Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      U.S. Air Force Reserve Staff Sgt. Casey Godwin, aircrew flight equipment (AFE) specialist, 327th Operations Support Squadron, pats down Staff Sgt. Michael Hopson, loadmaster, 327th Airlift Squadron, with activated charcoal from a M295 Individual Decontamination Kit during a training scenario June 19, 2017, at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. The training required the construction of several Lightweight Inflatable Decontamination Systems (LIDS) shelters and the removal of simulated contaminants from three aircrew members. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jeff Walston/Released)AFCEC study gives new life to old chemical defense decon kits
                        
                        
                        Air Force Reserve Staff Sgt. Casey Godwin, aircrew flight equipment specialist, 327th Operations Support Squadron, pats down Staff Sgt. Michael Hopson, loadmaster, 327th Airlift Squadron, with activated charcoal from an M295 Individual Decontamination Kit during a training scenario. The Air Force Civil Engineer’s Readiness Lab recently determined more than 75,000 expired M295 decontamination kits used in chemical defense ensembles are still effective and can be used, saving the Air Force more than $2.3 million over a four-year period. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jeff Walston)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Approximately 76,875 kits have been removed from their factory cardboard boxes and are now eligible for use resulting in a cost avoidance of $2.3 million over the next four years.AFCEC study gives new life to old chemical defense decon kits
                        
                        
                        Approximately 76,875 kits have been removed from factory cardboard boxes and are now eligible for use resulting in a cost avoidance of $2.3 million over the next four years. The JSLIST shelf-life extension, which is currently projected to last until 2024, led to an additional $4.76 million cost avoidance for the Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Bruce Salter)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Approximately 76,875 kits have been removed from their factory cardboard boxes and are now eligible for use resulting in a cost avoidance of $2.3 million over the next four years.AFCEC study gives new life to old chemical defense decon kits
                        
                        
                        After removing from a M295 Decontamination Kit, this carbon/alumina-silicate powder is applied with a mitt to equipment as well as uniforms when Airmen are hit with a chemical agent in the field. The resin then puffs up when rubbed or blotted, then removed from the surface to which it made contact. (U.S. Air Force photo by Bruce Salter)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

AFCEC study gives new life to old chemical defense decon kitsPublished June 11, 2020
                    
                    By David Ford
                    
                    
                    Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center Public Affairs
            **TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) --**The **Air Force Civil Engineer’s** Readiness Lab recently determined more than 75,000 expired M295 decontamination kits used in chemical defense ensembles are still effective and can be used, saving the Air Force more than $2.3 million over a four-year period.
The M295 kit is a packet that contains an activated carbon and alumina-silicate powder inside of a hook and loop-cinched mitt that soaks up chemical contamination like a sponge.
Each year, the Air Force removes expired kits from field use. In the calendar year 2020 alone, 167,000 kits valued at $4.8 million will reach the end of their five-year shelf life. Before the civil engineer lab study, a large number of expired kits sat unused in stockrooms spread across the globe.
In 2018, AFCEC’s Readiness Directorate’s Emergency Management Division wanted to find out if the expiration date on them could be extended. The civil engineer laboratory at Tyndall AFB launched a two-year study that determined the performance of the kits had not degraded and were safe to use, said Bruce Salter, lead contract researcher for the M295 study.
Before the study, the Air Force was faced with spending $15.3 million to purchase 496,000 new kits to replenish the stock needed for operational use and to meet Air Force training goals. The CE lab findings not only negated the potential $15.3 million purchase, completing the study in house saved even more taxpayer dollars, Salter said.
“The tests would’ve cost roughly $250,000 if they were sent to an outside lab. We completed the study for $75,000,” he said.
The extended date opens the door for the Air Force to not only save money on their own kits but also acquire expired M295 kits from other services that have moved to the Joint Service Equipment Wipe in place of the M295, said Dr. Jeff Owens, lead researcher for chemical and biological warfare defense for the lab.
“The CE lab is responsive to the needs of our customers — the CE enterprise,” Owens said. “Whether we’re working on ways to improve air quality in expeditionary shelters or extending the shelf life of a lifesaving kit, we enable civil engineers worldwide to execute their missions safely, efficiently and more cost-effectively.”USAF 



AF 



Air Force 



Air Force Civil Engineer Center 



AFCEC 



Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center 



AFIMSC 



Readiness and Emergency Management 



emergency management 



civil engineer 



M295 



decon kit 



Tyndall AFB 



FS Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fight
                    
                    SecAF Kendall AFA Warfare Symposium Q&A: Reoptimizing for Great Power CompetitionInnovation
                AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalists
                    
                    Chief Digital, Artificial Intelligence Office to host hackathon in HawaiiMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil