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Patient Loading System improves med evac procedures

  • Published
  • By Capt. Travis B. Tougaw
  • 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan --  A new piece of equipment will help make aeromedical evacuation operations here safer and more efficient. 

The 455th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Flight began using a new Patient Loading System, or PLS this week. According to Capt. Chris Capozollo, the chief flight nurse for the 455th EAEF, using the PLS will speed up the process of loading patients onto some aircraft used for aeromedical evacuation operations at Bagram. 

The PLS is a ramp on wheels designed to be rolled up to certain aircraft. Senior Master Sgt. John Trujillo, the flight superintendent, said the system is compatible with military 135-model aircraft as well as civilian 767s. In fact, he said, in the event of a major national emergency in the United States, the Civil Reserve Air Fleet would use the PLS to help move patients by air. 

Before the system arrived at Bagram, the 455th EAEF loaded patients onto some aircraft with K-loaders, flat bed trucks with a lift system. That meant calling the 455th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron to bring a driver and K-loader to the aircraft. Now, the flight can store the PLS near where the aircraft will park. 

"I was amazed that with how big it is how easy it is to move it out to the plane," Captain Capozollo said. "Three people can push it out and set it up." 

Additionally, when using the K-loader for patient loading, the ambulances would spend several minutes carefully backing up to the K-loader to unload patients one ambulance at a time. Captain Capozollo said the PLS will alleviate that, as well - the ambulances can all park near the PLS and medical personnel can begin unloading patients immediately. 

"Plus, it eliminates the safety concerns of the K-loader," Captain Capozollo said, noting that the K-loader has tripping hazards when loading patients. 

The PLS will also free up K-loaders for cargo missions, which is what they are primarily designed for. 

Captain Capozollo estimates the PLS will save the 455th EAEF about an hour altogether. That's important, because when aircraft come in for routine aeromedical evacuation missions, the flight's goal is to have the plane ready to depart within two hours of landing. That gives the ground crews about an hour to refuel the aircraft and an hour for medical personnel to load the patients. 

It took six people two hours to assemble the PLS on April 28. Captain Capozollo and Sergeant Trujillo both worked on the project along with Senior Airman Hakim Conroe, Senior Airman James Francois, Tech. Sgt. Andrew Baker, and Tech. Sgt. Thomas Sullivan.