biological contamination from essential gear with the individual equipment decontamination kit.
■ Operator's Spraydown. Operator spraydown should begin right after finishing the personal
wipedown. Operators and crew remove contamination from all surfaces that must be
frequently touched to accomplish the mission. They spray chemical and biological
contaminants with the on-board decontamination apparatus. For radiological contamination,
they brush or scrape the contamination away with whatever is at hand or flush with water and
wipe.
2.
Operational Decontamination.
a. Operational decon is conducted by teams or squads using decontamination equipment
organic to battalion-size units. If this equipment is not available, units will request vehicle washdown
through command channels. This mission will normally be tasked to the supporting chemical unit.
These procedures limit spread of contamination and allow temporary relief from MOPP 4.
b. Operational decon makes thorough decon easier by speeding up the weathering process for
chemical and biological contamination. This method is less resource-intensive than thorough decon.
Operational decon consists of:
■ MOPP Gear Exchange. During MOPP Gear Exchange, teams of two or more personnel
exchange contaminated overgarments for clean ones to remove gross contamination. The
squad or platoon is responsible for conducting its own MOPP Gear Exchange at the decon
site.
■ Vehicle Washdown. Soldiers use Power-Driven Decontamination Equipment (PDDE) to
spray vehicles with hot, soapy water, thus speeding up the weathering process.
c. Vehicle washdown limits the spread of contamination. Forces must select decontamination
sites that avoid contamination of surface water or drinking sources. All friendly troops downwind of the
operation must be warned to be on the lookout for a potential vapor hazard.
d. If decontamination assets are available and the mission allows, it is most effective to conduct
vehicle washdown within one hour. Generally, sufficient decontamination assets will not be available
for such a timely operation. Vehicle washdown may need to be postponed several hours. The
washdown will still be effective in removing gross contamination and limiting its spread.
CM 2506
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