A number of things could go wrong if he climbed down that spiral staircase alone. If the hatch lid was somehow replaced, no one would know he was in there. A massive collapse is another hazard he imagined. His entry might cause a crumbling of the old structure and he would get buried beneath.
However, with a lot of manpower right outside of the bomb shelter, help would be readily available. So, he called some friends who were willing to stand guard while he implemented the plan.
An X Marks the Spot
At each place the metal detector was triggered, the crew spray painted a white X. The only thing left to do was start digging.
Despite the triple-digit heat typical of summers in Tucson, Mr. Sims was ready to dig. With the crew helping him, they hit something solid about three feet down. It was X number two that hit the jackpot.
Taking All Precautions
Safety first. Mr. Sims had a plan, but he would need some extra help. Of all the rescue calls he and his unit at Rural/Metro answered, quite a few involved underground entrapments.
There were way too many ways climbing into a deep crevice under the ground could go sideways, from his experience.
Help Arrives
His friends were glad to help. They were also hopeful to get a peek at a real Cold War-era fallout shelter. When they arrived, everyone learned about the plans. It was exciting.
They were also very curious about his plan. He told them that he intends to refurbish the bomb shelter and restore it to its 1961 glory. To this end, he said, he set up a GoFundMe page for the project.
Drawing up the Project Blueprints
Now that he decided to restore the historical relic on his property, he needed to create the blueprints for the project. He had to figure out the best way to go about recreating the fallout shelter. He had to think like a construction crew and like a museum curator.
One idea he had was to include Cold War-era artifacts inside the shelter like Geiger counters, water supply barrels sanitation kits, and vintage HAM radios.