Not a bad video for some basics about masks.
http://www.tacticallockerroom.com/#!5-THINGS-YOU-NEED-TO-KNOW-ABOUT-GAS-MASKS/cjds/57584abc0cf245cf71a39ef6
Cool beans...
Well I have been sitting on the sidelines a bit in this thread because I hate writing long posts.
I am a content guy not an English major and writing a coherent essay to communicate my thoughts takes me longer than most.
So I apologize from the beginning over typos, missing articles etc etc
... Also nothing outright wrong was posted here and the posters were competent but still.... I like to nudge
the nuances of this discussion a bit and this is as good a point as any.
...most like to think in black and white when it comes to CBRN but protection like everything else is a matter of nuances even if the gear specs
cannot be nuanced due to regulatory or .mil requirements.
(and so are the manuals and that is what the junior and/or non-CBRN soldier goes by,
has to go by because he is still learning and doesnt know any better, and this goes for many folks wearing the really cool patches as well)
..but before I comment I will have to do a quick credentialing and
hopefully its taken in the right way and not as braggadocio..
After I left Combat Arms many years ago went into the CBRN/WMD world.. I have been among other things a BN CBRN Officer, am Tech Escort qualified,am HAZMAT Tech qualified at the train-the-trainer level, have a BS and MS in Chemistry (the MS with a specialization in WMD/CRBN response) I've helped fix some of the errors in the manuals the Army's CBRN school (formerly the USACMLS) uses to teach the courses at the CBRN schoolhouse, have taught many CBRN courses that were for the the guys who
teach the CBRN courses.
Have been a Hot zone entry team leader in a blue chip WMD response asset, with almost 100 real world responses, I've also been involved, among other things, in Protective mask testing and fielding at a major test and development center , have full time manned a WMD field laboratory and helped develop another, have worn various different Masks in real world responses with real agent present and currently make my living as a member of a National asset WMD team that is intended to respond when local military CBRN/WMD response experts are in over their heads.
this is not to brag
but simply to set the stage so folks won't get offended when I critique the "5 things you need to know " post from the (oooo!
) Special Operations Instructor.
Also please understand this is not a knock on who linked the article!
The first problem with the linked "5 points" article (and this is something you often find with .mil personnel no matter what their credentialing is) that even though it is aimed at a audience of civilian 1st defenders it seems driven purely by military considerations and experience w/o the neccessary modification for thevery different operational environment of a civilian 1st defender aka Prepper.
While many of the most experience of this and other .civ defender relevant topics is found in military experience ....when writing an article all too often authors fail to understand (or sometimes dont even bother to learn) the audience's operational environment.
Not every career military man has the mental agility to intuitively understand the different operational concept that underlies the civilian 1st defender and immediately switch to it in his thnking when he attempts to teach them.
This is something that does not just apply to CBRN but to other subjects as well.
Just because someone has great .mil credentials does not mean what he says is written in stone and above scrutiny and this is a take -away for all of us IMHO.
lets go by the points in this example.
"1. If your a left handed shooter make sure you purchase an ambidextrous Gas Mask."
Ok cool nothing outright wrong with this but hardly worthy of being one the big 5 points. civilian 1st defenders will need a mask in only the very rarest of circumstances and they will engage in combat in only rare circumstances. For those 2 to come together is even rarer. is it a consideration? Sure ,but nothing I lose sleep over, even as a leftie.
"2. Look for a way to connect your gas mask to a hydration pouch. Some Gas Masks have the proper connectors some don't. Hydration while wearing a gas mask especially in a training or real life scenario is critical."
Again nothing outright wrong,... but missing the nuances of the audience. For the military PPE (personal protective Equipment such as a protective mask) is designed for the worst case scenario of being under CBRN attack by a major military power that is able to saturate an area with considerable concentration of agent AND THEN having to operate in this environment for extended periods of time.
Nothing could be further from a prepper PoU (philosophy of use). The only threat he will likely see in a high concentration is CS. The other threat are industrial agents from over turned tanker cars or leaking chemical plants (this BTW is a bigger danger than most realize in a grid down situation)
Like evertyhting else in life you have to prep for the most realistic threat and as a prepper you will generally be able to move away from the threat .
You dont LIVE inside the chemcial plant do you?
So putting a high value on the ability to drink via a valve is not insightful, never mind the need for now needing a canteen with the drinking valve couple..
Most any situation one might construe for a prepper, you can either move out of the area and t
hen drink OR if you are ever under an extended threat you can just go to windbreak area, break your seal, take a couple swigs.. done.
"3. Being able to communicate while wearing your mask is a major factor. Look for masks that have built in voice amplifiers."
Again nothing outright wrong with this but for one many many military surplus masks have voicemitters and like I explained above extended operations in PPE against a competent a CBRN slinging opponent are simply not in the scorecards for a civilian 1st defender.
For a prepper the "escape mask" concept that OSHA uses is actually pretty applicable +good (though I do not agree with much of their other CBRN standards but thats a separate issue)
So if you find a comfortable mask thats affordable yet does not have a voicemitter. go for it!
"4. Breathing while wearing a mask is incredibly difficult and is something that you will need to train on to be prepared. Adding your mask as part of your training routine is important."
Again nothing outright wrong with this ....we all are guilty of talking to much about gear rather than planning, scheduling and executing training...
.... but a preppers training time is
valuable and nothing like active duty .mil or even what the reserve component gets for training ( sometimes)... sooooo.. a prepper needs to and will focus his training on his high pay off areas and that is not extended Pro mask wear.
try it on a few times. make sure you have a good seal..... wear it for a half hour maybe once to give yourself an idea and then focus on higher payoff stuff like first aid, gardening, reflexive fire etc etc
"5. Invest in a quality mask, you get what you pay for."
Even though this statement seems the most unassailable, its the one I actually have the most problem with.
As we just discussed a PPE is a very tiny portion of your preps which use is among the least likely of all your preps. DO NOT go out and spend $200 on a the latest military Pro Mask such as the M50 series!
For 99.99% (rounded down
) of all "CBRN" threats, that we can realistically conjure for preppers ,...a painters mask plus goggles and gloves or (if bio and/or fallout) a HEPA filtered mask plus goggles will take care of your protection needs.
And they will provide better situational awareness ( hearing+field of vision) and less exhaustion to boot!
That's super important + this is why the saying goes "PPE kills".
This refers to the concept that while overprotection can protect you from agent it debilitates you with respect to other threats many of which can be more dangerous.
All military filters and some civilian market one ( but not nearly all) feature a charcoal component and a HEPA component so u ahve both bases covered.
ALL military surplus mask are able to protect you to a level you will not see as a prepper/ first defender.
Pick the one that's most affordable and most comfortable to you if you see a deal on some.
And your done.
Filters?
military filters are sooooo overdesigend they will outlast (for a prepper application and even for some .mil applications) their expiration date by a couple of decades(!), especially if sealed and not moved.
Even unsealed ones last way longer than the expiration date.
respectfully,
