This 1951 black and white film is part of an information campaign by the Federal Civil Defense Administration and produced by TeleTran. It focuses on how individuals can extinguish home fires in the event of a nuclear attack. The underlying theme is to always be prepared. The film opens with the ring of a fire bell at a fire station. A 1940s American LaFrance firetruck pulls out and water is sprayed at a multi-story building. This is followed by an entire city on fire (:26-:54). An atomic blast is shown (:55). Initial flames begin on the roof and ground of a house. A curtain explodes in flames (1:09-1:15). The blast wave is shown by causing an electric lamp to burst into flames as it falls into a wastebasket due to an electrical circuit fire (1:16-1:21). The damage to heaters and gas lines also cause fires (1:22-1:35). The fire spreads and flames shoot out the windows, followed by video of a neighborhood on fire (1:36-1:50). A housewife wearing a skirt, half apron, and high heels enters the room and sees the initial wastebasket fire. She immediately pulls down the drapes and moves furniture away from the fire (1:51-2:04). Her husband enters the room and uses the couch cushions to smother the fire and the wife pours water on what remains (2:05-2:23). In an apartment building, a man removes a large chemical fire extinguisher canister from the wall and uses it to put out the furniture on fire. The extinguisher runs out. A woman dressed in a large check sleeveless blouse, skirt, half apron, and high heels brings a garden hose to the kitchen sink and hooks it up using a pre-bought special adapter. The sink faucets are mounted on the back wall and not on the sink counter. She then uses the hose to spray the furniture. The water pressure fails (2:24-3:40). Another woman in a floral dress with a large collar uses a pump tank extinguisher and a man refills her tank from a bucket (3:41-3:55). A three-man team has one man refilling, one pumping, and a boy spraying water through a hose into the attic (3:56-4:10). For a roof fire, a man with a backpack extinguisher uses a ladder to reach the fire. He wraps one leg through a run and sprays using both hands. Check for smoldering ashes with a hatchet (4:11-5:00). A bucket of sand is used to smother burning oil, and also electrical fires (5:01-5:23). Some chemical extinguishers can be used on fire or wire (5:24-5:42). A small fire extinguisher may contain carbon tetrachloride that emits toxic gas to the user (5:43-6:00). Check that chemical extinguishers have been refilled, keep a hand pump extinguisher, and buckets of sand and water ready for emergencies (6:01-6:15). A woman cleans out flammable materials in an attic full of furniture and papers, checks an iron for frayed cords, and closes paint can lids tightly (6:16-6:50). Previous scenes are shown again (6:55-7:50). The booklet “Fire Fighting for Householders” is advertised (7:51).

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com