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Airmen and medical researchers team up for inflight TIS training

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Joshua R. Maund
  • Joint Base Charleston Public Affairs

 Airmen from the 628th Medical Group at Joint Base Charleston, the 375th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron from Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, and medical researchers from Indiana and Nebraska universities, conducted Transportation Isolation System training July 18, 2018, on a flight from Joint Base Charleston to Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.

The goal of the collaborative training was to implement and evaluate the procedures for transporting highly infectious patients from one location to another via aeromedical evacuation.  

The Transport Isolation System is an enclosure the Department of Defense can use to safely transport patients with highly contagious diseases. The TIS was engineered and implemented after the Ebola virus outbreak in 2014.

“For the last three months we have been working with multiple bases to improve the process of transporting highly infectious patients,” said John Lowe, University of Nebraska Medical Research Center researcher. “The University of Nebraska is really committed to the global health community. This collaboration with the Air Force allows the medical community to observe and improve its capabilities.”

For the first time, the training utilized two TIS pods on one C-17 Globemaster III. One system was used to quarantine a simulated highly infectious patient, while the other was used for monitoring and observation of two additional simulated patients who had been exposed to the infectious patient.

“The University of Nebraska is considered to be the leading experts of biological contamination in the United States.” said Maj. Heather Cohen, Air Mobility Command deputy chief of medical modernization. “An exercise like this provides extremely important readiness training to our aeromedical Airmen. The Airmen were able to familiarize themselves with the various procedures and personal protective equipment required for this type of mission.”

Once the team landed at Offut AFB, the patients were transferred into the care of Omaha safety officials. In a real-world scenario, patients would be transferred to one of ten facilities in the United States equipped to house highly infectious patients, such as the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

“The most important thing when it comes to the TIS is making sure the patients and crew members are transported as safely as possible,” said Master Sgt. Latresia Pugh, Air Mobility Command aeromedical evacuation technician. “We’ve made tremendous strides in improving the plans and procedures through our collaboration with various agencies.”

Continuous innovation with the TIS and training involved with its use, helps provide the most effective and safest form of transportation for patients and their medical professionals.

“We don’t know what the bug of the future might be,” said Cohen. “This is the next step in preparing for as many scenarios as possible.”