Section I. INTRODUCTION

F-1. General

To continue the HSS mission under CB conditions, MTFs must search out contamination free areas or employ CPS systems. Levels I and II MTFs may be able to locate contamination free areas; however, due to the mobility limitations of hospitals, they must always be prepared to operate under CB conditions if the area is under attack. Systems that can be employed as an MTF (Levels I, II, III, and IV) are described in this appendix.

F-2. Types of Collective Protection Shelter Systems

a. The CBPS system is employed at the BAS, DCS, and FST. The CBPS is attached to the hard-walled box on the rear of a high mobility multi-purpose wheeled vehicle (HMMWV). The BAS will have one CBPS system per treatment team; the DCS will have four CBPS systems; the FST will have three CBPS systems. Also, systems will be issued to other selected medical treatment teams. When employed at the DCS, the patient holding team will also require GP tents to hold their required number of patients (see [Chapter 4]). Patients held inside the CBPS will be those that have been decontaminated and admitted into the system for treatment and are recovering from the treatment procedures and are awaiting evacuation. Any patients held in the GP tent must remain in MOPP Level 4 (the GP tent will not have collective protection); these patients are those that are expected to RTD within 72 hours.

NOTES

1. Normally, patients will not be held at the DCS under NBC conditions unless evacuation cannot be accomplished. They should be RTD or evacuated to a clean MTF, as soon as the mission permits.

2. The CBPS can also be employed as the DCS in the conventional mode. Employment in either mode still requires GP tentage for patient holding to meet total patient holding requirements.

b. The DEPMEDS-equipped patient care areas of the US Army Force XXI hospital and the hospital unit base (HUB) of the Medical Force 2000 (MF2K) will employ the CP DEPMEDS. It will not protect personnel or patients from the thermal, blast, and initial radiation effects of nuclear weapons; however, it will provide some protection against fallout effects. Areas of the hospital that are not included in the chemically protected (CP) DEPMEDS are MF2K general hospital unit medical (HUM), MF2K field hospital unit holding (HUH), MF2K combat support and general hospital unit surgical (HUS), minimum care wards, administrative areas, food service, supply (including Class VIII), and staff quarters. The system includes—

c. The M20 simplified collective protection system is another system that is available. It consists of a chemically protected room liner, a CB filter blower, and an ambulatory air lock. However, it does not have a litter air lock making it unsuitable for litter patient care. The M20 may be used to protect medical staffs at the DCS, FST, and hospitals, patients held in the GP tents at the DCS and in the minimum care wards and staff quarters of the hospitals. Thus providing additional CB protection for staffs and patients.