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Effective immediately, members of Team Ramstein will see a new change in Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear training with the use of the new M-50 Joint Service General Purpose Mask and Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology.
“The new masks are joint-service; they’ll be used by the Army, Air Force, Marines and Navy,” said Airman 1st Class Michael Balbaugh, 886th Civil Engineer Squadron readiness and emergency management apprentice. “They’ve got improvement over the MCU-2 masks that were previously used. They’re lighter-weight, easier to wear and provide more protection on their own than the MCU-2 masks do.”
Besides being lighter-weight, there are several upgrades with the M-50 mask.
“The mask has 23 percent more visibility than the previous mask,” the Airman said. “For people who wear glasses, inserts will be placed directly inside the mask rather than wrapped around the head and are a lot more manageable for those who need inserts.”
The M-50 also has another major difference – it has two filters as opposed to the one canister filter on the MCU-2 mask.
“They are interchangeable,” Airman Balbaugh said. “So, if you’re in a hot environment and you need to swap out a filter because you suspect it’s contaminated, you can take one filter off at a time and hot swap them inside the environment if you have to. These new filters rotate to lock in place, and the mask itself has two self-sealing valves that will not allow anything in when you don’t have filters on.”
The new mask also has a redesigned head harness that allows for a better seal around the face.
According to Airman Balbaugh, the middle straps lock into place, and the top straps Velcro, needing a partner to help fit the mask to each person. Once the mask is fit, the only straps needing to be adjusted to take the mask on and off are the bottom straps.
“This can provide more protection in itself, as the other two straps will not move, meaning the seal you get on the mask more than likely will be better,” he said.
Now that the 886th CES has transitioned to the M-50, the new masks are required for CBRN training, and those not having the M-50 mask will not be allowed to participate.
Those attending the training will need to pick up training gear from the 86th Logistics Readiness Squadron individual protective equipment shop and return it upon use.
“The M-50 mask is the new standard of masks for the Air Force,” Airman Balbaugh said. “The purpose of training with the new mask is to make sure when people go downrange, they are familiar with the new mask and they know how to operate and wear it properly, as well as wear the newly required JSLIST suit properly, in case they have the need to wear the gear when downrange.”
One of the biggest threats of a CBRN attack is disabling Airmen. As the Air Force helps contribute to Overseas Contingency Operations while downrange in support of the Joint Force, this not only affects Airmen, but Soldiers, Sailors and Marines as well. According to Airman Balbaugh, this is why training is so important.
“If people are incapacitated by a chemical, nerve or blister agent, they are unable to continue the mission, and overall mission effectiveness will suffer,” he said. “We teach people … to wear their gear correctly so they can become familiar with it and be comfortable in operating with it. This way, if they ever have to use it in a CBRN environment, they’re used to it, know what it feels like and can wear the gear properly and safely to continue through the mission.”
Part of familiarizing the base populous with the mask is teaching people how to wear it and properly inspect it not only during CBRN training, but also when the equipment is issued at the 86th LRS IPE shop. The 886th CES emergency management shop offers familiarization training when needed during equipment issue.
Currently, IPE is only issuing the new mask and JSLIST to those attending CBRN training or deploying, said Master Sgt. Mark Noll, 86th LRS IPE NCO in charge.
The masks also come with a newer carrying case that has an extra flap to protect the mask from sand, dirt or debris while being stored when not in use.
Airmen stationed in South Korea were the first to receive the new masks, starting in 2008.
