Military Hygiene and Hygiene in Emergency Situations - K.O. Pashka 2005

Occupational hygiene of military personnel during the mitigation of emergency consequences and in wartime
Sanitary and hygienic measures carried out during troop movement and deployment

Transport Operations

Under the conditions in Ukraine, the transportation of military personnel can be carried out by rail, Water (sea and river), air, and road transport.

In emergency situations, road transport is predominantly used—buses, trucks adapted for personnel transportation, as well as armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles.

A group of vehicles (a vehicular unit) moving along the same route under single command to accomplish a common mission is called a motor convoy. Based on the assigned mission and reconnaissance data, the unit commander, upon the report of relevant staff officials (including the HEAD of the medical service), issues a written order or gives oral instructions during an official briefing specifying the preventive measures to be implemented during the preparatory period prior to the march, as well as during the movement of the convoy. The average speed of the convoy on the march is 30–40 km/h, meaning it can cover up to 350–400 km per day on improved highways. The approximate daily time allocation is as follows: movement — 10–12 hours, loading and unloading — about 3 hours, maintenance — up to 2 hours, and personnel rest — up to 8 hours. During the march, short and long halts are scheduled for personnel (civilian population) rest and technical inspection of the vehicles. Short halts of up to 30 minutes are designated every 2–3 hours of travel for stretching, attending to physiological needs, eating, and drinking. After 6–8 hours, a long halt of 2–4 hours is organized for hot meals, vehicle inspection, and rest.

Trucks allocated for personnel transportation are assigned based on the standard seating norm of 0.27 m² of truck bed area per person. They are pre-cleaned, disinfected if necessary, fitted with benches, and equipped with a canvas cover. In winter, a layer of hay, straw, small tree branches, or similar material is placed on the floor to reduce heat loss through the feet. Additionally, service members cover themselves with shelter halves over their overcoats or jackets (civilians use blankets). To prevent frostbite, the medical medic must inform all participants about the signs of frostbite and first-aid rules prior to the march. To prevent frostbite of the feet, soldiers wash their feet before the march, thoroughly dry their footwear, insert insoles, and provide additional FOOT insulation with warm footwraps or woolen socks. During stops, it is advisable for all personnel (civilians) to perform physical exercises, and hot beverages such as coffee, tea, and cocoa provide good warming effects. While monitoring the physical condition of march participants during stops and halts, medical personnel must pay special attention to individuals under medical observation, measuring their pulse and respiratory rates if necessary, and monitoring their general well-being and behavior.

If an overnight stay is organized during or at the end of the march, conditions must be provided for personnel (civilians) to warm up, dry their clothing and footwear, receive hot meals, and identify and assist the sick. If accommodation in a populated area is not possible, a winter cAMP is established in accordance with regulations. Resting in vehicles with running engines is strictly prohibited due to the risk of Carbon monoxide poisoning.

In hot weather conditions, when intense solar radiation heats the ground surface and the air becomes scorching, favorable conditions are created for body overheating and dehydration. Furthermore, increased dust generation contributes to eye irritation (Conjunctivitis), Skin disorders (folliculitis, furuncles), and nosebleeds.

To prevent sunstroke and heat exhaustion and to mitigate The impact of other environmental factors, personnel must be outfitted with rational clothing and transported in covered trucks. Before the march, each service member's individual canteen must be filled with safe drinking water or tea, and additional water reserves should be established within units and on medical vehicles.

During the march, the medical service must pay unwavering attention to monitoring compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards during the preparation, storage, and consumption of food, as well as dishwashing, and must strictly prohibit personnel from drinking water from accidental, unverified sources.

For marches lasting up to one day, Nutrition is typically provided through field rations (dry rations). Whenever possible, hot meals can be prepared using canned goods and concentrates. For longer marches, food is prepared in field kitchens that travel at the rear of the convoy.

Sanitary and epidemiological reconnaissance is organized in advance along the convoy's route to evaluate roads, stop and halt sites, water sources, and the sanitary conditions of settlements through which the convoy will pass, as well as to identify suitable locations for deploying water supply points and battalion feeding stations. Water supply sources along the military units' route are placed under guard in advance.

All sanitary-epidemiologically unfavorable and contaminated (infected) areas along the route are marked with clearly visible signs.

In both winter and summer during a march, depending on the speed of movement and wind direction, it is advisable to maintain an inter-vehicular distance of 25–50 m, which prevents exhaust fume poisoning, reduces dust entry into cabs and truck beds, etc.

In cases where the route passes through zones of radioactive, chemical, or biological contamination, formation personnel (affected populations) must don individual protective equipment. Vehicles move one after another at distances that minimize mutual dusting. Whenever possible, routes with the lowest levels of contamination are selected, which reconnaissance units mark with warning signs and directional pointers. After traversing such areas, decontamination, neutralization, and disinfection of personnel (the population) are generally carried out.

Transportation by rail and water requires prior cleaning of railcars or vessels, and, if necessary, disinfection and disinfestation of their compartments. Railcars (compartments, cabins) must be allocated for a medical post and an isolation ward to accommodate infectious patients who fall ill during transit.

Air transport (airplanes, helicopters) is used for the urgent delivery of rescuers, the evacuation of casualties requiring it, and, during wartime, for troop deployments, for example. Food products that promote intestinal gas formation (legumes, cabbage, fresh milk, rye bread, etc.) are excluded from the personnel's diet on the eve and day of the flight. Two hours before the flight, it is advisable to consume a light meal and drink sweet tea.

Marching on Foot

In the absence of sufficient transport or in terrain impassable for vehicles (mountains, forested and swampy areas, destroyed roads, bridges, road blockages, etc.), the movement of personnel (affected populations) can be carried out as a foot march. Depending on the movement regime, distance, and degree of strain, such marches are categorized as normal, forced, or forced marches (speed marches).

During a normal march, the movement speed is 4–5 km/h (5–7 km/h on skis), and the daily distance covered reaches 25–30 km. During a forced march, 40–45 km are covered per day. A speed march covers a distance of 5–15 km, but the movement speed increases to 8–9 km/h through alternating fast walking and running. Typically, a quarter of the distance is covered by running and the remainder by a fast pace. Speed marches are usually conducted as the culmination of Other types of marches or independently under urgent circumstances.

The planning of medical measures for the hygienic support of a march involves two periods: the preparatory period and during the march.

During the preparatory period, medical personnel identify sick and weakened individuals, assist in monitoring the proper Selection of footwear sizes, ensure timely washing and drying of socks and footwraps, toenail trimming, proper wrapping of footwraps, and supervise the rest and nutrition regimen before the march as well as the filling of individual canteens with safe water or tea. When time permits, they conduct briefings on maintaining water discipline during the march, the rational distribution of loads carried by each service member, and the Organization of rest during halts, while warning against drinking water from unverified sources and consuming food from local residents encountered along the route.

Hygienic support during a march depends on the conditions under which it is conducted—day or night, in hot or cold weather, across mountainous, steppe, desert, forested-swampy terrain, over snow or hard surfaces, etc.

At night, movement speed decreases by one-third or more, but a night march is more fatiguing than a daytime one. Marches conducted during heavy snowfall, blizzards, rain, or fog present similar conditions to night marches.

Marches in mountainous terrain require significant effort and are frequently fraught with life-threatening hazards due to potential rockfalls, avalanches, and falls from heights along narrow paths. Often in mountains, even relatively low ones like the Carpathians, significant air Temperature fluctuations occur within a 24-hour period, along with rain or snow, dense fogs, and intense direct and reflected solar radiation during sunny weather. When ascending above 2,500 meters, unacclimatized individuals may experience symptoms of oxygen deprivation ("altitude sickness")—dizziness, headache, palpitations, shortness of breath, tinnitus, cyanosis of the skin, etc.

This necessitates prior conditioning of personnel, establishing a proper movement regime, allocating additional rest stops, and providing personnel with tinted eyewear for protection against ultraviolet radiation.

During movement in the cold season, the risk of hypothermia and frostbite increases sharply. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor whether personnel are fully equipped with warm clothing and footwear, limit short rest breaks to 5–10 minutes, and strictly prohibit sitting or lying down on the snow. Before the march, medical personnel must brief all participants on the signs of frostbite and encourage them to watch out for one another in order to detect symptoms early and provide first aid. Extended rests should be taken in populated areas or winter camps.

In hot weather, heatstroke and sunstroke are common hazards. Therefore, it is advisable to travel during the cooler PARTS OF THE day, wear appropriate clothing, maintain an adequate water supply, and schedule more frequent rest stops, preferably in the shade and near bodies of water.