April 2006 Airstream Page 01.pmd - Youngstown Air Reserve Station

260 units and over 35,000 personnel have beentrained there. Their mission is to train units todeploy, survive and operate at a forwardlocation.Units with wartime missions typicallyundergo ORIs at least once every fiveyears to evaluate their wartimereadiness. Units are given one offive ratings: outstanding, excellent,satisfactory, marginal andunsatisfactory. Air Force Reserveunits receiving an unsatisfactoryrating are rescheduled for inspection18 – 24 months later.“We want to be ready and executethe scheduled inspection only once,”said Col. Tim Thomson, commander ofthe 910th Airlift Wing.“I don’t think any one wants to do itagain, so let’s get it right the first time.”ttack when an NBC attack couldr when contamination is presentf protection are not required.d field gear are worn. Thecarried.Cleaning after use adds safetyTSgt. Ken SloatPublic Affairs SpecialistThe old adage about a few minutes of worknow saving hours of frustration later mighteasily have been said about the MCU-2 seriesprotective gas mask. It certainly applies.The few minutes required to clean theprotective mask after each use will not onlyprolong the life of the mask, but may alsomake it safer to use, said Mr. Michael Presco,Readiness Program Specialist.Without regular cleanings the sweat, dustand other types of filth can collect underneaththe nose guard. If left unchecked this coulddamage the mask as well as pose a healththreat to the wearer, he said.“If you don’t clean it you’re going to end upwith some kind of bacteria in there,” he said.Each time the mask is used it should beMOPP 3cleaned thoroughly.The best way to clean the mask, according toMr. Presco, is to remove the canister andactually dip the entire mask in a warm soapywater. Totally immersing it and and then lettingit air dry is the best way to ensure the mask isclean, he said.If time or resources are unavailable toimmerse the mask in soapy water then simplywiping it clean inside with warm water is muchbetter than doing nothing, he said.In the early years it was recommended thatthese masks be cleaned with alcohol. Over timethis changed because it was discovered that thealcohol was causing the lens to turn yellow.While this won’t impair its ability to protectthe wearer from chemical threats, it may makereading the M-9 chemical detection tapedifficult, he explained.According to Mr. Presco, many people -even those who otherwise do a good jobcleaning their mask - sometimes forget to cleanthe drinking tube.“If your drink tube is plugged up or broken,you’re in trouble,” he said.Cleaning the drink tube is a simple processhe explained.Put some water in the canteen and flush thetube back through the mask. Adding a fewdrops of standard bleach to the water willsanitize the tube at the same time he said.People should remember, he points out, thatkeeping the mask clean is the user’sresponsibility.MOPP 4MOPP 3 : Used in pre- or post-attack when anNBC attack could occur with little or no warningor when contamination is present or suspectedand higher levels of protection are not required.Overgarment, protective mask, hood, overbootsand field gear are worn. Gloves are carried.MOPP 4: Used in pre- or post-attack when an NBC attackcould occur with little or no warning or whencontamination is present or suspected and higher levelsof protection are not required. Overgarment, protectivemask, hood, overboots, field gear and gloves are worn.April 2006 7