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• Injury to personnel or exhibition of physiological symptoms requiring more than standard first aid procedures.
• Off-post contamination by a chemical agent.
• Property damage of $10,000 or more.
• An unintentional or uncontrolled release of a chemical agent which exceeds maximum agent concentration-time levels forexposure of unprotected personnel.
• Unusual interest by the public news media.

• Unintentional exposure of personnel to a chemical agent.
• Release of a chemical agent without exposure of personnel which is not reported as a minor leak or an accident.
• Property damage of at least $250, but less than $10,000.
• Actual or attempted theft or diversion of chemical surety materiel.
• Actual or attempted penetration of a chemical exclusion area.

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Immediate control of a military chemical surety materiel accident site will be established by the nearest military commander pending arrival of the on-scene commander, the CAIC officer, or the representative of the service having possession of the material. Control requirements will vary according to the magnitude of the accident effects.

In controlling the chemical accident site, the first consideration is saving lives. Untrained military personnel or civilians may have performed some emergency actions in the contaminated area. These individuals should be detained and inspected for possible contamination and observed for effects of the material involved. Injured personnel requiring evacuation should be decontaminated as rapidly as possible and local medical authorities should be notified of the possibility of contamination.

Fires in which high explosives are involved should not be fought except to save lives or with the advice of EOD personnel (TM 5-315).

The on-scene commander (OSC) will request additional support personnel as required from the nearest military installation to augment the emergency teams and to provide security and control of the area.

CONTROL ORGANIZATION (CAIC ORGANIZATION)

A CAIC organization will be formed to control personnel, materiel, and CAIC operations at the scene of a chemical accident. Teams and equipment will be formed from local assets. Minimum composition of a CAIC organization is shown in figure 2.

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On-Scene Commander (OSC). When the OSC, a general officer, arrives at the accident or incident scene, he commands all emergency forces and directs all operations at the scene, including but not limited to--

• Security, safeguarding and disposition of all classified material involved.
• Surveys to determine actual and potential hazards.
• Actions to minimize the hazardous effect of a chemical accident/incident.
• Requests for required assistance.
• Reports.
• Public information.
• Control and logistic support of observers and other authorized personnel.
• Claims.
• Requests to local intelligence units for counter-intelligence inspections and surveys.
• Relations with local civilian groups.
• Communications between the accident or incident site and higher headquarters.

• The CAICO'S staff consists of:
  • Assistant CAICO Operations Officer
  • Provost Marshall
  • Staff Judge Advocate
  • Public Affairs Officer
  • Communications Officer
  • Engineer Officer
  • Medical Officer
  • Safety Officer
  • Chaplain
• The supporting teams working under the direction of the CAICO consist of:
  • EOD Team
  • NBC Team
  • Medical Team
  • Physical Security Team
  • Communications Team

CONTROL MEASURES

Upon arrival at the scene of the accident, the senior military representative will establish a command post to coordinate all activities. Measures must be taken to control the area for physical security, personnel, traffic, and contamination.

Area Control. The nature of the accident, meteorological conditions, and terrain conditions will determine the area control measures to be employed. The following guides should be used to establish the exclusion and downwind hazard areas.

• Exclusion Area. The initial exclusion area is that area inside a 450 meter radius circle around the accident site. This area (fig. 3) should be marked on an overlay and maintained on the situation map at the command post. Criteria for adjustment of the initial exclusion area is based on the explosive hazard of the munitions in question as determined by the EOD Personnel.
• Downwind Hazard Area. An initial downwind hazard tires should be established when the amount and or type agent are unknown. This area may be adjust after coordination with EOD, technical escort. and NBC team leaders. The initial downwind distance extends 2,000 meters downwind from the accident site. The downwind hazard area is established by extending two radial lines at an angle of 20 degrees on either side of the primary wind direction (total angle of downwind hazard area is 40 degrees). Two buffer zones, extending from the edge of the initial exclusion area, are then drawn to intersect the right and left radial lines as shown in figure 3. All unprotected personnel should be evacuated from this area. The personnel performing the evacuation operations must wear a protective mask.
• Evacuation. The CAICO will make a determination of the area that should be evacuated after evaluating reports from the emergency team leaders.

Physical Security and Personnel Control. The Provost Marshal will advise the CAICO on physical security matters and coordinate the use of military security forces with representatives of state or local governments and with other military services. Control of news media personnel will be coordinated with the information officer (AR 360-5 and AR 360-80).

• Command Post (CP). The command post will be established upwind from, and a minimum of 50 meters outside the exclusion area. Control of activities around the accident site will be exercised from the CP.
• Personnel Decontamination Station (PDS). Personnel entering and departing the exclusion area will pass through the personnel decontamination station.
Traffic Control. Upon the report of an accident/incident, a designated military police unit will dispatch traffic control elements to the accident area. These elements are under the control of the CAICO once they arrive at the area.
• Traffic Control posts will be established at:
  • Entrances to and exits from the area.
  • Assembly areas.
  • Critical points.
• Traffic patrols will cordon off the area by their patrol activity and reroute traffic.
• A military police team will erect temporary direction signs, traffic signs, and contamination markers, as appropriate.
Contamination Control. Every effort must be made to contain the contamination. Personnel and animals should be evacuated quickly to the control point on the hotline.
• Personnel and animals evacuated from the immediate accident site should be inspected for contamination and processed through the PDS as necessary. Personnel and animals evacuated from the downwind hazard area should be placed under observation. Identification of personnel and their location at the time of the accident/incident is essential to the processing of claims.
• Equipment will be decontaminated in place or in a designated area established for that purpose.
• Leaking chemical munitions or containers of hazardous material should be leak sealed, packaged, and placed in a storage area by technical escort or EOD personnel until further disposition instructions are received.

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Section I -- NBC TEAM

An NBC team is a specially trained and equipped unit capable of responding to any accident/incident involving agent release or exposure. This team may also be designated the NBC Alpha Team when given the additional capability and responsibility for alpha monitoring.

Mission

The mission of the NBC team is to--

• Assist technical escort teams.
• Determine the extent of the hazard.
• Identify the chemical agent involved.
• Direct the survey, mark and record the contaminated area, and take samples of biological material.
• Recommend procedures for controlling movement of personnel and equipment into and out of the contaminated area.
• Decontaminate personnel, equipment, structures, and land surfaces as directed.
The NBC team chief, in conjunction with technical representatives from DARCOM and other government agencies as appropriate, will advise the Chemical Accident/Incident Control Officer (CAICO) when the hazard has been sufficiently reduced to allow unprotected personnel to enter the area.

Organization

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The NBC team should consist of a minimum of one officer and eight enlisted personnel when the team does not have an area decontamination responsibility. When the NBC team is assigned an area decontamination responsibility, it should be augmented with at least four additional enlisted personnel to form a decontamination section. The personnel of the NBC team should be assigned duties as follows:

• Team Leader. The team leader is responsible for the operation of the team and will be located in a position most advantageous for the successful completion of the team mission.
• Assistant Team Leader. The senior enlisted person will be assigned duties as the assistant team leader and must be capable of assuming the team leader's responsibility when necessary. In addition, the assistant team leader is responsible for operating the team command post and for supervising personnel of the decontamination station, the detection teams, and the decontamination section, as required.
• Personnel Decontamination Station (PDS) Operators. At least two PDS operators should be assigned to set up and maintain the personnel decontamination station. They will inspect personnel entering the exclusion area for the proper uniform. They will assist personnel to insure that proper undressing and decontaminating procedures are followed on leaving the contaminated area. PDS operators will insure that all equipment leaving the contaminated area is decontaminated prior to crossing the hot line (equipment operators can assist in the decontamination before going through the PDS themselves). The uniform for the PDS operators will be, as a minimum (since gross contamination is not anticipated), the field uniform, protective mask w/hood, and impermeable accessory items (boot covers, apron, and gloves).
• Detection Parties. Two detection parties with at least two people each will be assigned to perform detection, identification, and survey of the contaminated area. One detection party will be composed of the party leader or assistant party leader and one other party member. The protective clothing for the detection party members will be designated by the NBC team leader. As the minimum, each detection party will carry detection and or sampling equipment, appropriate first-aid material, marking equipment, and a means of communication. A small amount of general purpose decontaminant may be carried by the parties, or if the nature of hazardous material is known, the specific decontaminant may be selected.
When the NBC team is given an area decontamination capability and augmented with additional personnel, a decontamination section should be formed. At least four people will be assigned to perform decontamination of equipment, structures, and land surfaces under the supervision of the assistant NBC team leader. The section members will operate and maintain the decontaminating equipment on hand and perform the recheck of the contaminated area. The uniform for decontamination operations will be designated by the NBC team leader. Duties of the individual members are described later in this chapter.

All team members will be qualified in the detection and identification of chemical agents; in the sampling of biological material; and in the decontamination of personnel, equipment, and material. At least four enlisted personnel should be qualified as drivers and as radio operators. All members will be cross-trained to perform any task assigned. The team leader will coordinate the activities of the NBC team with other emergency teams at the accident site and furnish advice to personnel on chemical detection, biological sampling, survey procedures, and emergency decontamination measures.

Training

Individual team members will be trained at an NBC school conducted at installation, brigade, or higher level.

Team training will be conducted in conjunction with the training of other emergency teams. A suggested training program is summarized in Table 1. A formal training course for the CAICO, the Senior Chemical Accident/Incident Control Officer, 2E-F43 (4 days) is taught at USAMMCS, Redstone Arsenal, AL.

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Utilization

Major commands with area chemical/biological accident control responsibilities will organize and train NBC teams, as necessary. Commands must insure arrival of a team at the scene of a chemical accident as soon as possible after being notified.

Upon arrival at the accident site, the NBC team leader will report to the CAICO and coordinate with other emergency teams present, i.e., explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), fire, or medical. If the NBC team is the first to arrive at the site, and the technical escort leader is not present, the team leader will assume responsibility for emergency actions until properly relieved. The team leader will also insure that the command post location is checked for contamination and that the initial hazard area is established. These functions will normally be accomplished by EOD personnel.

After coordination with other emergency teams, the NBC team will:

• Assume responsibility for the operation of the Emergency PDS, if established by the EOD team. This action will be coordinated with the EOD, CP supervisor. The Emergency PDS will normally be expanded into a Personnel Decontamination Station as shown in Figure 6.
• Move into the area to identify the hazard and locate areas of contamination.
• Mark all areas of contamination conspicuously.
• Assist in the decontamination of personnel and equipment found in the contaminated area.
• Within its capability, decontaminate the area or advise and assist as directed by the CAICO.
When dealing with civilian personnel, team members should not alarm or frighten them unnecessarily. Assistance of the civil authorities should be used, especially for controlling civilian personnel in the area.

Relationship with news media personnel is prescribed in AR 360-5. No news releases will be made except through CAICO.

Section II -- DECONTAMINATION TEAM

Major commanders with area chemical accident/incident control responsibilities may desire to organize and train decontamination teams in lieu of assigning the NBC teams an area decontamination responsibility.

Mission

The mission of the decontamination team is to:

• Decontaminate personnel, equipment, structures, and land surfaces.
• Recheck areas for completeness of decontamination. The assistance of a technical advisor from the Chemical Systems Laboratory at Aberdeen P. G., MD, may be required.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the CAICO.
Organization

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The decontamination team should consist of a minimum of one officer and six enlisted personnel. Personnel should have the same qualifications as those of the NBC team. At least two of the enlisted personnel should be qualified drivers and decontamination equipment operators. All personnel should be cross-trained to perform any task assigned in the team. The decontamination team leader will coordinate the actions of the team with other emergency teams at the accident site and furnish advice on decontamination procedures and additional support requirements. The NBC team leader will assume this function when the team has the area decontamination responsibility.

The personnel of the decontamination team are assigned duties as follows:

• Team Leader. The Team Leader (TL) is responsible for accomplishing the decontamination mission and will be located in a position most advantageous for controlling the team. The TL will also designate the protective clothing to be worn by each team member.
• Assistant Team Leader. The senior enlisted person is assigned duties as the Assistant Team Leader (ATL) and must be capable of assuming the responsibilities of the team leader. The ATL should be able to make a reconnaissance of the contaminated area to evaluate the situation; devise a plan for the decontamination of personnel, equipment, structures, and land surfaces; supervise the operation and maintenance of decontaminating equipment; and assist in the recheck of the area. The ATL will also be able to assume the duties of the drivers and equipment operators, and be able to operate the sprayers.
• Personnel Decontamination Station Operators. Duties of the PDS operators are as cited under Section I -- NBC Teams.
• Driver/Equipment Operator. At least two people will be assigned as the decontaminating equipment operator and vehicle driver. They will operate decontaminating equipment and insure that the proper mixing procedures are followed.
• Sprayers. At least two people will be assigned as sprayers when a power-driven decontaminating apparatus is used. In addition, they will assist in the recheck of the area and be used in other capacities as directed.
Training

The individual members of the decontamination team will be trained the same as are those of the NBC team. Team training will also follow that of the NBC team and the suggested training program (Table 1) is applicable.

Utilization

Response times for the decontamination teams are designated by the commander having area CAIC responsibility.

Upon arrival at the accident site, the team leader will report to the CAICO. Coordination should then be made with other emergency teams.

After coordination with other emergency teams, the decontamination team will:

• Assume control of the PDS.
• With the NBC team leader, make a reconnaissance of the contaminated area and devise a plan for decontamination.
• Advise the CAICO of procedures recommended and additional support requirements.
• Conduct decontamination operations as necessary to eliminate hazards.
• After decontamination, conduct a recheck of formerly contaminated equipment and surfaces and decontaminate as required.
Release of information is prescribed in AR 360-5. No news releases will be made except through the CAICO.

Section III -- EQUIPMENT

The equipment listed in Table 2 represents essential items for the accomplishment of the assigned missions of the NBC team and the decontamination team. For extended or massive operations, both teams will require additional support which will be requested from the nearest military installation by the CAICO. The equipment list should be kept as small as possible, consistent with accomplishment of team missions.

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Both the NBC team and the decontamination team should be provided transportation to maintain a high degree of mobility. The most expeditious mode of transportation will be used to move the teams to the accident site. Based on team strengths cited in this manual:

• NBC teams with alpha monitoring responsibility may have items of equipment listed in FM 3-15. Only those items not duplicated should be procured.
• The AN/PRC-77 radio/transmitter set is safe to use in the vicinity of explosives. Commercial hand held radios may also be used.
• The M12A1 decontaminating apparatus requires vehicular support for mobile operations.
• TAP outfit as listed in TM 10-277. Individual and unit clothing and equipment cited are for technical mission use.
• Standard A, AMCTC item No. 8097.
• Personal clothing and sundry requirements should support team members for 72 hours.
• Toll tickets and Bell system and POL credit cards are recommended where feasible.
• Do not store or use DS2 with either STB or HTH as a spontaneous fire could result.

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CHEMICAL

Normally, the NBC team can expect to be briefed at the assembly area by the CAICO and at the site by technical escort personnel or the EOD team commander as to the type of agent involved. However, there may be an accident/incident where these teams are not present, and the NBC team leader must determine the type of agent involved. In any event, it is the function of the NBC team to determine the extent of contamination and confirm the type of chemical material involved.

PROTECTIVE CLOTHING

The items of protective clothing recommended for protection against chemical hazards are summarized in Table 3. The team leader can readily select the items required for protection against the hazard present.

• Known Hazard. If the type of agent is known, the NBC team may dress in the protective clothing most suitable for protection against that hazard (Table 3).
• Unknown Hazard. If the team must react quickly and if the type of agent is unknown, the team leader may choose to send a detection team (at least two people), dressed in protective clothing (Table 3), into the contaminated area to make a quick identification. Once the chemical is identified, the remainder of the team must dress in the most suitable protective clothing. If the chemical cannot be identified, it will be assumed to be the most hazardous, and the butyl rubber suit with liner should be worn.
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DETECTION AT COMMAND POST LOCATION

When it is initially unknown as to whether explosives are involved in an accident, or the quantity of explosives involved is not known, the command post complex will be located approximately 500 meters upwind of the site to insure that it is out of the fragmentation range and free of contamination. However, the NBC team may be required to perform this function. If the command post and initial hazard area have not been designated by another commander, the first team leader/commander (EOD, NBC, or DECON) that arrives at the incident is required to designate a tentative CP and establish an initial hazard area (downwind vapor and fragmentation). The procedures outlined below should be followed:

• Approach the site from upwind. Protective masks will be worn when within approximately one mile of the accident/incident site. Periodic sampling for chemical agents will be conducted during the approach to determine when contamination is encountered, its identity, and an opportunity to reassess the team's level of protection.
• There is no fixed location or size for the actual CP area; however, certain rules must be observed.

  Mandatory

  • The CP area must be upwind of the incident.
  • The downwind edge will be at least 500 meters from the incident as indicated by figure 4.

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Other Considerations. The following should be considered when selecting the CP area:
• Elevation. Keep CP at a higher elevation than the accident site with at least one point in the CP area within sight of the accident site.
• Access. Area must be readily accessible to vehicles and equipment needed to perform the mission.
• Natural Protection. If possible, pick an area where at least a portion of the CP can be shielded from the explosive hazards presented by the incident.
• Shielding. Being shielded from public view is desirable, but it is particularly important where a personnel decontamination station is being operated.
• After a favorable area for the CP has been selected, additional checks for agent contamination must be made.
DETECTION AT HOT LINE AND CONTAMINATION REDUCTION AREA

Additional checks must be made to insure that the hot line and contamination reduction area are located in a contamination free area. A minimum of three aerosol/vapor tests using the enzyme ticket and one test using the color banded tubes (mandatory checks in figure 4) should be made. These tests should be performed approximately 50 meters apart on the hot line to insure complete coverage of the contamination reduction area. The surface of the ground should be visually checked for obvious liquid agent contamination and should be sampled with the ABC M8 Detector Paper. The vapor tests (blue, yellow, green, and red band tube tests) need only be accomplished once, in the center of this area (see TM 3-6665-254-12 for use of the ABC M18A2 Detector Kit). If all tests are negative the team leader can have the team unmask in accordance with instructions contained in FM 21-40. If the contaminant is known, tests need be made only for that material. Periodic checks of the wind direction will be made at approximately 30-minute intervals to insure that the CP remains upwind of the site as long as a downwind hazard exists.

APPLICABLE TO DETECTION IN BOTH AREAS

Biological agents cannot be detected by current field detection procedures. The area can be assumed to be free of biological agent contamination unless intelligence information of physical evidence at the site indicates an enemy biological agent has been used. See FM 21-40 for further information on indications of an enemy biological attack. If biological agent contamination is suspected, a sample may be taken using the M34 CBR sampling kit and sent to a medical laboratory for identification.

DETECTION IN THE HAZARD AREA

Upon entry into the exclusion area, the detection teams will be concerned mainly with confirming if a downwind hazard exists, and the amount of liquid contamination on surfaces. One detection team should begin at the control point on the hot line of 0° from the site, and the second team should move around outside the exclusion area and begin at the opposite side, 180° from the site (fig. 5). When liquid contamination is encountered, the detection teams should mark it with the appropriate hazard sign or a stake with engineer tape (FM 21-40). The team should not proceed farther into their area but should return to the boundary of the exclusion area, proceed a few degrees clockwise around the exclusion area, then re-monitor toward the contamination site until contamination is again found. This procedure should be repeated 360° around the exclusion area. This is the same type of procedure called the "in-and-out method" in paragraph 45, FM 3-15.

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On the downwind side of the site, 90° to 270°, frequent aerosol/vapor tests should be made for the specific agent to confirm if a downwind hazard exists. If a downwind hazard is confirmed, tests should be made farther downwind to establish the extent of travel. This distance will be established by the CAICO.

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RECHECK

After area decontamination, a recheck of known contaminated locations should be made to insure that the area is safe for normal use. Caution must be used when ABC-M8 detector paper is used for rechecking as some decontaminants may cause a color to change; for example, DS2 turns M8 detector paper greenish-black.

UNKNOWN CHEMICAL MATERIAL

Normally, chemical material can be identified by either the technical escort personnel, the shipper, or the shipping documents. However, if the type chemical material is unknown and it cannot be identified with the chemical agent detector kit or by any other means available at the site, aerosol/vapor samples of the material should be taken with the white band tubes. Samples of the material should be sealed in test tubes or other suitable containers. The M34 CBR agent sampling kit maybe used for this purpose.

Decontaminate an unknown chemical using a general purpose decontaminant such as supertropical bleach or DS2. Following decontamination, collect samples again to insure complete decontamination once the material has been identified.

The Commander/Director Chemical Systems Laboratory, Aberdeen P. G., MD 21010, should be contacted for instructions for the disposition of all unknown chemical samples. The Edgewood Arsenal operator at AUTOVON 584-2011 can relay incoming calls to the appropriate official.