taff Sgt. Orlando Ibanez, an NBC coordinator for the National Capital Region, administers 106 gas chamberqualifications on Jan. 28 by burning 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile powder, which produces CS gas.
Headquarters Company conducted its first gas chamber qualification this year, with a group of 102 Marines and four civilian contractors accepting the challenge Jan. 28.
In the chamber, people with gas masks are exposed to CS gas which is the common name for 2-Chlorobenzalmalononitrile, a non-lethal tear gas discovered in 1928. It is a solid but is aerosolized when used for crowd control.
‘‘It’s an important training requirement and it’s alsoimportant to get it done earlier rather than later,” said Lt. Col. Michael Moffett, gas chamber qualifier and director of history division at the Marine Corps University.
This type of training is not only mandatory for Marines stationed at Quantico; it is also a requirement for civilian contractors who will be deploying to Afghanistan.
‘‘It is very important that all civilian contractors and DOD employees are prepared for deployments,” saidRebecca Zimmerman, a project associate for the RAND Corporation. ‘‘It is also great to be able to train and have a good time with Marines.”
It is important to stay current and, with that in mind, the gas chamber qualifications will be conducted every Thursday for fiscal 2010 with the exception of months thatMarine Basic Skills Training will be conducted.
‘‘The enemy has chemical weapons capabilities ,” said Cpl. Joshua Kitch, chemical biological radiologicaldefense chief for Headquarters and Service Battalion. ‘‘It’s important for our Marines to know how to defend against it.”
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