OPERATOR'S SPRAY DOWN 

After you have decontaminated yourself and your personal equipment, you may need to decon other mission-essential portions of your equipment before continuing your mission. For example, you may need to decon the vehicle you are operating or a crew-served weapon. To ensure you do not pickup contamination from these items, decontaminate those surfaces you or your crew must touch while operating the equipment. This decon is called the "operator's spray down" and is most effective when done within 15 minutes after personal wipe down. Starting this technique later is not as effective; contamination, especially chemical agents, will probably have spread and will be more difficult to remove by this technique.

Chemical Decontaminate those surfaces you must touch to do your job. Use an onboard portable decon apparatus, such as M11 or M13 (fig. 6-3).

Figure 6-3.- Portable decon apparatus. Spray DS2 onto those surfaces you must touch to do your mission. Scrub the DS2 into the surface with brushes. Wait 30 minutes, then wash it off. If a decon apparatus is not available, use the field expedient resources available to apply DS2 or supertropical bleach (STB) from the bulk containers. If necessary, use nonstandard decontaminants discussed in appendix IV.

Biological A bleach solution is the preferred decontaminant for biological contamination; however, if it is not available, use hot, soapy water. Apply the bleach solution with brushes and scrub the surface well. Rinse the surface after scrubbing (a 30-minute wait is not required). DS2 or STB is also effective against most known biological contamination, but because of their caustic nature are not preferred. Other nonstandard biological decontaminants are described in appendix IV.

WARNING Always use extreme caution when handling DS2.

Some important factors that should be remembered when handling DS2 are as follows:

* Do not mix DS2 and STB because mixing the two will cause a fire.

DS2 is a combustible solution and should not be sprayed on personnel or protective clothing.

Severe chemical burns can result if personnel fail to observe all safety precautions.

DS2 can severely injure eyes and skin and, if inhaled, can cause illness.

DS2 can damage CBR protective overgarments, protective gloves, hood, and overboots.

Radiological

If you are contaminated by fallout, rain out, neutron-induced contamination, or any type of radiological agent, use your monitoring equipment to help locate contamination. Then decontaminate as required. If detection equipment is not available and you suspect you are contaminated, decontaminate.

Radiological contamination can usually be removed by brushing or scraping (use brooms or tree branches). Water is effective for flushing away radiological contamination. Control the runoff by using drainage ditches that flow into a sump. Remember, you have not destroyed contamination, just moved it. The runoff will still be hazardous. Brushing or scooping away the top inch of soil from your fighting position will also lower the amount of radiological contamination.

OPERATIONAL DECON OPERATIONS 

Operational decon generally follows immediate decon. The objective is to reduce the level of contamination to regenerate needed combat power. Therefore, the unit can sustain its mission in a contaminated environment. Operational decon will further reduce the risk of contamination transfer, the spread of contamination, and the speed of the weathering process by removing much of the gross contamination.

Decontaminate only what is necessary by conducting immediate equipment decon before operational decon. Once operational decon is completed, the contamination hazard on the equipment is neutralized. So, operator's spray down, combined with operational decon, increases the opportunities to conduct unmasking procedures. Operational decon is accomplished primarily by using the following assets currently in the battalion TOA:

M12A1 or M-17 (contains pump, tank, personnel shower assembly, and water heater units)

M11 (fire extinguisher-like device for spraying DS2)

M13 (brush apparatus for scrubbing with DS2) Chemical agent monitor (CAM) Individual chemical agent detector (ICAD) Vehicles must be identified as contaminated or noncontaminated before arriving at any operational decon station. If the contamination on the vehicle or equipment can be neutralized with immediate decon procedures, decontaminate and go on with the mission. To be most effective, you should accomplish operational decon as soon as possible.

MOPP gear exchange and vehicle wash down are done in conjunction. The COC establishes a MOPP gear exchange site, upwind of the vehicle wash area. This is the site where Seabees exchange contaminated MOPP gear for a reserve set of MOPP gear. The exchange is normally accomplished by squad-size elements. Unmasking may or may not be possible during this exchange. A well-practiced unit Standing Operating Procedure (SOP) will greatly simplify and ease the carrying out of operational decon procedures.

PREPARATION PHASE 

The preparation stage, as its name implies, includes all of the things that must be done before any operational decon can take place.

Site Selection The COC, along with the CBR officer, selects an operational decon site where little preparation is required and considers the following factors when selecting a decon site:

Good overhead concealment. Good drainage. Off the main route but with easy access for vehicles.

Wind direction. Large enough area to handle vehicle wash down and MOPP gear exchange for a squad-size element (100 square meters per site).

A water source. Plan for about 100 to 150 gallons of water for each vehicle. Of course, larger or dirtier vehicles need more water.

NOTE: The M12A1 PDDA can carry 450 gallons to a decon site; the M17 LDS (with collapsible bladder) can hold 1,500 gallons but must be setup and filled up at the decon site.

Site Setup The battalion decon crew will setup the vehicle washdown area. An operational decon site takes minimal setup and preparation. The site setup requires positioning the M12A1 or the M17 LDS power-driven decon equipment (PDDE) along the roadway, ready to dispense hot, soapy water. The vehicle washdown process consists of contaminated vehicles moving forward into a site to be washed down (removing gross contamination) and then moving out. Additionally, at least two Seabees that are contaminated set up a MOPP gear exchange site. Prepare MOPP gear exchange at a clean site 50 meters upwind of vehicle wash down. Both the vehicle wash down and MOPP gear exchange operations should operate concurrently. If water for the M12A1 PDDE has been preheated, preparation for vehicle wash down should take no more than 10 minutes (this is a guideline). Preparation for vehicle wash down using the M17 LDS will take more time if the water bladder must be filled.