(3) Accessibility by Vehicles and Equipment.
The site selected must be accessible by the personnel, vehicles and equipment which are to be
decontaminated. In order to perform equipment decontamination operations, the mission requires the
use of equipment and supplies which must be transported by vehicle to the decontamination site.
Decontaminants and replacement supplies for personnel decontamination are also transported to the site
by vehicle. A site which is suitable in all other aspects is of little use if the terrain is too rough or
marshy to allow access to the site or to support the vehicles or equipment at the site.
The area selected should be off the main route, but with easy access for vehicles. To preclude muddy
conditions, a site with a roadway into the area and with hard surfaces is desirable. Since power-driven
decontamination equipment must be placed as near the water source as possible, vehicular access to the
water source is extremely important.
(4) Adequate Area for Equipment Dispersal.
The number of vehicles or items of equipment and their size will influence how large an area must be
allowed for tactical dispersion. Space must be provided for adequate dispersal before, during, and after
decontamination operations.
(5) Forward Location.
An equipment decontamination site should be located as far forward as possible to minimize movement
time. Long distances from the battle area to the decontamination site will require a correspondingly
long travel time. This time may be needed for critical operations. Another important reason for
selecting a forward location is to avoid spreading the contamination to uncontaminated areas.
(6) Location Downwind from Friendly Troops.
Decontamination operations pose a hazard to friendly troops since chemical agent vapors can travel with
the prevailing wind and could cause a serious problem for unprotected troops. For this reason, the site
selected should be downwind from friendly troops. Since a downwind vapor hazard exists with
chemical agents, personnel downwind of the decon site must be warned.
(7) Cover and Concealment.
The decontamination site should be selected so as to preclude ground and air observation, if possible.
Personnel are particularly vulnerable to enemy fire during decontamination
CM 2506
4-8
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