2. Adjust your clothing to cover exposed skin
(battle dress).
3. Slip on a protective cover, if you have one, or
cover yourself with anything at hand.
4. Keep upwind of the explosion, if possible.
5. Administer first aid to yourself and to others.
6. If you are not a casualty, report to your duty
station or to the designated area where you can
take a shower and get clean clothes.
7. Keep your hands away from your face,
particularly your mouth.
8. Don’t eat, chew, drink, or smoke until the items
are checked by a medical officer.
9. Don’t stir up dust or step into puddles.
10. Don’t brush against or touch decks, bulkheads,
structures, or objects in the contaminated area.
Breathing radioactive particles is dangerous. Take
shelter from dust clouds raised by wind, by aircraft, or
by moving vehicles. Otherwise, use a protective mask or
a handkerchief for protection.
Nuclear Attack
If there is warning of a nuclear attack, the word is
passed to take cover. When the word is passed, go to
your designated shelter as quickly as possible. At the
sound of the alarm, get your protective mask ready. If
you are ordered to a shelter, remain there until the
all-clear signal is given.
In general, the farther you are below the main deck
(deep shelters), the better the protection from nuclear
radiation. To reduce the contamination from the base
surge and from fallout, secure the appropriate Circle W
fittings. All topside openings will be closed for as long
as the ship is in the danger area.
BW or CW Attack
If you are in a BW or CW attack, avoid the spray,
mist, or cloud if you can. Wear your mask, cover your
body as much as possible, and seek shelter. Assume that
all surfaces in the vicinity of the attack are
contaminated; leave the area quickly, and follow the
route to the closest decontamination area. Report any
sickness promptly, and do not eat, drink or smoke. Since
BW and CW agents can sometimes enter your body
through the skin, cover any cuts or scratches. As with
nuclear warfare protective measures, if you have no
mask with you, cover your nose and mouth with your
handkerchief or cloth (such as a rag or shirt).
PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
The protective equipment described here includes
the MCU-2P mask, clothing, and antidotes for certain
chemical agents.
You should know how to use a MCU-2/P
protective mask and how to apply antidotes.
Two types of clothing are useful, to varying
degrees, in CBR defense—wet-weather clothing
and ordinary work clothing
MCU-2/P Protective Mask
The protective mask, or gas mask, is your most
important piece of protective equipment against CBR
agents. It protects your face, eyes, nose, throat, and
lungs. The reason it is so important is because inhaling
CBR agents is much more dangerous than getting them
on the outside of your body. Without filtration of some
kind, a large amount of contamination could be inhaled
in a short time.
The mask serves two functions:
1. It filters the air, removing particles of dust that
may be radioactive or otherwise contaminated.
2. It purifies the air of many poisonous gases.
The mask does not produce oxygen. Therefore, it
doesn’t provide protection against smoke or against
toxic gases, such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide,
and ammonia. Therefore, it may be used for emergency
escape only as a last resort. When entering a
compartment containing such gases, you must use an
oxygen breathing apparatus or an air hose mask.
The operation of the mask is simple. On inhalation
(breathing in), the air passes through a filter system that
filters and absorbs the CBR agents. Exhaled (breathing
out) air is expelled through a one-way valve.
13-18
Student Notes:
