The specified trench size is designed to handle approximately how many people per day?

• A. 4,000 per day
• B. 2,000 per day
• C. 12,000 per day
• D. 8,000 per day

Answer: (D)

Mass-decontamination throughput is planned in terms of people per day based on how many people can be processed per hour and how many hours the line operates. A trench-sized decon setup is typically designed to handle about 1,000 people per hour when run efficiently, so over an 8-hour operation that yields roughly 8,000 people for the day. This makes 8,000 per day a practical, balanced capacity for a single trench system in mass-casualty planning. The other options would require either slower processing or shorter operation (2,000 or 4,000 per day) or much higher flow (12,000 per day) that would need more lines, longer hours, or faster processing than a standard setup.