Lesson 3/Learning Event 4
LEARNING EVENT 4:
PREPARE A CHEMICAL SURVEY PLAN
When chemical monitoring reports do not provide enough information about an area of interest, a survey
maybe required to provide data to fill in the gaps. If a survey is necessary, the available information,
required information, and proposed methods will be compiled into a chemical survey plan. The
chemical survey plan must establish as a minimum the amount of detail required, the method of control,
and selected survey points. It must also be appropriate to the tactical situation.
At a division NBCE, the chemical survey plan must be approved by the Division Chemical Officer. The
NBCE designates the type of control, either centralized or decentralized, to be used for the survey.
Requests for contamination data from friendly units in the area of interest would be co-ordinated
through the Division Chemical Officer. As with a radiological survey, the NBCE coordinates with the
NBC Defense Company for after-mission decontamination of survey personnel and equipment. The
chemical survey plan differs little from a radiological survey plan. Two areas of difference are that a
chemical survey plan would only call for a ground survey and that an OEG, as such, would not be
specified. Another difference is that more time is required to check for chemical contamination than for
radiation. The response of radiacmeters is essentially instantaneous, but the M256 kit takes about 15
minutes for a series of tests. This amount of time should be allowed for each point to be checked.
For a chemical survey, as for a radiological survey, the operational situation should be analyzed prior to
preparing a chemical survey plan. Many operational situation factors considered in a radiological
survey will also impact upon chemical survey planning. These factors are: knowledge of the
contamination, urgency of the mission, terrain, status of training, communications, and maps. Since an
aerial chemical survey is not an option, factors such as weather, time of day, and time-distance factors
will not impact upon the chemical survey plan as much.
When the chemical survey plan is finalized, it should be presented to the chemical officer as a briefing
for approval. The survey party should also be briefed on the survey plan. Adequate control of the
radiological survey, once the survey plan has been initiated, will depend to a large extent upon proper
briefing of the survey parties. Survey party briefings may vary from group to individual briefings,
depending upon space, time, and operational conditions. Briefings may be given in oral, written,
overlay, or other form, but a briefing should always be conducted. The written or oral briefing is
essentially an order and should follow generally the form of the survey plan.