Boot Camp
 

I've read a little bit about the gas chamber part of boot camp, and I just want to know how bad it actually is and what you have to do.

It's really easy. Honestly it goes so quick you'll be done before you know it. Now OC spray is just plain awful, but you won't have to worry about that in boot camp.

I've heard that taking a hot shower after can reactivate the gas that's on your skin.

That would suck. Haha

That's more OC spray than gas.

It's really not that bad. I wouldn't go out of my way to do it again, but it's not the worst thing.

The current maiden was chamber is not bad at all for 95% of people. And the 5% that have a bad experience is because they didn't listen and probably did something they were told not to do.

You do the gas chamber during your week of fire fighting training. Don't remember the exact day, but I beileive its the third or fourth day. On that day, you will learn some things then start the process of the gas chamber.

It starts off with you getting a little safety brief by a chief or an officer (can't remember who it was exactly). After that everyone will fall out and get the equipment for the chamber basically it's the mask along with the filter (forgot what it's actually called, but it help stops the gas). After that you will fall back in to the classroom and put on the mask. They have different sizes of masks and even have masks for people that have specific allergies. You will then test the mask for a proper seal. At this point you MIGHT start to feel or smell the gas depending on however well the person before you cleaned the mask. Once everyone says they have a proper seal then you will fall out to the gas chamber. After you form up inside the gas chamber, the main instructor will give another safety brief and tell you what you need to do. He will pop the gas and leave and let the other instructors do their job.

At this point since everyone is in rows with the exception of a few of the leadership positions, the first row will take off their mask and the two instructors will ask each person to say their name and division number. Once everyone in a row is done, you are free to go and they will let you leave. You will then fall back into the classroom where a corpsman is there for anyone that needs it (the 5% that claim they are dying).

And yes it is water activated, or so they told us, but as long as once you are done you don't keep rubbing your eyes, you will be ok. We had a group of swimmers that went directly to the pool afterwards and swam and they didn't have any complaints.

So now that you know what's going to happen, you don't have to worry. No one has died from it, only some throw up from the people that probably forced themselves to throw up.

I hated it... They had the rows form up outside and as soon as you hit that fresh air, your eyes burn even worse. Just avoid getting the spots right next to the fan. Or else you'll get the gas blown right into your face. That is not a very pleasant experience.

I have not shipped to RTC yet, but I do have training in gas and OC. In my experience, gas is not that bad. Just remember to stay calm. Your eyes will tear up, you will cough, you might even snot a little – but it’s not the end of the world. Some people do have a bad reaction, but most problems occur when people freak out. Also, try not to take a deep deep breath. If you do, your lungs burn and you will feel like you are about to die because your coughing and feel like you can’t catch your breath.