375th AES trains with Transportation Isolation System

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  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

In September 2014, President Barack Obama sent over 3,000 military members to West Africa to help control and contain the Ebola outbreak.

Since then, the federal government has placed an importance on ensuring that military personnel who may come in contact with the Ebola virus are trained to respond properly.

Airmen with the 375th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron trained with the Transportation Isolation System Aug. 18-19 at Scott Air Force Base.

The TIS is a containment tool for medical personnel that allows them to move multiple patients exposed or infected with Ebola while also minimizing the risks to aircrew, medical attendants and the airframe. The TIS is a scalable system, composed of at least one isolation pallet for patient transportation and care.

It also has one pallet configured as an “antechamber” to provide medical members with an enclosed space to safely decontaminate and remove their personal protective equipment before exiting.

“What we essentially need to have is a hospital on an aircraft so we can treat them until we land,” said Brig. Gen. Lee Payne, an Air Mobility Command surgeon. “If we put our military in those situations, we need to be able to pull them out.”