Chemical and Biological Protected Shelter

The Chemical and Biological Protected Shelter (CBPS) is a direct replacement for the M51 C/B shelter, which eliminates the excessive erection/striking time, the insufficient floor space, lack of natural ventilation, and the unavailability of prime movers, which were the problems with the M51. The CBPS can be set up or struck three times daily when operating as a Battalion Aid Station. Set-up times of the inflatable rib tent have been established at 15 to 20 minutes, and tear-down times at approximately 30 minutes. The CBPS consists of a power/ support system and inflatable tent. The primary power source is the engine of a HMMWV variant... 

Fig. 16-34. The litter-patient airlock of the Chemical and Biological Protected Shelter. Treating casualties on a chemical-biological warfare battleground requires complicated procedures, even to get the casualty into a protected environment for examination. Special air locks for casualties and new procedures had to be developed. Photograph Courtesy of Chemical and Biological Defense Command Historical Research and Response Team, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.

CBPS Chemical and Biological Protected Shelter C-CHF Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus CCST Chemical Casualty Site Team... 

In the area of collective protection, more thought must be given to making fallout shelters impervious to chemical and biological agents. This can be done by use of a collective protector, or possibly by means of a fiber diffusion board now under development. 

Work during the 1960s on the CB Pressurized Pod resulted in the standardization of the M51 Shelter System in 1971. The unit was an easily transportable, pressurized enclosure. It could be air-dropped or towed to provide protection from chemical and biological agents in the field for combat, combat support, and combat service support troops. The M51 was a double-walled, air-inflated, self-supporting shelter and airlock structure. When erected, the shelter was semicircular in cross-section with a maximum inside height of 7.5 ft, with inside dimensions of 15 x 14 ft. An airlock entrance (with a set of double doors at each end) on the front was 11 (1) x 4.2 (w) x 6.7 (h) ft in dimension. The filter and support equipment were mounted on a two-wheeled trailer.186... 

Deployed troops confronted or threatened with dispersed chemical or biological agents need both personal protective gear and collective protective shelters that will mitigate agent effects to the extent feasible. Personal protective gear may include respiratory masks and controlled-pemieability suits, boots and gloves. Collective protection may be afforded by air-locked and sealed temporary battlefield shelters with filtered air supplies, as well as by more permanent... 

The PCPS consists of the protective shelter, support kit, and hermetically sealed filter canister. The shelter consists of a tent and fly. The tent floor and fly are made of a saranaex composite material. An attached aluminum structure helps to support the tent. When overpressure is applied, the shelter will provide protection from liquid and vapor chemical agent penetration and biological agent penetration. An airlock allows decontamination of entering personnel. The PCPS provides an uncontaminated, positive pressure shelter for use as a command and control facility or a rest and relief facility for 14 people at a time in a contaminated environment. 

Operational responses. An overall concept of operations is an integral and necessary part of planning and preparation because inappropriate response actions can increase the hazard to occupants or missions. Operational responses could include active HVAC responses, shelter-in-place,3 use of personal protective equipment, or evacuation. Developing and practicing operational responses will maximize protection from biological and chemical threats. 

For collective protection, the army standardized the M20 Simplified Collective Protection Equipment in 1986. This system turned one room of a building into a protected area by (1) lining the walls with a chemical/biological vapor-resistant polyethylene liner and (2) providing 200 cu ft of filtered air per minute. In addition, the army concentrated on modular collective protection equipment for chemical threats to vehicles, vans, and shelters. The Department of the Army identified 43 systems in 1980 that required chemical protection. New systems that were developed each year created a major, longterm project to correct the deficiency that had been discovered after the 1973 Yom Kippur War.207,210... 

US Army Materiel Command. Approval of Minutes of Development Acceptance (DEVA) Review and the Reclassification to Standard-A of Shelter System, Collective Protection, Chemical-Biological Inflatable, 10-man, Trailer-Transported, M51 (XM51). Washington, DC AMC 3 Aug 1971. Memorandum. 

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