4.
Contamination Spread.
Unless you decontaminate early, contamination can spread.
For example,
troops climbing into a contaminated tank might spread agent from the outside
to the inside.
Contaminated equipment evacuated for repair also could
spread agent along the evacuation route.
Contaminated supplies and
ammunition flowing forward may spread agent along the supply route and pose
a hazard to uncontaminated receiving units.
PART B - LEVELS OF DECONTAMINATION
There are
three
levels
of
decontamination:
Immediate,
Operational,
and
Thorough.
1.
Immediate Decontamination.
Immediate Decontamination is when you remove or neutralize just enough
contamination to allow soldiers to sustain operations.
This may be the
overall reduction of the total amount of contamination or the complete
decontamination of a small area on a piece of equipment. Some surfaces of a
contaminated vehicle that must be decontaminated to sustain operations are:
operator's controls, weapons firing controls, and the exit and entry paths.
Selective decontamination slows the spread of contamination.
It protects
contamination-free areas and creates new ones.
Immediate Decontamination
sustains the combat potential of a contaminated force in three ways:
It reduces the risk to soldiers in MOPP Gear.
They do
not
constantly
touch
lethal
and
spread
them
to
uncontaminated areas.
Soldiers can safely enter Collective Protection Shelters or
contamination-free areas without spreading contamination, allowing
temporary relief from MOPP 4.
It reduces the overall amount of contamination and speeds the
weathering process.
Thorough Decontamination later will be easier
to achieve.
2.
Operational Decontamination.
Decontamination is operationally complete when the contamination is reduced
to a level in which soldiers can operate for extended periods without
wearing masks or protective gloves.
There may be residual contamination,
but not enough to put soldiers in MOPP 4.
For chemical contamination, a minimum level of protection may be necessary
after decontamination.
Operators may need to wear rubber gloves when
handling equipment. Monitor equipment for
1-3
CM2300
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