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Civil Defense (U.S.)

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An orange triangle on a white disc on blue is used in many countries as the symbol for Civil Defense.
Antonio Martins, 30 August 1999

BTW, you used to see a version of the civil defense emblem Antonio mentions in the U.S. as well--a blue sign with a white trangle, a red disk, and thereon the initials CD. It was posted at air raid shelters, etc. But I don't recall ever seeing it on a flag.
Joe McMillan, 31 August 1999

The 1977 Protocols to the 1949 Geneva Convention provided in Article 66 that the international distinctive sign of civil defence is an equilateral blue triangle on an orange ground. I believe many civil defense organizations used a triangle emblem well before that. U.S. civil defense facilities since the World War II period have been marked by a blue sign with a white triangle and the letters "CD" on the center forming a circle. The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency seal is a variant of the U.S. COA with a white triangle on a blue roundel above the eagle's head.
Joe McMillan, 10 July 2000

I did a little digging in the library and found two publications of the U.S. Office of Civilian Defense from 1941 and 1942. According to the "Manual of Civilian Protection" (1941), the U.S. civil defense logo (white field, blue disk, white triangle, red initials CD) and related emblems for air raid wardens, rescue teams, auxiliary fire and police personnel, communicators, etc., etc., were all patented in September-October 1941 (patents applied for on September 8, approved October 7). The applicant on behalf of the government was OCD's chief of training, Colonel Walter P. Burn, but that doesn't necessarily mean he was the designer. Also, the emblem was in use before it was patented, as it appears on OCD publications dated in July