysis, and “blows” from a force field,
radiated emissions, or rays and beams that have been described like
that of a “stun-gun.”
An Indiana man saw a bright light flash pass his window; the power
went off in his house so he went outside to investigate and found a
brilliantly lit object hovering above him; when he started to walk
toward it his body commenced to tingle and he was unable to move until
the object disappeared. Some believe that even animals may be at risk
by UFOs; in trying to account for the death of 15 ponies, the leader
of an investigative team believed they were crushed by the anti-
gravity field of a flying saucer as it took off.
Thus, UFOs may not only have the power to control some of our military
and industrial establishment’s highly technical scientific hardware,
they may also possess the ability to impose pain and control over
people who attempt to attack them, even to the extent of “liquidating”
them in one way or another.
UFOs—Emergency Action
In view of the fact that many UFOlogists believe that we are fast
approaching a time when overt landings of UFOs will become less
remarkable, and in the absence of our knowing whether their visits are
friendly or hostile, it would not be remiss to give some thought to
the part that fire departments might play in the event of the
unexpected arrival of UFOs in their communities. For example, what
would be your course of action as an incident commander at the scene
of a school ground where a UFO has crashed into the boiler room,
rupturing a fuel line, and ignition has occurred in the spilling oil,
endangering the occupants of the craft who are trapped in the
wreckage? If your rescue attempts are successful, and two of the five
small alien creatures are injured but still alive, how do you dispose
of the dead and treat the survivors? How would the presence of
children on the school grounds affect your actions? What persons and
agencies would be notified?
In view of the federal law empowering NASA’s administrator to impound,
without a hearing, anyone who touches a UFO or its occupants, it would
be inadvisable to make personal contact unless you are willing to
submit to NASA’s quarantine requirements, should the law be invoked.
Besides the possible physical effect of approaching a UFO, e.g.,
burns, radiation, etc. there may be psychological effects produced by
force fields that could induce a hypnotic state in the viewer; loss of
consciousness, memory relapse, and submission to the occupants.
Jacques Vallee cautions that we should consider psychic effects, such
as space-time distortions experienced by percipients of craft-like
devices which appear to fade away—dematerialize—and then reappear; of
alien, strange voices or thoughts that many effect involuntary changes
in the manner in which witnesses may react in such circumstances.
In the absence of overt acts indicating hostility, there may be no
danger in approaching a landing (or landed) UFO with a positive,
solicitous attitude of wanting to be of service. This nonaggressive
mental state may be telepathically sensed by those aboard or emerging
from the craft; a form of nonvocal communication is a possibility. It
goes without saying that any display of firearms or other weapons on
your part could be construed as unfriendly and likely to thwart your
intention of conveying a helpful attitude.
In a best case scenario, you may be able to obtain guidance as to the
appropriate actions to take, whether of a life-saving nature, or even
in the reduction of apprehension on the part of your response team and
the spectators.
In a less optimistic scenario, you may have engine trouble upon
approaching the scene, and radio contact could be lost with your
dispatcher. If at night, your headlights could go out, the city could
be blacked out, and your portable generators may malfunction when you
attempt to use them for fans and portable lights. It would certainly
be an inopportune time for your comrades to announce that they had
decided to take their pensions, effective immediately.
In any event, the incident could provide invaluable experience for
further training in coping with rare and difficult emergencies.
Whatever “inside” information you are able to pass along to your
fellow officers and citizens of the world might help to alleviate
unreasonable fear. Truth is the best cure for the unknown.
CONCLUSIONS
Some fire chiefs have little confidence in disaster plans, especially
those dealing with UFOs. If you develop a plan that sets forth your
responsibilities, resources, organizations, supplies information,
telephone numbers, and special data that will be useful in obtaining
help and fulfilling your role in disaster control, commit it to an
electronic medium, a computer with a capability for continuous
updating through modern word processing. Bring it forth when the need
requires. With a good plan, good leadership, and adequate resources,
you may save many lives in any disaster.
------- As you can see, the answer to the question, “Who Takes
Unidentified Flying Objects and their Extraterrestrial Pilots
Seriously?” is every fire department and police station in the United
States. And for good reason, no matter what the UFO debunkers would
have you believe, the job of our emergency control officers is to plan
for every conceivable disaster. And they take the Chapter on “UFO’s -
A Fact” very seriously. And this author suggests, so should you!
Thank you to Donald Ware for the first part of this article and the
inspiration to find the truth.
+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===
WARNING—UFO’s—WARNING—UFO’s//From your local Fire and Police
Departments!
From your local Fire Department and Police Department:
Warning:
“Near approaches of UFOs can be harmful to human beings. Do not stand
under a UFO that is hovering at a low altitude. Do not touch or
attempt to touch a UFO that has landed. In either case, the safe
thing to do is to get away from these very quickly and let the
“Military” take over. There is a possibility of radiation danger and
there are known cases where people have been burned by rays emanating
form UFOs. Don’t take chances with UFOs”
WARNING---WARNING---WARNING—WARNING
“Do Not Take Chances With UFO’s”
Excerpted from “The Fire Officer’s Guide To Disaster Control” by
William Kramer Ph.D. and Charles Bahme J.D.. This manual is found in
EVERY police and fire department in America.
[Please make copies of the above WARNING
and post it around known UFO hot-spots!]]
From: http://qtm.net/%7Egeibdan/news/fire.htmlhttp://www.skiesare.demon.co.uk/fireguid.htm
UFOs in Fire Officer’s Guide to Disaster Control
Chapter 13 of the 1994 Fire Officer’s Guide to Disaster Control
entitled “Enemy Attack and UFO Potential”. It begins with, “In this
chapter we will now turn our attention to the very real threat posed
by Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs), whether they exist or not.” The
document goes on to say, “We will see, as we continue our discussion
in this chapter, that widespread blackouts, communication disruptions,
and other potentially disastrous conditions have been linked directly
to UFO sightings.” The document discusses the 1942 “Los Angeles Air
Raid” and other UFO incidents.
To give you a better idea of what exactly the document discusses, I
have listed the chapter subtitles below.
I. THE UFO THREAT - A FACT
a. UFO Discussion - Why Now?
b. UFO Background Information
c. UFOs - What Are They?
d. UFO Classification System
e. Shapes of UFOs
f. History of UFOs
g. UFO Organizations
h. Why the Secrecy?
i. UFO Missions
II. ADVERSE POTENTIAL OF UFOs
a. UFO Hazards
b. Force Field Impact
c. Communications Disruption
d. Regional Power Blackouts
e. Fireballs Over Syracuse - The Blackout Connection
f. UFOs - The Panic Hazard
g. Personal Hazards - Physiological
III. UFOs - EMERGENCY ACTION
I had heard of this manual several years ago, but I just got it
several days ago. I must say that it is very interesting. A teacher
at my high school who is also a UFO researcher was also very
interested. Although the information in it will be nothing new to
UFO researchers, it is impressive, especially when one considers
that this is a fire official’s disaster guide. The manual doesn’t
come out and say UFOs are real, but it is written as if it is known
that they are. And somebody thought that UFOs are real enough to
warrant inclusion in this manual.
From: Blair Cummins
A quote from the manual: WARNING: “Near approaches of UFOs can be
hazardous to human beings. Do not stand under a UFO that is hovering
at low altitude. Do not touch or attempt to touch a UFO that has
landed. In either case, the best thing to do is to get away from
there very quickly and LET THE MILITARY TAKE OVER (my emphasis).
There is a possibility of radiation danger and there are known cases
where persons have been burned by rays emanating from UFOs. Don’t
take chances with UFOs!”
Fire Officer’s Guide To Disaster Control
Guard Against Complacency
It is easy for those of us in North America to consider the
possibility of enemy attack as being quite remote. While it is true
that this continent has not been visited with the death and
destruction accompanying past wars. We have found in each generation
that wars are all too common and could indeed at some future date
involve our country. Certainly many portions of North America are
within easy range of enemy nuclear submarines and we could, at the
least expected time, be suddenly involved in a conflict.
The Persian Gulf War served as an example of how quickly the United
States can find itself in military conflict. Hence there is always a
need to guard against the complacency that has evolved as our country;
has enjoyed relative insulation from previous wars.
The UFO Threat - a Fact
In this chapter we will now turn our attention to the very real threat
posed by Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) whether they exist or note
The well-documented and highly publicized War of the Worlds radio
drama by Orson Wells shows how even a perceived existence to alien
creatures can cause very real disaster like conditions and panic among
a given populace In addition. if the apparent v visits by alien beings
and their space vehicles should pose any type of threat it will. as
always be the fire service that is called upon to provide the first
line of life-saving defense and disaster mitigation.
On April 25. 1991 radio station KSHE in St. Louis. Missouri was fined
$25,000 by the Federal Communications Commission for broadcasting a
mock warning of a nuclear attack during the Persian Gulf War The
seriousness with which the FCC treated this case is indicative of the
very real panic that can be created from even illusionary or fictional
phenomena. Certainly if these unexplainable events become more
prevalent. the possibility of panic could be even greater: and again.
the fire department will be the agency called upon to handle the
situation.(35) Hence as we near the year 2000 and move beyond. any
comprehensive disaster plan should address the potential for panic and
other deleterious effects that might be{ail a populated area when
unexplainable phenomena occur. We will see 35 we continue our
discussion in this chapter. that widespread blackouts. Communication
d.. disruptions and other potentially disastrous conditions have been
linked directly to UFO sightings. Hence fire service leaders who want
to ensure that their disaster planning is complete will not neglect an
appendix to outline those things that could be done in preparation (or
the occurrence of such phenomena.
Throughout this book, many of the references to actual events are
based on the experiences of both of the authors. However. n this area
of UFOs and their potential we are relying largely on the research and
experiences of Charles Bahme. Chuck has made a considerable study of
this subject and is acquiring many publications and VCR tapes to
augment his library on this and related phenomena. His interest in
UFOs was greatly heightened when Congress in 1969 adopted a law (14
CFR Ch.. V Part 1211ÑExtraterrestrial Exposure) which gave the NASA
Administrator the arbitrary discretion to quarantine under armed guard
any object, person, or other form of life which has been
extraterrestrially exposed. The very fact that our congressmen
believed there was a necessity for such drastic authority made Chuck
wonder if they had only our astronauts in mind when they adopted it.
Could it be applied to anyone who has had a UFO encounter? Whether it
has or not is not likely to be a topic for public dissemination.
UFO Discussion Why Now?
The subject of UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects) was not included in
previous editions of this book. The first edition was the Handbook of
Disaster Control which Chuck personally published in 1952 following
his release from active naval duty in the Korean War. Although his
services in the conflict as Security Coordinator for the Chief of
Naval Operations involved the creation of a worldwide disaster control
organization for the protection of the physical properties of the Navy
it must be admitted that the directives approved for this new
organization did not reflect any significant concern for a flying
saucer threat to its shore establishment. That was in the 1950s. Now
that we are in the 1990s it is doubtful that the UFO potential would
be brushed off so lightly by our military security forces. This change
of attitude was evidenced as far back as December 24, 1959 when the
Inspector General of the Air Force issued the following Operations and
Training Order - “Unidentified Flying ObjectsÑsometimes treated
lightly by the press and referred to as ‘Flying Saucers’Ñmust be
rapidly and accurately identified as serious Air Force
business....”(36)
There is no uncertainty about the reality of the war between nations
on our planet and the disastrous effects of military actions. The 200
sorties flown every hour against Irag In the Persian Gulf provided
ample evidence of global wars destructive power. On the other hand,
there are many persons who may believe that a discussion of the
theoretical harm that could be caused by a real or imaginary invasion
of UFOs would be “Far Out!” But this is not so for the thousands of
witnesses of unexplained aerial phenomena. To them it is also serious
business.
Chuck’s interest in UFOs commenced during the early morning hours of
August 26, 1942 while he was roller skating from his house to the
nearest fire station a few blocks away; the wail of sirens had
signaled his recall to fire duty, and with the stringent blackout
orders in effect, driving was not wise; besides, it was much more
exciting to be out in the open where he could see the spectacular
aerial “fireworks” that filled the heavens all around him. Few
residents of the U.S. had ever experienced a real or imaginary
invasion of UFOs like that which occurred in what has become known as
“The Los Angeles Air Raid of 1942.” The Army announced the approach of
hostile aircraft and the city’s air raid warning system went into
effect for the first time in World War II. The defense to this
“attack” is described in dramatic terms in the opening paragraph of
this chapter.
But what enemy had been routed? No one ever knew. All the fire
fighters saw in the sky were the 15 or 20 moving ‘things’ which seemed
to change course at great speed apparently unaffected by the flak from
bursting shells all around them. Rumors that one had been shot down
were never verified nor was the explanation that these zig zagging
invaders were weather balloons ever taken seriously. In any event, For
Chuck. that unforgettable episode aroused a continuing interest in
UFOs, rivaling his professional fields of law and fire protection. The
fact that he subsequently was a member of a group whose sighting of a
flight of UFOs was authenticated by airport radar helped to sustain
that interest.
UFO Background Information
With no intention of trying to prove or disprove the authenticity of
the numerous UFO encounters often related by very credible witnesses
including airline and military pilots, astronauts, police officers,
fire fighters, members of Congress, and even a U.S. President, the
balance of this chapter will present a brief history and nature of
UFOs and their alleged occupants; their widespread sightings over the
globe since ancient times; their appearance, propulsion origin, and
possible motives for continuing reconnaissance.
A quick look at some of the classic accounts of encounters documented
in numerous foreign and U.S. publications might help us judge the
magnitude of their threat. if any to social stability, and, if deemed
desirable, propose a fire service plan for coping with some of the
conceivable catastrophic effects that UFOs could produce on cities and
densely populated areas.
For readers who already have made up their minds that there is no such
thing as a UFO notwithstanding the overwhelming evidence to the
contrary it should be pointed out that there is circumstantial
evidence that disastrous effects have already been attributed to UFO
activity in more than one nation, including the United States.
UFOs Who Are They?
William Shakespeare put a fitting observation in the mouth of Hamlet,
the Prince of Denmark, that went like this: “There are more things in
heaven and earth Horatio, than are dreamed of in your philosophy.”
Whether Hamlet was referring to those strange lights or objects that
appear in the sky or near the ground and have no known cause, we will
never know, but the World Book Encyclopedia defines such things as
UFOs.(37)
Several theories have been propounded as to what they might be. Some
scientists believe that they are of extraterrestrial origin—coming
from other planets. Military officers conjecture that they might be
alien aircraft. Some attribute them all to natural causes such as
meteors, comets, sun dogs, light reflections, marsh gas, ball
lightning, even though they must admit that scientists cannot explain
all UFO reports in that manner. Still others are inclined to believe
that they may be forms from other dimensions which can materialize and
dematerialize at will perhaps by making a wavelength or frequency
transition so as to become invisible to humans. Some believe they are
time travelers from the future.
Firefighters Briefed on UFO Emergencies in New Manual
According to the Jan. 1995 issue of OMNI, the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA), in its National Fire Training Academy Open
Learning Program, is using a book for emergency crews titled the Fire
Officer’s Guide to Disaster Control (second edition). The book, put
together by the late Charles W. Bahme and William M. Kramer, has a
section that takes a look at emergency situations involving UFOs.
According to the OMNI article, “It only makes sense that civilian
emergency personnel from police to firefighters may be called to the
scene of a close encounter, real or not...[O]ur country’s ‘first
responders’ have never been given any kind of background on the UFO
phenomenon, until now...
“For a detailed briefing on the topic, all professional rescuers need
do is refer to the new, second edition of the Fire Officer’s Guide to
Disaster Control (Fire Engineering Books and Videos). Used by the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in its National Fire
Training Academy Open Learning Program, the book covers, in addition
to more traditional fire fare, the ABCs of UFOs: In practical
language, the manual examines potential problems like disruption of
transportation and communication, possible psychological and physical
impacts, and speculations about government secrecy. To fire up
imaginations, the manual also presents a hypothetical alien encounter.
“The guide’s UFO section is primarily informational, says Kramer,
‘intended to get fire officers thinking. Nearly everyone has told me
they were impressed that a mysterious subject was taken out of the
closet, and many believe we are, somehow, eventually going to make
contact with other forms of intelligent life.’”
Omni; January, 1995
SUBJECT: FIREFIGHTERS BRIEFED ON UFOs FILE: UFO2836
BY A.J.S.RAYL for Omni
It only makes sense that civilian emergency personnel from police to
firefighters may be called to the scene of a close encounter, real
or not. But despite their role on the front lines of virtually any
emergency, our country’s “first responders” have never been given
any kind of background on the UFO phenomenon, until now.
For a detailed briefing on the topic, all professional rescuers need
do is refer to the new, second edition of the Fire Officer’s Guide to
Disaster Control (Fire Engineering Books and Videos). Used by the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in its National Fire
Training Academy Open Learning Program, the book covers, in addition
to more traditional fire fare, the ABCs of UFOs: In practical
language, the manual examines potential problems like disruption of
transportation and communication, possible psychological and physical
impacts, and speculation about government secrecy. To fire up
imaginations, the manual also presents a hypothetical alien encounter.
This radical primer was the brainstorm of the late Charles W. Bahme, a
former Los Angeles Fire Department deputy chief, who researched UFOs
for years. According to Bahme, his interest was ignited August 26,
1942 during the famous “L.A. Air Raid.” As sirens and news bulletins
announced an enemy invasion, Bahme, then a young Navy fireman, watched
some 20 objects zoom and zigzag overhead. “They changed course at
incredible speeds while gun crews along the coastline pumped more than
1,400 rounds at them,” he said. Two hours later, all was quiet on the
Western front. “Rumors that they were extraterrestrial craft, that one
was shot down, were never confirmed,” he said. “The official
explanation—weather balloons—was never taken seriously.”
After serving as security coordinator for the Chief of Naval
Operations, Bahme went on to write the original Handbook of Disaster
control in 1952, and the first Fire Officer’s Guide to Disaster
Control in 1978. Finally, in 1993, he teamed up with William M.
Kramer, a district chief with the Cincinnati Fire Department, to write
the current manual.
So, if confronted with something alien, what’s a firefighter to do?
Considering the federal law (14 CFR, Ch. V, Part 1211) giving NASA
arbitrary discretion “to quarantine under armed guard any object,
person, or other form of life extraterrestrially exposed,” the primer
suggests it would be “inadvisable to make personal contact” unless one
is willing to submit to quarantine should the law be invoked.
That notwithstanding, the manual advises, “In the absence of overt
acts indicating hostility, there may be no danger in approaching a UFO
with a positive, solicitous attitude of wanting to be of service,”
which may be “telepathically sensed by those aboard.” But, “Any
display of weapons could be construed as unfriendly.”
The quids UFO section is primarily informational, says Kramer,
“intended to get fire officers thinking. Nearly everyone has told me
they were impressed that a mysterious subject was taken out of the
closet, and many believe we are, somehow, eventually going to make
contact with other forms of intelligent life.”
In general, the UFO community approves. “While a few of the sources
aren’t the best,” says Mark Rodeghier, scientific director of the
Center for UFOStudies in Chicago, “nobody else has even tried to
devise a plan for public officials before.”