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GAS! GAS! GAS! New mask on the way

US Marine Corps News

9/14/2010 By Cpl. Antwain J. Graham, Marine Corps Air Station New River

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, Jacksonville, N.C. — As the Marine Corps transitions to the recently introduced M50 Joint Service General Purpose Mask, it is important to keep training up-to-date and remain prepared for any type of chemical biological radiological or nuclear attack.

To meet this requirement, the Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear Defense sections of Marine Aircraft Group 29 and Marine Aircraft Group 26 teamed up to conduct a mass gas chamber training for more than 100 Marines, Sept. 8.

During this gas chamber, the Marines used the M40 Field Protective Mask.

However, the days are numbered for the older mask as Nuclear Biological and Chemical Marines received their first M50 masks Monday as the U.S. Armed Forces is slowly phasing in the new model.

According to a recent article in the Okinawa Marine, III Marine Expeditionary Force was the first MEF to receive the M50s and II MEF is shortly following suit.

The new mask is designed to be more compact, lighter, more comfortable and more effective by the Defense Department’s Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense. The M50 also has a wider field of view, thanks to a single lens that spans the width of the face, unlike its predecessor.

Other advancements include a twin conformal filter which allows 50 percent improvement in breathing resistance. The mask allows over 24 hours of protection against chemical or biological agents and radioactive particulate matter.

These upgrades and many more make the M50 Joint Service General Purpose Mask a great defense against the threats service members face not only in combat, but on the home front as well.

The training conducted by the MAG takes all threats into account, according to Chief Warrant Officer 3 Alexsander Hernandez, the CBRN officer-in-charge.

Oil spills and fuel truck turnovers, which have recently been in the news, are very common and are just the type of disasters that require CBRN attention. The benefits of the training can be forever useful in light of today’s ever-changing battlefield.

Regardless of the particular mask used, Marines must always understand of the importance of gas chamber training, Hernandez said.

Standard gas chamber training includes instruction on how to don the proper equipment required during a potentially deadly chemical or biological situation.

As new advancements like the M50 are implemented, Marines must stay on their toes and be prepared to adapt to the changes on the battlefield and at home in order to meet potential threats.