Gas Mask Safety Tips
Safety Tips for use of Israeli M-15 Military NBC NATO gas mask and filter, Advantage 1000, North DP, Swedish models. Buy the best gas mask- survival gear and protective chemical suits for civilian use. NBC water canteen, pet shelter, protective powder. Protect yourself against chemical agents, biological agents, and radioactive dust.

Gas Masks Can Kill

Be sure you and your family are instructed in the safe use of your gas masks.

The adhesive seal on some gas mask filters must be removed so that air can enter the filter. Removing these seals earlier than needed reduces the effectiveness of the mask, as moisture from the air enters the charcoal of the filter.

There are reports of children suffocating from misuse of the gas mask, after the filter seals were left intact with the mask secured to the child's face.

Always read the instructions accompanying your gas mask, and familiarize yourself with its safe use.

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Fear of war claims 3 lives

JERUSALEM MARCH 17. A mother and two teenage sons suffocated to death in a sealed room they had prepared in defence against a possible Iraqi chemical missile attack, Israeli police said on Monday.

The three died because a coal-fuelled heater in an adjacent room sucked oxygen from the room they were sleeping in, which was designed to stop air entering, but allowed air to escape.

Around 5 a.m., the husband awoke and realized his wife and two of their children were not breathing, police said. Two other children survived.

The room was sealed with nylon sheeting, duct tape and rags placed along the bottom of the door to stop air from entering, and gas masks and filters were opened, attached and ready for use, Israel Radio reported.

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Soldiers prepare for chemical warfare
3/17/2003 10:30 PM
By: Stacy Neumann & Web Staff

(KUWAIT) -- As U.S. troops prepare to confront Iraq, there is one thing that weighs heavy on the minds of most soldiers. That is the threat of nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare.

82nd airborne troops are among those waiting in Kuwait, preparing for the possibility they'll be forced to deal with those weapons.

Task Force Falcon in Camp Champion lives and trains for an attack on U.S. military troops.

"Scud launch...scud launch....scud launch...."

A clear day in Camp Champion is interrupted by a clear warning. "Exercise, exercise, exercise.”

Soldiers scramble into gas masks. "Clear and seal. Clear and seal...hiss...pop.”

They run for cover in bunkers, running from the thing they fear the most about a possible war with Iraq.

"Concerned not so much with bullets but to be hit with a chemical weapon,” said SGT Eridania Reinoso of the 82nd Signal Battalion.

Drills like this ensure troops know what to do if they face a real chemical attack. Staff Sergeant David Kinney checks Fort Bragg soldiers huddled near the concrete structures.

"If you're gonna be inside the bunker, you need to get all the way inside,” he said. “Sit on someone's lap if you need to..."

Everyone in Camp Champion is required to wear a pouch on them at all times, everywhere they go. Inside the pouch is a gas mask (or pro-mask as the soldiers call them) charcoal decontamination kits and atropine needles, everything you would need to survive an initial chemical or biological attack while you seek shelter.

The protective equipment isn't comfortable.

According to SPC Michael Didonato, "Kinda warm. After you put it on, you start to sweat."

But soldiers don't mind.

"Gas mask is uncomfortable but it's necessary because it will save your life,” said PFC Leroy Mikell of 49th Public Affairs.

SSG Kinney says practice makes perfect and saves lives. “All the mistakes should be made in training, not in real life."

So Task Force Falcon soldiers will repeat this drill over and over as they wait in the desert, treating each drill as the real thing and hoping the real thing never comes.

U.S. troops also have another tool at their disposal. Each soldier carries around multiple chemical protection suits. The JS List equipment is designed to safeguard troops in a contaminated environment. The suits are vacuum-packed until needed.

82nd troops in Camp Champion have already removed one suit from its packaging for easy access.

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