The Office of Civil Defense was created by Chapter 443, Laws of 1951, to coordinate state-level efforts to prepare for and deal with disasters resulting from enemy attack. Chapter 377, Laws of 1955, broadened the powers of the office and required the development of local civil defense plans. Chapter 628, Laws of 1959, transferred the office to the Executive Office where it became the Wisconsin Bureau of Civil Defense. The Office of Civil Defense was directed by Ralph J. Olson, Adjutant-General of the Wisconsin National Guard.
In March 1957 the state entered into a contract with the federal Office of Civil Defense Mobilization to produce a Wisconsin Operational Survival Plan. The document was to serve as a guide for evacuation and survival in the aftermath of a nuclear attack. The office also coordinated the drafting of similar plans for the cities of Green Bay, Madison, Milwaukee and Superior.
