PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-694
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 694
SEPTEMBER 2010
48
PS 694
SEP 10
Y
ou and your M40/M42 mask are in this together. You expect your mask to protect
you against chemical/biological agents that can cause agonizing death. And your
mask expects you to protect it from things that can cause it agony. Here are a few
ways to help you get along with your mask:
Take care of the carrier.
It’s usually
ignored. If it’s in bad shape, your mask
can fall out and disappear. The carrier’s
hook-and-pile fastener is often what goes
bad Frst. If the fastener can’t hold, the
carrier flap comes loose and everything
inside tumbles out. Make sure the
fastener securely holds the flap in place.
If it doesn’t want to stick together, tell
your CBRN specialist that you need a
new carrier.
The fastener will do a better job if you
clean lint and dirt out of it with the nylon
brush that comes with the mask.
Don’t let the carrier straps dangle.
Otherwise, they can catch on things in
the Feld. Put the latch end of the strap
that’s not being used in a pocket of
the carrier. Don’t put the strap in the
carrier where the latch can scratch the
eyelenses.
Use the outserts.
If they’re scratched
up, they can be replaced. If the eyelenses
are too scratched up to see through, the
whole facepiece must be replaced.
After you wash out the mask, make
sure the outserts and eyelenses are
completely dry before you store the
mask. Your CBRN specialist should have
cheesecloth for wiping the mask dry.
Water trapped between the outserts and
eyelenses can spot and fog the lenses.
Drink nothing but water through
the drink tube.
Soft drinks and sports
drinks leave a residue in the drink tube.
That residue turns to sludge and fouls
the drink tube and can cause it to leak.
Then you’re in for a bad day on a hot day
while wearing your mask.
Store it right!
The No. 1 killer of
masks is folding a mask to put it in its
carrier. That usually shears off the drink
tube, punctures or deforms the facepiece,
or cracks the eyelenses.
The No. 2 killer is sitting on the mask
carrier or piling stuff on it. Your mask
can’t stand up to that weight, especially
if it’s also folded in the carrier.
Don’t put anything else in the carrier
besides the mask and its accessories.
Jamming other equipment in the carrier
can damage critical mask components.
The proper way to store both the
M40 and M42 mask in their carriers
is upright with the eyelenses facing
away from your body. See WPs 0005-29
and 0005-42 of TM 3-4240-346-10 for
more details.
M40/M42-Series Masks…
How
to
Get
Along
with
Your
Mask!
Store mask in carrier upright
facing away from your body
Don’t fold
mask…
…or
use as a
cushion
Does
fastener
hold flap
in place?
Clean
lint and
dirt
out of
fastener
Put latch
end of
strap in
pocket
of carrier
Wipe
outserts
and lenses
completely
dry before
storing
mask
yeckkk!
I shouldn’t
have drunk
that soda
through my
drink tube!
let’s
work
together!
we’ll each do our
part to protect
each other!
694.48-49.indd
1-2
7/26/10
4:31:09 PM
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