Section 301. Declaration of policy and legislative intent

The president of
  the  United  States  on  December  sixteenth,  nineteen  hundred  fifty,
  proclaimed a state of national emergency. The governor of this state, in
  a special message to the legislature on January eighth, nineteen hundred
  fifty-one, recommended a program for the defense of the  people  of  our
  state and the safeguarding of property against attack.  In order to make
  effective necessary measures of civil defense, many of our citizens will
  voluntarily  undertake  to  perform civil defense duties and may, in the
  event of attack, be exposed to injury in the performance  of  authorized
  civil defense duties they voluntarily assumed as a patriotic service for
  the common good.
    Those  who  volunteer  to  perform  civil  defense duties deserve some
  protection  for  themselves  and  their  families  in  the  event   that
  disability  or  death should be incurred while they are performing these
  duties.  No  such  benefits  have  yet  been  provided  by  the  federal
  government.  Accordingly  it  is hereby declared to be the intent of the
  legislature that special workmen's compensation benefits, as provided in
  this article, should be made available for civil defense  volunteers  in
  this state.