OC Decontamination

[rmagill]

I am considering getting some OC spray in the near future. I know that a class would be best, but right now that is not an option. Before I would carry the OC, I want to be sprayed with it first so I know what to expect if I get sprayed with it or if it blows back into my face. Here is my question: what is a good way to be decontaminated from OC? Thanks for your help.

[BradS]

We were instructed to flush the eyes with a steady stream of cool water. The effects usually take about 30 to 45 minutes to wear off. I have seen some decontamination spray for sale in Galls Supply , but have had no experience with it.
By the way, being sprayed is about as much fun as a root canal.:D

[ICE1210]

If you MUST spray yourself, try the following.

1. Wash face and hair with Dawn dish soap and cold running water.

2. Pry open eyes and flush with cold water.

3. Stand in front of a fan.

A word of warning, the OC spray I trained with had a minimum range of about 4ft. Be careful.

[Glockamolie]

We used the "No more tears" baby shampoo (forgot the brand name of it) and cool water. Later, when you take a shower, you might get a second dose from OC trapped in your hair and such. That is, if you have hair.

[orionengnr]

Fox OC sells decontamination wipes as well...

http://www.selfdefenseproducts.com/pepper.htm

[RandyDTC]

Baby shampoo is the best stuff we have ever used - of course, that is still none too good.

Flush with cold water until it has washed away. A fan will also help relieve the burning.

Decontaminate wipes don't perform any better than baby shampoo, but they are convenient to carry into the field.

Randy

[Trapp]

Time is the only cure. You do need to wash it (the oil) off, any of the reccomended work. The pain takes time though.

If I had to compare it to something it would be a third degree sunburn (the kind with blisters, and raw skin) that someone slapped, HARD.....

[Sir William]

In my case, nothing. I am immune to it. Johnsons' baby shampoo, a hot shower and rubbing alcohol seem to work. Yardleys' of London lavender body lotion has worked well. Flush with water, lather and rinse, use alcohol to wipe down and then apply lotion as needed. The purpose of the hot water is to create steam for increased nasal function. You can apply Vicks cold rub inside your nose too. Sucrets lozenges will help the throat. Pepto-Bismol aids in stopping the burning if it gets into your mouth.

[Capt. Charlie]

If anyone knows of something that's 100% effective, please!! Let me know!!

We carry canisters of "Cool It", which is supposed to reverse the effects of OC. It doesn't. Nothing does, that I know of.

The best thing I've found is Solarcaine sunburn gel with Aloe Vera and Lidocaine. It's a clear, green gel. It doesn't negate all the effects, but enough so that you can quit screaming like a little girl :D .

[Eghad]

Well the best way to cut the heat while eating hot peppers n stuff is dairy products. usually dab a little cream cheese will cut the heat out for jalapeno jelly. I have heard sugar will work too.
So if you get some in the mouth try some whole milk (higher the fat% the better they say.) yogurt or ice cream. Kinda expensive for your body... However, if its worse than CS i would be rubbin my face in some Blue Bell....lol

[Capt. Charlie]

However, if its worse than CS i would be rubbin my face in some Blue Bell....lol
Been through both CS and CN in the service. Trust me, they're like spray perfume compared to OC :eek: :D .

[stevelyn]

+1 on ICE1210's post.

I'm an OC instructor and experience has shown that Dawn dish detergent does the best job of breaking up and getting the pepper oil off the skin speeding up the decon process.

Baby shampoo is favored by some because its formulation dosen't burn the eyes as bad, but it's not as effective at breaking up the pepper oils as Dawn is.

Decon products like "Cool It" and "Sudecon" are really two prong gimmicks. One gimmick is that decon agents are manufactured by the OC companies to rake in more agency $$ on purchases. The second gimmick is really an advantage for the agencies/officers that deploy them in the line of duty in that they can state in their UOF and police reports that they used decon agents on the suspects after spraying them with OC to mitigate any possible UOF suits/complaints.

The only real cure for deconning OC is getting it off the skin and allowing time to neutralize the burn.

[pickpocket]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA........

Yeah, I'm with ICE1210. I've taken a good dose of OC (and we had to hold our eyes open...yeah baby) and that's pretty much what we did. Two buckets, one with Dawn and the other clean, cold water. A hose would help. A nice fan to cool the skin...not that any of it's going to help, though :D
Good luck.....and post pics when you're done!!


HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SamD]

We use baby shampoo and lots of cool water, have a couple of C130 fans out back for them what think it helps. If you are careful you can actually put the baby shampoo IN the eyes to help break the stuff down. that is it's advantage.

Personally I see absolutely no reason to dose yourself with it.
Waste of spray, then again I think more and more that the spray is a waste. I manage to get hit a couple of times a month at work, think I'm building a tolerance to the stuff. Gonna put it on some burritos tomorrow and see how it stacks up with Dave's:D

Sam

[Mikeyboy]

Milk will help neuterlize the effects of the OC a little bit, Dawn and water will help wash the OC off (they use Dawn to wash crude oil off of birds, I don't know how well other soaps will work). I did it once and the best way IMHO was to pour milk on your face immediately after trying to get it in your eyes, then wash your face with Dawn and water, then using a big basin or filled sink, dunk your face in clean water and open your eyes under water. Then Milk again, and repeat. It will probably be real hard doing it alone, I would advise you having someone help. If WILL burn BAD if you get a good dose. Me and a two guys helped out a women's self defense instructor, who wanted to pratice what she preached. A full blast of OC when running at a trained women at 10 paces is very effective. However even she felt the effects of overspray,just not as bad as us. Its a sloppy, but effective weapon.

[elmrich]

I've been told mayonnaise is good.

[pickpocket]

You know...the opportunity for a little fun is just TOO much for me...

I mean...we could have this guy walking around with a fruit salad on his face...
Of course, not that I would EVER suggest such a thing... :)

It just made me laugh to think about this poor guy walking around with some balogna or maybe some spaghetti & meatballs on his face... :D

[OneInTheChamber]

I wouldn't spray myself with it.

Do you shoot yourself to see what affect your handgun would have????

Maybe for police officers during training; but not needed for a civilian who will probably never use it vs. an officer who will always use it.

Chase

[Optical Serenity]

I highly recommend getting sprayed. It helps you understand what to expect if you accidentally get sprayed.

That being said...make sure you have a person to walk you to a water hose...wash out your eyes with baby shampoo and water for at least 10 min. Then go to the shower and take your clothes off, and be real careful...cause the stuff can run down to your private areas and thats not fun at all.

Stand backwards to avoid that scenario.

And have fun, you'll never forget it :)

[Capt. Charlie]

I highly recommend getting sprayed. It helps you understand what to expect if you accidentally get sprayed.
Not really necessary to go the full route, unless you're really into pain.
Have someone dab a small amount under your eyes with a Q-tip. Then try to imagine getting hundreds of times that amount in your face ;) .

[pickpocket]

The only reason ANYONE gets sprayed intentionally is so that they know what it is like so that they can reasonably be expected to function after (if) they get sprayed for real. If you're just after a little taste, spray some in an enclosed space and then close the door....or do like Capt_Charlie said and apply some like makeup :)

I still want pics! :D

[mgdavis]

If you have contact lenses, TAKE THEM OUT!!!! I did the dab a little in the eye for a class in High School, and didn't know to take out the lenses. The pepper soaks into the lens, and will not come out. Ever. I took the lens out, rinsed, the put the lens back in. The pain comes back.

[Ares45]

Good luck to you and yours. I wouldn't dare spray myself on purpose. I got a downwind wiff once while a buddy was "testing" his spray out. That's enough for me. That stuff brought me to my knees and and I didn't even get hit head on. We didn't have any shampoo or water handy at the time. I had to stick it out for about 30 minutes before someone gave me a bottled water. Yes, my buddy is a moron.

2nd the part about removing contacts. Mine where toast. Had to toss them for a new pair.

[rmagill]

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I am going to go with the bucket of water, running water and Dawn dish soap. The plan is to have a friend of mine spray me and I am going to try to take him to the ground (I work security, so that part of the training is rellevant (I know it is best to have a certificate, but I am not planning on carrying at work and, as I said, that training is not accessible right now). If anyone would like to know how it went, let me know.

[pickpocket]

If you know a medic, have one on hand. Better safe than sorry.

[Capt. Charlie]

If anyone would like to know how it went, let me know.
Oh, by all means! And be sure to record your screams & post here as a .WAV file ;) :D .

[pickpocket]

Yes, definitely a .wav file... sound...we need sound. Video of you crying and screaming would also brighten up my day :)

Good luck!

[mxwelch]

I want to be sprayed with it first so I know what to expect if I get sprayed with it or if it blows back into my face.
Me thinks somebody is gonna be very sorry!:D I have a number of friends that are LE and they have heard of or seen every thing from flushing your eyes with milk to putting your face in front of the AC on a vehicle. The general opinion is that different things work for different people. Never fast enough or good enough though.

[yorec]

A medic standing by - We had EMS at our last class to see if they could help with the decontamination and so they'd know what to expect when called to such a scene... Saline seemed to help some. Others it did not. I prefer cold water - gallon upon gallon upon gallon of it. Saline did nothing for me and it was by no means cold enough.

Second the contact observation - I wore a pair of old ones to see if they helped delay the effects. They did, but after it set in, had to get rid of them to get any relief - they soak up that oil! Permanently ruined too. Just plan on replacing any contaminated.

[NDTerminator]

I'm a certified LEO OC Instructor, and normally run 3-4 cert classes a year. Last time I checked, I have over 50 sprays on the street or back in Corrections. Suffice to say I have a little experience with the stuff.

I think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. Our department as a group uses OC a lot. We even place it in front of Empty Hand Techniques on our Force Continuum.

You've been given some good advice. In my experience, fresh air & cool water help recovery the best. I've tried all the aftermarket antidotes I've come across, and can't say I've found one that works better. No matter what you do, it will take you 45 minutes up to 2 hours before you'll be able to function.

I highly recommend you take the cert class before carrying the stuff. Remember it's a Use Of Force, and you will be held liable for it's use. You want to find yourself in a liability box fast, use a method of force without being able to document you've been trained in it's use.

I would recommend against being sprayed unless it's done in a classroom setting under the supervision of a certified instructor. You could experience anything from a medical or allergic reaction to a full blown panic attack (I usually see at least one panic attack in every class, some are real doozies). If he has any experience at all, your instructor has seen it and will be able to help you safely deal with it, and has the knowledge to help you through recovery...

[pickpocket]

NDTerminator:
Last time I checked, I have over 50 sprays on the street or back in Corrections. Suffice to say I have a little experience with the stuff.

You're that guy from that Steven Seagal movie, aren't you? The one who uses OC like it's breath freshener?

:D

[Derius_T]

I always found dish washing soap, and cold water as effective as anything will ever be. (nothing helps alot in any case) And the solarcaine sunburn green gel does help afterwards quite a bit as someone else mentioned.

One thing to remember though, for the love of GOD if you wear contacts, take them OUT FIRST. I try to wear a very light colored pair of cheapo sunglasses when I'm out, just in case the backspray comes my way. (Without my contacts, I'd need a full auto to hit anything) :D

[guntotin_fool]

My neighbor at the old house was a vice cop, came home one day to find him laying the front yard in a pair of sweats with the lawn sprinkler running. he had been busting a pimp when the ho came out and hosed him down with OC. three hours later he was laying under the sprinkler waiting for the codiene to take effect. He threw that outfit away too, said no matter how many times he washed it, it still would burn his skin when he got sweaty.

[Sulaco2]

STOP THAT Guntot!!!! I sprayed coffee through my nose onto my computer laughing so hard! The sgt don't like that...:D

Have worked with both the CN and CS at one time or another and have never understood why they don't combine the CS/CN and OC? With the tear gas type stuff you only have to hit the chest area and the perp walks around in his (or her) very own cloud of gas, mostly gagging. But OC has to hit the triangle between eyes and nose to be very effective.....

[rmagill]

Thanks again for the suggestions. Well, here is how it went:

I used Foxlab's OC (what I will carry). I had to get sprayed indors due to the cold weather. I had a friend of mine spray me and then I tried to take him to the ground (I work for in security, so this is relevant).

Well, after getting sprayed, I couldn't see/see well for a while (I am guessing any where from 1 to 5 min and it took me about 30 min of washing my face with soap and a lot of cool running water (and dunking my head in cool water) for me to finally be able to function reasonably well. It took about 1.5 to 2 hrs before all of the effects wore off, most of which was walking around with a shirt drapped over me (some of it got on my lower neck from my accidental ducking the first time :p) walking around in the freezing, windy weather (only thing that helped the burning after it was mostly washed off). When I woke up this morning, my eyes were slightly swollen, but not too bad.

Moral of the story: me getting sprayed with OC is really not fun, but a good experience, in a painful burning kind of way.

Thanks for all of your input.

[pickpocket]

Pictures....PICTURES!!

[NDTerminator]

When I teach a POT or Corrections class, they always video tape it. Always good for a laugh.

On a similar note, a number of years ago a couple of our officers decided to test 12 gauge bean bag rounds. They set up a video camera, one put on his vest, and the other shot him.

They should have submitted it to America's Funniest Home Videos, they would have won the $10,000 in a walk.

This video has become a permanent part of our agency's lore & history...