MCRD Parris Island -- The room is dimly lit, the air is hazy and when light shines through the window crystals can be seen sparkling in the air. Though it only lasts a few minutes, it happens every year. Annual gas chamber training is something every Marine must complete.
"I was a little nervous until I got into the chamber,"said Lance Cpl. David Chun, company clerk, Service Company, Headquarters and Service Battalion. "The gas stung my eyes so bad I could hardly open them."
The gas may sting Marines'eyes, but knowing how to use the gas mask it is what may save their lives.
"This training is important because if Marines are in this situation, they must know how to use the gear and carry out the mission,"said Cpl. Jessica L. Kelly, field training instructor, Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Defense Detachment, Parris Island. "Many Marines fear the chamber, but it is an important refresher course and it gets easier every time it's done."
As with all training, there are classes Marines must participate in before entering the gas chamber.
The first class teaches Marines about the major components of the gas mask they will use in the gas chamber, Kelly said. In addition, Marines check for cracks in the rubber, make sure the elastic head straps are functional and check the canister for any corrosion or dents.
Marines are also instructed on proper size and fit of the mask, the different levels of Mission Oriented Protective Posture and how to conduct a MOPP exchange, as well as signs and symptoms of different types of chemical agents, including how two-chlorobenzalmalononitrile, commonly known as CS gas, affects the body.
Upon completion of the classes, Marines then enter the gas chamber, which has been filled with CS gas. The CS comes packaged as tablets that must be turned into a gas for qualification.
To do this, the instructor heats a steel plate with a propane torch. The tablets are placed on the plate, and as they heat up, they go through a solid to liquid to gas sequence before turning back into solid crystals. The crystals are released into the air and actually nick the skin, which causes the burning sensation. This is also what causes the burning and stinging in the mucous membranes and eyes. Kelly said these symptoms normally last 10 to 20 minutes depending on weather conditions.
While in the chamber, Marines are required to perform three tasks: bend forward at the waist, shake their heads and look in all directions, complete 20 side straddle hops and break the seal of the mask.
"The purpose for this is to prove to Marines that even if you are running or going over obstacles in this situation, the gear will still work,"Kelly said. "It also gets the Marines used to taking shorter breaths while wearing the mask."
Marines break the seal to build proficiency of donning and clearing the mask."The more times you do something, the easier it gets and the more proficient you are at it," Kelly said.
The training evolution inside the gas chamber only takes minutes.
Marines are known to be a force-in-readiness, and today's battles pose a real threat of CBRN attacks, so proper working knowledge of gear is paramount and necessary.
"If we train the right way, we'll be able to do the right thing when the time comes,"Kelly said.