The most important drill to start with, in relation to your gas mask, is that of donning your gas mask in a quick manner. As stated before the gas mask does you literally no good if you’re not able to get it onto your face and sealed properly before your airway is contaminated by any form of chemical agent. This entails removing the mask from the bag placing the mask on your face stretching the webbed backstrap over your head and then tightening down the straps So that a good seal is formed between the rubber of the mask and your face.
There is a trick to having your gas mask ready for quick utilization.
What most of us do, who use gas masks on a regular basis, is to place the gas mask on your head and adjust it appropriately to fit your head and face. Then with your offhand push the gas mask onto your face reach behind your head with your offhand, and peel the back of the gas mask onto the front of the gas mask so that the webbed backstrap is laying over the face of the mask. Then when you want to quickly donn the mask you just reverse the process.
So, here is the first drill that you will practice: With your gas mask strapped around your waist, by the pouch strap, and strapped around your leg, with the smaller strap, and hanging off to the side so as to be convenient and well at hand, begin your drill by reaching down unsnapping the pouch fasteners retrieving your mask from the pouch. Then, with your strong hand push the gas mask onto your face, with your offhand reach over the front of the gas mask, grabbing the bottom of the webbed backstrap , and strip the webbed backstrap over the top of your head and behind your head, effectively fastening the front of the gas mask to your face. Then reach up with both hands simultaneously and tug the corresponding straps of the webbed backstrap tightly sealing the gas mask to your face then take either your left or you’re right hand whichever side corresponds appropriately with the filter hole on your mask, cup your hand over that filter hole and draw in air to make sure that no air is coming in through the sides of the mask which should be sealed to your face. What should happen at this point is you should try to breathe in and your mask should just get tightened uncomfortably and you should not be able to get any air because you have the air hole sealed off with the palm of your hand. You should do this drill over and over and over again until it becomes second nature. You will find that with just a little bit of practice it will become muscle memory and you will be able to effectively don your gas mask from a free standing position with arms at your sides in less than five seconds.