JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKHAM , Hawaii - Soldiers with 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, learned to have confidence in their equipment upon entering the gas chamber during Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Training, Sept. 17, 2015, at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
"This type of training provides Soldiers with an opportunity to familiarize themselves with their masks and helps instill confidence in themselves if they were ever in a situation in which they would need to utilize their masks," said Staff Sgt. Michael Skeens, the supply noncommissioned officer-in-charge, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 94th AAMDC.
The Soldiers trained by entering a hut filled with white smoke known scientifically as o-Chlorobenzylidene Malononitrile, but the Army refers to it as CS gas.
Members of the U.S. armed forces are first exposed to the gas during initial training, and during training refresher courses or equipment maintenance exercises, using CS tablets that are melted on a hotplate.
This is to demonstrate the importance of properly wearing a gas mask or a protective mask, as the agent's presence quickly reveals an improper fit or seal of the mask's rubber gaskets against the face.
"Going through the gas chamber is good training but it does make you extremely uncomfortable but a better Soldier," said Sgt. Geysi Johnson, the property book noncommissioned officer, 94th AAMDC. "You make sure that your mask is sealed properly because you don't want to get caught breathing the gas in more than you absolutely have to."
Prior to entering the gas hut, the Soldiers conduct preventive maintenance, check and services to ensure their mask and filters are functioning properly.
During the first exposure, the Soldier must remove the mask, receive facial exposure, then replace and clear the mask. In the second exposure, the Soldier must remove the mask state a simple phrase and exit the hut.
"In the gas chamber, your skin feels like it is burning," said Johnson. "When you get out your eyes water and burn, you are coughing and your sinuses are completely cleaned out."
This training helps prepare Soldiers to be ready for situations they may encounter while doing their jobs.
"This training is a tool we utilize to improve individual soldier readiness," said Staff Sgt. Michael Shrum, the supply noncommissioned officer. "This type of exercise allows Soldiers to know that they can and are ready to put their mask in combat with no hesitation."
Social Sharing