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Kim Hedges  
#1 Posted : 23 March 2020 15:47:24(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Kim Hedges

For many years, I was a member of the armed forces, during those many years I worked and practiced with medical units in various scenarios including those times (and there were many) that we had to wear full PPE.  These suits are known quolocially as 'Noddy Suits'. 

Now the civilian version tends to be white, but the protection it provides is basically the same.  It provides a disposible covering that can be shed after contact with a harmful agent.  Whether that is fibreglass, bird and bat droppings, excess dust, asbestos dust or covid19.  

To make things interesting, people who wear this 'Noddy Suit' also tend to wear a spiffy little item called a Repirator, this lovely thing fits over your nose and mouth and usually comes with a filter, unless your're really lucky and get a forced air clear mask - which is so much easier to wear.  If the threat to you is low enough, then a clear visor and half face mask is suffient to block those nasty things that would spoil your day. 

Now with this delightful ensemble of Noddy Suit and Face covering, you become invisible!

You are know longer a person, you are a blob of colour with a shiny face.  At a distance you are still an anonymous blob of white or green or DPM (disruptive pattern material) if you happen to be playing with the army. 

So your supervisor who is with you is trying to find you, not you, the other you, where are you?  I'm here!

You need to get hold of 3 things urgently, some scissors, some black sticky tape and preferably a white paint marker pen or a Yellow Crayon.  Affix a length of tape on your chest and on your back (a friend is useful here).  Incidentally, isn't it fun trying to use a pair of scissors whilst wearing gloves?  So maybe have several cut peices of use prior to the gloves going on. 

Now when the tape is on, mark the tape with your name and rank if you have one 'Staff N', Womble one, womble 2, whatever. 

VOILA

You are visible again and you can find the person you want quicker. 

Finally, take it easy, doing anything, makes you perspire far more and you have to be careful with your noddy suit as you don't want to puncture it.  Have fun out there when you can. 

 

Edited by user 23 March 2020 15:51:41(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

thanks 5 users thanked Kim Hedges for this useful post.
Kate on 24/03/2020(UTC), RVThompson on 24/03/2020(UTC), knotty on 25/03/2020(UTC), nic168 on 26/03/2020(UTC), peter gotch on 28/03/2020(UTC)
Oxford  
#2 Posted : 26 March 2020 16:02:51(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Oxford

You left out a very important accessory when working in a noddy suit...three loosely interconnected cable ties which you can loop over your wrists so when you're laid under a Land Rover, you can hang your arms off the propshaft so it looks like yu're working when in fact you're having a gonk...

Longest I spent in a noddy suit was around 15 days during Exercise Enduro in the early '80's (I think).

It always made me laugh that the process for deciding whether it was safe to remove gas masks was to get the least-liked person n your section to go upwind and take of their mask..if they dropped to the ground, you kept your mask on - LOL

thanks 1 user thanked Oxford for this useful post.
Kim Hedges on 28/03/2020(UTC)
Kim Hedges  
#3 Posted : 28 March 2020 20:51:53(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Kim Hedges

Golly, I think I was on that.  I was a medic. 

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