Mustang medics aid successful aeromedical evacuation

Published Nov. 1, 2013
By Senior Airman Siuta B. Ika
51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs

OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- The Air Force's global vigilance, reach and power may be unmatched in all aspects of warfare, however, its resources aren't always used to serve the military mission. Although Airmen never leave one another behind, other service members and their family members are also not forgotten.

An infant who was born 15 weeks premature to a family stationed at U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys was air-evacuated from the flight line here on a KC-135 Stratotanker from Kadena Air Base, Japan, Oct. 27.

"The child was born at 25 weeks gestation, it was very small, and had been in the ICU (intensive care unit) for six weeks now and had reached a point where it could be transported to another facility to receive the care it needed," said Lt. Col. Richard Wallen, 51st Medical Operations Squadron commander. "Fortunately, neonatal moves like this don't happen often, but we were prepared, and overall, it went excellent."

Members of the 51st Medical Group were able to ensure that the infant, who was in an incubator monitored by a neonatal intensive care team on its way to a hospital in Hawaii, had a smooth transition from the flight line to the aircraft thanks to the group's high-deck patient loading platform vehicle.

The HDPLP vehicle has a series of hoists that allow the cab and patient seating area of the vehicle to rise to the level of the entrance of an aircraft - similar to ramps and vehicles used at civilian airports which allow people to enter and exit planes without having to climb stairs.

Since a KC-135 has a higher loading deck than a C-17 Globemaster or a C-130 Hercules, the HDPLP not only provides space for up to six patients on NATO litters and 10 additional ambulatory patients, it also provides a safer patient transfer deck because patients don't have to be carried up an angled ramp and be exposed to the elements.

"While we certainly can use the old k-loaders to get patients into a high-deck aircraft like a KC-135, it's very difficult to safely carry weighted things - patients, litters, or roll gurneys - and k-loaders weren't really designed to move people," Wallen said. "The HDPLP is designed so that even if the aircraft doesn't have a cargo door, we could still pull right up to the aircraft and load patients through the aircraft's standard doorway."

This patient transfer showcased how Team Osan members from security forces, transient alert and the medical group work together to support every U.S. Forces Korea member, said Col. Rawson Wood, 51st MDG commander.

"The HDPLP here is the only one in Korea, and also is one of only six in the Pacific Air Forces," Wood said. "It gives us a unique capability, but more importantly it allows us to use that capability to better serve all of the Airmen, war-fighters and families on the peninsula. This was an excellent demonstration of airpower, and I'm very proud to lead an organization that provides life-sustaining care at a moment's notice."