Chemical Survival Skills
Every emergency situation requires different skills
to cope with the crisis. Being prepared is essential
to your survival. The following is the most basic chemical
survival skills that everyone should know, and practice
in order to be prepared for survival.
| The
Basics
Wilderness Survival
Skills are the fundamental skills of survival
that will be needed for nearly every survival
scenario.
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Chemical Survival
[Reprinted as permitted
by U.S. Department of the Army from field manual FM
21-76]
Chemical agent warfare is real. It
can create extreme problems in a survival situation,
but you can overcome the problems with the proper equipment,
knowledge, and training. As a survivor, your first line
of defense against chemical agents is your proficiency
in individual nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC)
training, to include donning and wearing the protective
mask and overgarment, personal decontamination, recognition
of chemical agent symptoms, and individual first aid
for chemical agent contamination. The SMCTs cover these
subjects. If you are not proficient in these skills,
you will have little chance of surviving a chemical
environment.
The subject matter covered below is
not a substitute for any of the individual tasks in
which you must be proficient. The SMCTs address the
various chemical agents, their effects, and first aid
for these agents. The following information is provided
under the assumption that you are proficient in the
use of chemical protective equipment and know the symptoms
of various chemical agents.
Detection of Chemical
Agents
The best method for detecting chemical
agents is the use of a chemical agent detector. If you
have one, use it. However, in a survival situation,
you will most likely have to rely solely on the use
of all of your physical senses. You must be alert and
able to detect any clues indicating the use of chemical
warfare. General indicators of the presence of chemical
agents are tears, difficult breathing, choking, itching,
coughing, and dizziness. With agents that are very hard
to detect, you must watch for symptoms in fellow survivors.
Your surroundings will provide valuable clues to the
presence of chemical agents; for example, dead animals,
sick people, or people and animals displaying abnormal
behavior.
Your sense of smell may alert you to
some chemical agents, but most will be odorless. The
odor of newly cut grass or hay may indicate the presence
of choking agents. A smell of almonds may indicate blood
agents.
Sight will help you detect chemical
agents. Most chemical agents in the solid or liquid
state have some color. In the vapor state, you can see
some chemical agents as a mist or thin fog immediately
after the bomb or shell bursts. By observing for symptoms
in others and by observing delivery means, you may be
able to have some warning of chemical agents. Mustard
gas in the liquid state will appear as oily patches
on leaves or on buildings.
The sound of enemy munitions will give
some clue to the presence of chemical weapons. Muffled
shell or bomb detonations are a good indicator.
Irritation in the nose or eyes or on
the skin is an urgent warning to protect your body from
chemical agents. Additionally, a strange taste in food,
water, or cigarettes may serve as a warning that they
have been contaminated.
Protection Against
Chemical Agents
As a survivor, always use the following
general steps, in the order listed, to protect yourself
from a chemical attack:
- Use protective equipment.
- Give quick and correct self-aid
when contaminated.
- Avoid areas where chemical agents
exist.
- Decontaminate your equipment and
body as soon as possible.
Your protective mask and overgarment
are the key to your survival. Without these, you stand
very little chance of survival. You must take care of
these items and protect them from damage. You must practice
and know correct self-aid procedures before exposure
to chemical agents. The detection of chemical agents
and the avoidance of contaminated areas is extremely
important to your survival. Use whatever detection kits
may be available to help in detection. Since you are
in a survival situation, avoid contaminated areas at
all costs. You can expect no help should you become
contaminated. If you do become contaminated, decontaminate
yourself as soon as possible using proper procedures.
Shelter
If you find yourself in a contaminated
area, try to move out of the area as fast as possible.
Travel crosswind or upwind to reduce the time spent
in the downwind hazard area. If you cannot leave the
area immediately and have to build a shelter, use normal
shelter construction techniques, with a few changes.
Build the shelter in a clearing, away from all vegetation.
Remove all topsoil in the area of the shelter to decontaminate
the area. Keep the shelter's entrance closed and oriented
at a 90-degree angle to the prevailing wind. Do not
build a fire using contaminated wood--the smoke will
be toxic. Use extreme caution when entering your shelter
so that you will not bring contamination inside.
Water Procurement
As with biological and nuclear environments,
getting water in a chemical environment is difficult.
Obviously, water in sealed containers is your best and
safest source. You must protect this water as much as
possible. Be sure to decontaminate the containers before
opening.
If you cannot get water in sealed containers,
try to get it from a closed source such as underground
water pipes. You may use rainwater or snow if there
is no evidence of contamination. Use water from slow-moving
streams, if necessary, but always check first for signs
of contamination, and always filter the water as described
under nuclear conditions. Signs of water source contamination
are foreign odors such as garlic, mustard, geranium,
or bitter almonds; oily spots on the surface of the
water or nearby; and the presence of dead fish or animals.
If these signs are present, do not use the water. Always
boil or purify the water to prevent bacteriological
infection.
Food Procurement
It is extremely difficult to eat while
in a contaminated area. You will have to break the seal
on your protective mask to eat. If you eat, find an
area in which you can safely unmask. The safest source
of food is your sealed combat rations. Food in sealed
cans or bottles will also be safe. Decontaminate all
sealed food containers before opening, otherwise you
will contaminate the food.
If you must supplement your combat
rations with local plants or animals, do not
use plants from contaminated areas or animals that appear
to be sick. When handling plants or animals, always
use protective gloves and clothing.
[Reprinted
as permitted by U.S. Department of the Army from field
manual FM 21-76]
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