15.3 Crisis Response & Recovery

Contamination Avoidance and Force Survivability

AFH 1 opens with the stake: crisis response actions during and after a CBRN attack are critical "not only to ensure the DAF mission is continued, but more importantly, for survival."

Two governing ideas:

• "In threat areas, contamination avoidance is the key to keeping assets and personnel from becoming contaminated."
• "During attacks, the primary focus of the base populace should be directed toward force survivability to ensure attack warning signals and MOPP levels are rapidly disseminated."

Who disseminates what: "Typically, the command post will disseminate attack warning signals, alarm signals, and MOPP levels at the recommendation of the CBRN Control Center within the EOC." That chain — CBRN Control Center recommends, Command Post disseminates — is a reliable item.

Responding to an Incident You Witness

"Department of Defense resources, including those associated with military installations located nearest the scene of an accident or incident, will respond to the event unless otherwise directed by higher headquarters."

Upon witnessing an incident, AFH 1 gives a sequence:

1. Alert others in the immediate area
2. Report the incident to security forces, fire and emergency services, or installation command and control
3. After reporting: stay uphill and upwind
4. Avoid inhaling fumes, smoke, or vapors
5. Attempt to rescue and care for casualties
6. Avoid handling any material or component involved in the accident or incident
7. Evacuate the area if rescue or containment is impractical, or as directed

"Stay uphill and upwind" is the phrase most often keyed, and "avoid handling any material or component involved" is the instruction candidates most often overlook when a scenario invites them to clear debris.

AFH 1 attaches a judgment clause worth remembering: "Every situation is different and should be handled using established procedures coupled with good judgment."

Immediate Actions Under Attack

The most operationally specific passage in Chapter 17, and it is stated as an ordered sequence:

DAF personnel who recognize an attack in progress should take immediate action regardless of whether or not mass notification has been disseminated. When alarm red is declared, or attack begins without notification:

Then: assist injured and provide self-aid and buddy care with caution to prevent further injuries, particularly when under fire. AFH 1 adds that "using one's best judgment is essential regarding seeking immediate cover in place or crawling immediately to a safe location, particularly when an area becomes increasingly dangerous."

Two features of this sequence get tested. First, the mask goes on before you move — you don, then crawl. Second, do not wait for the alarm: recognizing the attack is enough to act.

SALUTE Reporting

"If an attack or enemy movement is observed, report it up the chain of command immediately." AFH 1 provides the S-A-L-U-T-E method as "a quick and effective way to communicate attack information," submitted to the control center or work center through the most secure means.

The two most commonly confused entries are U (Unit) and E (Equipment). Unit means identifying marks — patches, numbers, clothing type; Equipment means the equipment and vehicles associated with the activity. A distinctive patch is a Unit item; a truck is an Equipment item, though its markings would be reported under Unit.

Worked example. You observe four individuals in unmarked dark coveralls with a white pickup truck at the north perimeter fence at 0230, carrying what appear to be bolt cutters. A SALUTE report reads: S — four persons, one vehicle; A — cutting perimeter fence; L — north perimeter, grid reference as known; U — unmarked dark coveralls, no visible insignia; T — 0230; E — one white pickup truck, hand tools consistent with bolt cutters.

Recovery

Recovery actions focus on "saving lives, detecting and mitigating hazards, mission restoration, and sustainment," with immediate actions to treat casualties, assess damage, and control contamination. AFH 1 names the priority explicitly: "Reestablishing the mission is a top priority," and states that "minimizing the amount of personnel exposed to post-attack hazards is critical for mission continuation and force survivability."

Reconnaissance

The installation commander will determine when base specialized and unit reconnaissance teams begin post-attack CBRN surveys. Control centers are then directed to release post-attack reconnaissance (PAR) teams to collect information about the effects of the attack.

PAR teams or resource owners are responsible for:

• Reporting information to their respective control center
• Marking and reporting contamination and contaminated equipment so that approaching personnel are aware of the hazard associated with the resource

The control center will forward survey information to the CBRN Control Center within the EOC.

Post-Attack Reporting

"The CBRN Control Center within the EOC is the primary command and control function for collecting and consolidating post-attack information."

The reporting chain then runs upward: the EOC Director up-channels information and makes recommendations regarding alarm signals and MOPP levels to the CAT, based on information collected by specialized and PAR teams.

Put the whole loop together, because the exam tests the direction of flow:

Decontamination

For those not on a PAR team, recovery actions include performing immediate decontamination (if contaminated) and remaining under cover in a safe location unless otherwise directed. Control centers will assess and determine what methods of decontamination, if any, can be reasonably put into action.

The individual guidance is specific:

The chlorine caution is the detail most likely to appear as a distractor: AFH 1 states that 5-percent chlorine solution for equipment and 0.5-percent chlorine solution for skin decontamination should only be used after consultation from CBRN Defense Specialists, as some chemicals react negatively to chlorine.

So an option recommending an immediate chlorine wash without consultation is wrong — and the two percentages (5 percent equipment, 0.5 percent skin) are worth memorizing in the correct pairing, since reversing them is the obvious distractor.