Photo By Master Sgt. Thomas Mills | Staff Sgt. Joseph Bailey, right, Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear...... read more read more
Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Mills
3rd Combat Aviation Brigade,
3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs
CAMP STRIKER, Iraq – Just because Soldiers are deployed to a war zone, training doesn't stop. That includes one of the, fortunately, least busy jobs in the deployed Army – chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear specialists.
With that in mind, CBRN Soldiers from 4th Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, gathered Feb. 25 to train on a piece of equipment that doesn't get used much – the M-17 Sanator.
"If a vehicle or even aircraft gets 'slimed' and we need to do a hasty decontamination the company would call me," said Staff Sgt. Joseph Bailey, from Ironton, Ohio, CBRN noncommissioned officer for 4-3rd Avn. Regt.
Bailey defined "slimed" as a vehicle or aircraft being exposed to any kind of liquid contamination.
The M-17 Sanator is basically a pressure washer with heater settings, said Bailey, with two spray nozzle wands and the ability to set up as a shower for hasty decontamination of individuals.
The purpose behind this particular piece of equipment is to stop the spread of contamination and give the unit the chance to finish a mission before starting the process of thorough decontamination.
"This is basically just if they have a mission going on and they got slimed. We would spray them off real quick and they'd get right back into the mission," said Bailey. To combat the spread of the contamination, the CBRN Soldiers would meet the slimed vehicle or aircraft at a designated point.
The CBRN Soldiers would then decontaminate mission-critical parts or pieces of the vehicle or aircraft, such as steering wheels and seats, as well as the Soldiers themselves if they were exposed, then send them back into the fight.
Only after the mission is complete would the equipment and Soldiers be fully decontaminated.
The training on the Sanator was designed to address two issues: make sure the equipment worked and train the 4-3rd Avn. Regt. CBRN Soldiers.
Even though the equipment is critical to the mission, it can often be forgotten, leading to problems.
"A lot of times this type of equipment gets put into a (shipping container) and doesn't get used," Bailey said. Because it uses water, there are multiple rubber seals that, if under- or over-used, can go bad.
The training covered operator maintenance and decontamination operations, said Bailey.
The CBRN Soldiers learn how to use the Sanator in advanced individual training, said Spc. Phillip Drwila, CBRN Soldier, Co. E, 4-3rd Avn. Regt., but there are Air Force versions and Army versions of the Sanator.
There are also older versions of the Sanator out there, said Bailey.
"They have different models of this (equipment) but it's basically the same function," said Drwila, from Elk Grove Village, Ill.
Going through initial training in AIT is one thing, but learning in the field on the specific piece of equipment the Army uses is quite another, said Spc. Precious Haynes, CBRN Soldier for Co. D, 4-3rd Avn. Regt., a native of Columbus, Ga. It gives her the experience she needs to perform her job not only now, but in the future.
"When I get into a leadership position I'll know how to train my Soldiers on this equipment," Haynes said.
| Date Taken: | 02.27.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 02.29.2008 11:17 |
| Story ID: | 16826 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 184 |
| Downloads: | 88 |
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