Overview

MCBC is a 6-day course taught simultaneously at two separate sites to two groups of students. The biological portion is taught at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) at Fort Detrick, Maryland. The chemical portion is taught at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD) at the Edgewood area of Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG-EA), Maryland. 

The course is designed for Medical Corps and Nurse Corps officers, physician assistants, Medical Service Corps officers, and other selected medical professionals. Classroom instruction, laboratory, and field exercises prepare graduates to effectively manage chemical and biological agent exposure casualties. Classroom discussion includes the history and current threat of chemical and biological agent use, the characteristics of threat agents, the pathophysiology and treatment of agent exposure, and the principles of field management of threat agent casualties. In the field, attendees practice the principles of personal protection, triage, treatment, and decontamination of chemical casualties. During this exercise, attendees learn the capabilities and limitations of Mission-Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) when treating casualties in a contaminated environment.

Links/Resources

• U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense

• USMRIID Information Pamphlet (PDF)

• ATP 4-02.7 Multi-Service Tactics, Techniques, And Procedures For Health Service Support In A Chemical, Biological, Radiological, And Nuclear Environment 

• PRISM: Primary Response Incident Scene Management

• Joint Publication 3-11 Operations in Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Environments