CAUTION
1. Keep liquid decontaminants out of equipment with electronic or electrical circuits. Unplug electrical devices before attempting to decontaminate them; prevent electric shock. Some electronic devices maintain an electric charge, even after being unplugged, use extreme care to prevent shock.
2. Soap and water only mechanically remove BW agents. The soap and water solution must be contained to prevent spreading the agent to other personnel, thus causing more casualties.
c. Decontamination of chemical contamination is as follows:
(1) Personnel use their soldier skills and their M295 Individual Equipment Decontamination Kit to decontaminate their personal equipment. The M13, decontamination apparatus, portable, is used to decontaminate vehicles, trailers, and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) shelters. This apparatus uses DS2 (a highly caustic, flammable solution that cannot be used to decontaminate tentage). The DS2 must be washed off after sufficient time has passed for decontamination (see FM 3-5 for details). Water used for NBC decontamination purposes becomes contaminated; therefore, it must be contained in sumps. Dig shallow trenches to channel the water into sumps. This will be difficult in hospital areas because relatively flat sites are needed for hospital complexing, but must be accomplished to reduce the contamination levels in the hospital area.
(2) When hospital tentage becomes contaminated, decontamination operations must be considered immediately. Spot decontamination may be effective for small areas; however, gross contamination of TEMPER and GP tentage is best decontaminated by aging. Without CPS and with persistent agent contamination that absorbs into the tentage and presents a continuing vapor hazard, the hospital stops receiving patients and evacuates all patients as quickly as possible. When large portions of the hospital are contaminated, personnel decontaminate all equipment possible and relocate to a new site, leaving the contaminated equipment to age or to be decontaminated by a specialized unit. When small portions of the hospital are contaminated, the contaminated portions are removed to another location for decontamination; hospital operations are continued, but at a lower operational level. For detailed equipment decontamination procedures, see FM 3-5.
NOTE
Liquid decontamination material must not be used on electrical or electronic components of equipment. Liquid decontaminants can damage the equipment; thus making it inoperable and not available for patient care or transport. The use of liquids to decontaminate electronic equipment could also potentially result in injury or electrocution of personnel.
(3) Each US Army hospital is issued five chemical agent patient treatment MES and three chemical agent patient decontamination MES, Chemical Agents Patient Decontamination, for use in decontaminating patients. Each hospital must decontaminate and treat its own personnel who become casualties; chemical casualties from units in its general area; or contaminated patients received from lower level MTFs. See [Appendix G] for patient decontamination procedures and for establishment of a patient decontamination and treatment station.
4-4. Emergency Services
a. Providing emergency services will be complicated by several factors: