Friday, January 25, 2008

Gas Chamber

Today we did the gas chamber "qualification." It was fun stuff as we performed mask clearing in some pretty powerful CS gas. I think it was a bit thicker than what I was exposed to at boot, but my mask took care of me. That doesn't stop you from getting exposed to the gas...and it does have some pretty "fun" effects.

CS gas is an irritant, so it burns the eyes and sinuses. You're eyes tear up and your nose runs like crazy. The back of your throat burns as well as your freashly shaved face (the small cuts from straight razors are particularly painful. The end result is best summed up in this picture of one of my fireteam members:


Amazingly, the effects are very temporary. With some clear air, you'll be fine. When you shower later that day, you will get some burn as it reactivates with the water.

Now, I understand the effects of CS gas are nothing compared to pepper spray. I've heard pepper spray is some pretty nasty stuff, and I'm hoping to stay away from that stuff.

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