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Mission Capabilities

Supporting NDMS

Wings Fills the Gap

Launch Package

CDC

Bio/Viral Response

Specific Gov't Depts

The Bottom Line

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Supporting the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS)

The National Disaster Medical System is made up of teams from throughout the United States. It is a system made up of volunteers, divided into regions and functions under the direction of the Federal Government. It is currently supervised by the Department of Health and Human Services. The major responsibility of the NDMS is to assist States with the medical impact of man-made and/or natural disasters, as well as technological and transportation disasters. It also assists in the caring of victims of armed conventional conflicts through the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The National Response Framework utilizes the National Disaster Medical Department of Health (NDMD) and Human Services, office of Preparedness Support Function. NDMS is activated for a military contingency or overseas conventional armed conflict involving US forces by a Presidential Declaration of a disaster or a request for major medical assistance.

The mission of the National Disaster Medical System to temporarily supplement Federal, Tribal, State and Local capabilities by funding, organizing, training, equipping, deploying and sustaining a specialized and focused range of public health and medical capabilities.

Major Components of NDMS include medical response, patient evacuation, and definitive medical care. The lead responsibility of NDMS is Health and Human Services (HHS). Medical response includes an assessment of health & medical needs and providing medical care personnel, including health / medical equipment and supplies, through the deployment of Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT). Other services include victim identification and mortuary services utilizing Disaster Mortuary Teams (DMORT), as well as animal husbandry care and services through Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams (VMAT). Associated with NDMS are the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Disaster Assistance Rescue Team (DART) and the International Medical Surgical Response Teams (IMSuRT).

Patient evacuation during NDMS evolutions has been the responsibility of the Department of Defense (DoD), which primarily utilizes the Air Force Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) during medical emergency situations; however, all types of transportation--land, sea, and air--can be made available. Aeromedical evacuation is the main expertise within TRANSCOM with their supporting functions during the medical evacuation, which include patient reporting, regulating, and movement from staging areas or casualty clearing points, utilizing assets of the TRANSCOM and the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF). These assets have been stretched to their limits in recent years due to multiple combat conflicts abroad. The current policy is that TRANSCOM will be the “last ditch effort” call for transporting responders.

Within TRANSCOM, patients are provided definitive medical care by concentrating on major metropolitan areas which have available air access, by the NDMS Federal Coordinating Center (FCC), and the NDMS’s hospital support, patient reception, and distribution capabilities. Developed from the Civilian Military Contingency Hospital System (CMCHS), NDMS has developed into a key role in coordinating a nationwide medical mutual aid network, utilizing both public and private sector assets. To effectively utilize this system, a continued and reliable transportation platform is required.

NDMS operates out of 72 Coordinating Centers in over 107 geographical areas throughout the United States, in partnership with over 1818 participating hospitals with over 110,605 designated beds. Lead organizations in partnership with NDMS are the U.S. Public Health Service, Department of Defense, FEMA, and the Department of Veteran’s Affairs. To operate continually and efficiently between the disaster sites or combat zones, there needs to be a transport platform that is constantly available and flexible enough to adjust to the needs of patients and receiving hospitals.

A Management Support Unit (MSU) provides field command and control in a disaster for deployed Federal medical assets. The MSU can provide and coordinate communications, transportation, a medical cache, and other logistical support to DMATs and Specialty teams. However, when these units deploy out of their Region, they take their caches with them, leaving their own region vulnerable and without the initially designed support package designated to them.

Federal Coordinating Centers (FCCs) recruit hospitals and maintain local non-Federal hospital participation in the NDMS; assist in the recruitment, training, and support of DMATs; coordinate exercise development and emergency plans with participating hospitals and other local authorities in order to develop patient reception, transportation, and communication plans; and, during System activation, coordinate the reception and distribution of patients being evacuated to the area. Accredited hospitals, usually over 100 beds in size and located in large U.S. metropolitan areas, are constantly encouraged to enter into a voluntary agreement with NDMS. Hospitals agree to commit a number of their acute care beds, subject to availability, for NDMS patients. Because NDMS is a completely voluntary program, hospitals may, upon activation of the System, provide more or fewer beds than the number committed in the agreement. Although hospitals that admit NDMS patients are reimbursed by the Federal government, that is not necessarily enough incentive to have enough beds available. Keeping in mind that these partnerships are subject to bed and emergency care availability, there will always be adjustments as to where patients are transported and cared for, as in Katrina where no beds were available. 

Associated with NDMS and working in harmony with their evolution are Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) and the International Medical Surgical Response Teams (IMSuRT) that function both domestically and internationally. A continual frustration or these teams has been transport availability. Even more of a frustration, even with a full complement of equipment and having transportation available, is the ability of having the teams arrive intact, with their assigned equipment. More often than not these teams have been delayed beyond the time of their useful need of immediate search and rescue or medical triage. Delays in deployment or being stranded enroute has caused these teams to arrive far too late to be of significant use. This is unacceptable in either the domestic or international response arena. Wings’ availability and flexibility allow for a seamless movement from mobilization to employment at the disaster site, with a continuous resupply.

Although the NDMS is designed to respond to major disasters, there are immediate and continual regional benefits to States and local communities that participate in the system.  And although the States receive these benefits, this all-volunteer force historically only produces about 30% of those on the rosters during an actual disaster or disaster deployment. The ratio of doctors to nurses and support team members is always an unknown. When deployed, the equipment cache must be assembled into a proper loading configuration based on the mode of transport. The equipment may have to be re-palletized, which can take a great deal of time. An NDMS cache was never meant to leave the region, but as we saw in Katrina, a number of regions may have to give up their cache of equipment to support a national disaster.

Finally, the repatriating of disaster victims who were evacuated from the disaster site is not the responsibility of TRANSCOM during the recovery portion of the disaster relief evolution. Repatriating is not considered an emergency, thus not the responsibility of TRANSCOM and thus the transportation platform that removed them from the disaster site is not available to them in the recovery operation.

Wings Fills the Gap

The “gap” is time and time can mean lives lost. The “gap” in training, deployment, transport and employment on site at the disaster area can be negated with a one source transportation and support asset. Wings’ transportation, training and medical platform is in harmony with all the equipment and facilities familiar to NDMS units, USAR, IMSuRT and DART. With co-located aircraft and a separate equipment cache, first responders become “immediate responders”. Wings utilizes military pallet conformities. They need only arrive at the point of embarkation with their personal gear to be deployed.

An added advantage of this concept is that the original allotted equipment package for any particular team, area or region never has to leave that area or region. When any disaster strikes, the federally allotted cache stays in components home area while a team is deployed. Equipment and remaining manpower is then still available for any intervening local disaster.

Ground offloading equipment is a requirement of TRANSCOM and CRAF, but not with Wings.  With its own self-contained offloading equipment, Wings does not require ground support at the area of employment.

Aviation assets provide the most efficient, effective, reliable and cost effective means to respond to NDMS, IMSuRT, and USAR/DART missions. No other means is more mobile, flexible or capable of moving teams great distances over land, sea and the devastation left by natural or manmade disasters. Wings can provide the most versatile, in capacity and capability, air transportation assets available. With Wings onboard off-loaders and forward support vehicles there is a seamless transition in employment at the disaster site. Wings aircraft can provide a both domestic and international capability.

With co-located equipment and aircraft, when a disaster strikes there is no need to palletize or re-palletize equipment. This is called repackaging. Using equipment that is identical to that with which teams are trained avoids “on the job training”. With Wings “immediate” availability there is no reason for delay in employment due to a lack of transportation asset. This would be called “left at the curb”. With Wings capacity there is no reason for teams and equipment to arrive fragmented or teams to even arrive without their equipment. This is what commercial airlines offer--“standby travel and lost baggage”.

Wings has the capability of transporting complete DMAT, DMORT or VMAT caches as well as complete USAR/DART or IMSuRT caches. These separate caches are co-located with Wings’ aircraft.

Re-supply and additional support is continuously available through the Wings diverse fleet of aircraft. The continual drain on TRANSCOM aviation assets disappears; pre-palletized equipment, canine holding pens and ground support facilities are continuously in place and ready for immediate use. Offloading equipment at the destination is no longer required as it is designed into the Wings concept of operations. There are no pallet size or pallet-to-pallet transfer issues that currently exist. Wings stores and has its own, which are compatible with Wings’ civilian and military transport assets.

Training is a key aspect of operational readiness, mobilization, deployment and employment at the disaster site. Training can provide for “real time” experience, not a three day chalkboard scenario. Training events should consist of both simulator and real deployments and “hands on” training with equipment that will be actually used in the field. Training can be conducted not only in the field, but at any regional location and by multiple regions with Wings providing transportation. Wings’ ability to provide yearly training to all ten regions allows FEMA and HHS to evaluate readiness and currency of procedures and regions with Wings providing transportation. Wings brings responders to a central training area where simulators and actual aircraft experience is gained. In addition, air medical evacuation teams can maintain their “inflight” currency requirements.

Implementation is deploying with caches that are co-located and then loaded onto the aircraft.  It was never intended that regional response caches would leave their region. However, recent disaster responses have required the movement of this equipment sometimes as far as clear across the nation. This transport, by overland transport, has not only taken days, but has often resulted in the transport never reaching its destination. Wings’ aircraft can pre-position or deploy in just hours, instead of days, either before, during or after the disaster strikes. The first aircraft can be airborne in three hours. Enroute, the aircraft can stop at three locations nationwide to augment other NDMS members into one or more fully functioning teams and still be on site within 12 hours domestically and 24 hours internationally. Wings’ forward ground, sea and air logistical equipment provide for a seamless delivery of first responders, medical equipment and aid.

No restrictions in distance, by obstacle strewn disaster fields or flooding. Wings’ aircraft can over fly disaster fields and employ in hours with the same equipment and more manpower than ever before. There is no reason for delay in employment due to a lack of a TRANSCOM transportation asset. There is no reason for teams and equipment to arrive fragmented or teams to even arrive without their equipment.

Fuel costs are rising and commercial costs rise too. DoD commitments are ongoing in the world on multiple fronts and there is no question that TRANSCOM assets cannot be set aside on “standby” 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. Wings has answered this need with its designed operational standby status, capable of moving these units “immediately”, within hours of notification, not days or weeks. There is no more burden on TRANSCOM, no delay in procuring CRAF aircraft and no more delays due to retrofit. The costs are lower as Wings is not a commercial vendor, but is operated under a charitable status.

Wings’ Type Specific Launch Package

Under the National Response Framework Wings can deploy with the following capabilities:  

· Mobilize aircraft and be airborne in 3 hours

· Employ onsite domestically within 12 hours

· Employ onsite internationally within 24 hours

· Mobilize in an “all cargo” configuration

· Mobilize in a “combi” cargo and passenger configuration

· Mobilize with litter, cargo and/or passenger configuration

· Transport over 24-50 CDC biological and viral containment units

· Transport litters for critical care evacuation

· Provide numerous combinations of palletized passenger, container, palletized cargo and litter configurations.

· 3Transport medicines and serums immediately, safely and continually

· Transport both medical personnel with an onboard medical facility

· Transport follow-on continuous re-supply of medical supplies and personnel within hours         

· Utilize the onboard medical facility as a processing or containment unit 

· Provide onboard critical surgery to patients who are then distributed into the local area for recovery

· Provide continuous water purification

· Provide self-contained on and offloading. No destination equipment required

· Provide an onboard command and communications center

· Provide total telephonic and satellite communications world wide

· Provide self-contained portable instrument landing system

· Provide compatible helo operation with deployment package

· Provide totally self generated ground power

Additionally, Wings can provide ground, air, and sea support capable of transporting and deploying portable ground medical facilities, including:

· Showers and sanitation facilities

· Staff sleeping facilities

· Food and commissary facilities

· Ice and refrigeration capability

· Self supporting electrical generation

Further, Wings can provide transportation of specialized personnel vehicles that can carry both medical professionals and pandemic victims in one carriage as well as forward mobility support.

Wings’ specialized staff will also:

• Assist in set up and teardown of portable shelters

• Operate the onboard medical facility for use by first responders

• Operate all ground support vehicles and aviation assets

• Assist, as directed by authorized onsite commander, in medical procedures

• Transport patients in the local site area

• Staff and support the portable facilities

• Coordinate the use of the command center for use by first responders

THE CDC (The Center for Disease Control)

Understanding the Problem

U.S. flu report predicts chaos…..Pandemic burden would be local

- USA Today, 3 May 2006

“A White House report on pandemic flu paints a grim picture of the local and economic chaos that could overtake the country in a serious outbreak, including widespread closures and travel restrictions.

Experts praise parts of the 227-page plan, which was released with recommendations such as quarantine of potentially exposed air travelers, which is just not feasible. Although the government is committed to stockpiling antiviral medicines, the government’s role will be limited and a more local response will be required.

The report indicates that communities will be pretty much on their own while experts emphasize a need for a uniform policy across the nation. The White House is trying to “lay everything out on the table”. It is expected that workers will be required to maintain a three foot distance from fellow employees and well as being prohibited from shaking hands. Airline and borders would be restricted. Schools and transit facilities would be restricted. All people would be subject to quarantine. It is uncertain if enough facilities are available to handle the situation. It is further uncertain as to if a pandemic strain of flu can be contained.”

The flu is like a hurricane, “it cannot be kept offshore, it will make landfall”.

A biological or viral pandemic cannot be predicted in location, magnitude or in time. Viral diseases, when they kill, do so in one of two ways: either quickly and directly with a violent viral pneumonia so damaging that it has been compared to burning the lungs; or more slowly and indirectly by stripping the body of defenses, allowing bacteria to invade the lungs and causing a more common and slower killing bacterial pneumonia. Although immediate and suspected pandemics have not crossed our borders, eminent scientists and medical professionals have repeatedly warned us that it is not “if, but when”.

The most notable and known as the most deadly plague in history was the 1918 influenza epidemic. Estimates as recently as 2004 indicate a death toll of over 675,000 of a US population of 104 million. India alone exceeded 20 million deaths. Worldwide it was as high as 50 to 100 million deaths. In today’s figures the worldwide figure would reach over 100 million to 350 million dead.

Throughout the 20th Century there continued the 1957 pandemic, the H2N2 virus, which was passed from person to person until its extinction by the 1968 pandemic virus which is the dominant influenza virus of today. In 2001 an attack of anthrax killed five people and transfixed America. Then in 2002 there was an outbreak of West Nile Virus which killed 284 people nationally in six months. Following that, in 2003, SARS killed over 800 people around the world, froze the Asian economy and created awareness enough that millions in Hong Kong, Singapore and elsewhere wore masks on the streets.

The avian virus that is getting the most attention is known as H5N1 and first appeared in 1997 in Hong Kong, killing six of the eighteen people it infected. Over one million poultry were destroyed in an attempt to exterminate the disease. However, the disease resurfaced three times since Hong Kong and has caused over half of all known avian viral infections in humans. With each outbreak, 32% to 75% of those infected have or will eventually die. It is now considered endemic in Asian populations and it will likely infect people for the foreseeable future. It has been diagnosed in Africa and the European continents. Thus, scientists believe it is just a matter of time before it invades North America. Not if, but when.

Each virus feeds on a population with no immunity. A population can develop immunity from living through the disease and developing its own immune system or by manmade vaccinations. Measles is one example that literally dies out without a new generation to infect. Fortunately we have a vaccination for measles. Unfortunately we do not have one for the avian virus or anti-toxins available for any kind of pandemic. The initial survivors will hold the key to eradicating any such diseases and thus it will take months to determine who they are and months to develop a serum after the outbreak.

The three most important questions in science are “what can I know, how can I know it and how can I use it?” Our prevailing paradigm is freezing progress and our ability to rapidly, effectively and economically respond to any pandemic. This mental obstacle blocks funds and stifles new ideas anytime they conflict with the paradigm. When this event does occur there must be a way to professionally take control without creating a pandemic terror. Three specific problems must be addressed: caring for the sick, containment of the area and maintaining some kind of order. The current response plan for pandemic disasters is “lockdown”, or the isolation and containment of the area and victims. In doing so, the theory is that the virus is contained to one or more isolated areas and will die out on its own without new hosts. In the 1918 pandemic, Gunnison, Colorado was one of the few isolated cites that escaped the influenza virus. In today’s world, with mass transportation both locally and trans-continental, it is not likely self isolated communities will exist. It will require wide range deployment of military units to many locations to have any sort of containment. Deployment of military units in and of itself is an alarming event. In some cases it may even cause chaos.

During any biological and/or viral outbreak there must be an efficient and dedicated means of transporting medicine, medical personnel, security teams and containment units. Not only must this be accomplished efficiently, but this movement must be accomplished without causing alarm. Having specifically dedicated vehicles that are available immediately, vehicles that are inconspicuous and versatile, that promote a sense of control and trust, imply healing and not containment. They will not only save time, energy and expense, but reduce public outcry. Dedicated transportation platforms means having response assets and individuals available to move to the scene immediately. When dedicated vehicles are used, responders are familiar with the equipment, assets and vehicle, so they come equipped, capable and prepared, physically and mentally, to take on the vital needs of the infected victims and area. Set up in a “safe zone”, the people and medical assets provide a command center to move out from and solve the problem. The platform must be mobile, capable of delivering and setting up at multiple sites at once, and moving to the next area of need at will.

Military and CRAF assets are not normally equipped and configured to respond immediately. It can take up to a week or more to have these assets on site. They may even have to be configured before use. Usually, CRAF and military assets are moved for configuration then moved to the point of departure. At a minimum, this can take 48-72 hours.

“Military contingency operations in tropical environments and the potential use of biological weapons by adversaries may place troops at risk for potentially lethal contagious infections (e.g., viral hemorrhagic fevers, plague, and zoonoti poxvirus infections). Diagnosis and treatment of such infections would be expedited by evacuating a limited number of patients to a facility with containment laboratories. To safely evacuate such patients by aircraft and minimize the risk of transmission to aircrews, caregivers and civilians, the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease maintains an aero medical isolation team. This rapid response team, which has a worldwide airlift capability designed to evacuate and manage patients under high-level containment, also offers a portable containment laboratory limited environmental decontamination and specialized consultative expertise.”

Evacuation of patients with potentially lethal, contagious infections poses unique challenges and risks to air crews and medical personnel. Evacuation of such patients is relevant to military contingency operations because troops may be placed at risk for hemorrhagic fevers and other infections during deployment to contagious areas, tropical environments or by adversaries' use of biological warfare agents.

The “immediate” and flexible evacuation of patients to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta Georgia, or the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) in Fort Detrick, Maryland, would afford the immediate availability of bio-safety level 4 laboratories (designed for the study of pathogens requiring maximum biological containment for laboratory safety) and facilitate rapid diagnosis of diseases due to pathogens posing extraordinary laboratory safety hazards. Furthermore, USAMRIID has the only fixed patient-care suite in the world designed for medical care under maximum biological containment. To safely evacuate a limited number of patients to the containment-care suite and provide medical care while minimizing the risk for transmission to air crews, caregivers, and civilians, USAMRIID maintains an aero medical isolation team. Unfortunately, there is no fixed aero medical asset assigned and on “immediate” readiness status. Such an asset would receive high priority, but would still need to be procured and positioned before deployed.

Wings’ Unique Suitability as a Bio/Viral Response Platform

“Another Partnership in Bio and Viral Pandemic Response”

“All positive knowledge obtained has resulted from the accurate observation of facts”.

Wings has incorporated into its design, uniquely and outfitted aircraft with features that can move these vital resources within 3 hours of notification. These aircraft can not only be used during the actual response, but also be used for yearly training, training that is not currently available. Unique to Wings is that these are not military aircraft and do not bring with them an alarmist environment. The media exposure alone connotes medical assistance, not military control. Having trained on these dedicated aircraft, the responders know their equipment, are familiar with their surroundings and can go to work immediately and efficiently. Continued resupply of aid, equipment and medical professionals is continually available.

The genius of this pandemic response platform lies in three areas. First, the response platform is put together with knowledge and judgment of the existing assets available, understanding the limits of these assets, and the commingling of existing and available assets without having to reinvent the wheel. It has the ability to teach and train, on an ongoing basis, first responders, medical professionals and government containment teams. Allowing for this training creates the ability to monitor the readiness of responders, identify weaknesses, change active procedures, develop new techniques and pioneer new response capabilities.

Secondly, it can inspire. It brings a platform which will inspire research into various containment techniques, response capabilities, equipment and procedures. It has a visible presence that can become familiar with the nation and the nation with it, so that it can be readily accepted when it is required to be put into action. It can bring together medical, pharmaceutical and transportation communities to work toward a response plan that can be reacted upon instead of a plan just to react.

“Acting upon this for the greater good is not just the knowledge, but the action.”

Capabilities in Support of Specific Government Departments

In almost every area of the US Government and within international organizations, there is a specific need for either Wings’ immediate response or its unique transport capability. Although Wings cannot fulfill all the needs of any one organization, it certainly fulfills a significant need of most, as a medical platform and transportation system. When an immediate need arises in any organization there is a significant gap between the event and the response. Wings can fill that 24, 48 or 72 hour gap, without disruption to the regular TRANSCOM operations or the use of CRAF or other governmental aviation assets. The following departments and agencies have unique requirements that Wings can fulfill.

Department of State

Among the various needs of the Department of State are, for example, the repatriating of crews such as those of the Navy P-3 downed over China, delivering IMSuRT teams to foreign disasters such as in Bam, Iran, the evacuation of US citizens during critical foreign events as in Lebanon, or other vital roles in the behind the scenes work of a co-operational effort with DoD in the “generational war of terror”.

The office of the Undersecretary of State for Public Relations has been tasked to repair and restore the image of the United States world wide. Tasked with this, the DoS fights battles on many fronts. Although the primary front is on the battlefield against terrorists and insurgents, fought by DoD, a secondary battle is fought on world side front, within the media and with a world audience. As the media may seem to portray the U.S. in a negative image, the US can win this battle and win over a world audience. This joint effort, with and/or without DoD, has a tri-fold mission; to gather intelligence, deny territory to terrorists and win friends. For where understanding and friendship exists, terrorists can find no safe haven.  

The fight is no less difficult than an open battlefield. It is just a different front in the war on terror prevention. The media will continue reporting, and we can change what they have to report. We cannot pick and choose what people will see in the media, though we can create an influx of “good works media” that will overwhelm them while the world compares good verses evil. There is no question that the terrorists must be stopped where they live, hide and train, and yet, we must win the hearts and minds of the world so that they become truly our friends and deny terrorists access to their land for the training of evil purposes. It is not about just giving money as aid, forgiving debt, or allowing for imports and exports. It is also about building relationships of trust by building roads, delivering water, creating schools and health clinics.

So much is going on in the world outside the attention of the media, such as in the Horn of Africa. Our military forces there are turning swords into plowshares, working side by side with the African people and creating an environment of cooperation and friendship. Sadly, our military forces are stretched thin, to the point of breaking, in terms of numbers and capacity. This is yet another Command set up over an existing structure, multi tasked and overburdened.

There is, however, an alternative, for there is no greater ambassador to the world than U.S. citizens. Hundreds of thousands of people donate funds and give time to humanitarian service each year. Not much is made of their efforts and few see the product of their time and talents. This body of citizenry can relieve a great number of military personnel for combat support roles and ease the tension of a stressed military. If the media will not tell the government’s story, let volunteers speak for who we are. Let the people tell it! We have the vehicle to bring this talent and compassion to the forefront. Wings can provide the transportation platform as well as an ongoing resupply and relief effort to these areas, allowing foreign and US citizens working side by side. It is a win- win for everyone at a fraction of the cost currently expended for the same purpose by our military forces. Wings’ participation would relieve the numbers of military required and enhance in numbers and size the places that can be helped.

When any government sends humanitarian aid by military airlift it takes away from the airlift required in combat zones. TRANSCOM does not have the air assets to meet its growing demands. When using commercial aircraft, the cost is almost triple of what the carriage cost actually is. It is playing into the hands of a vendor economy. Delivering aid via Wings cuts costs, saves time and would allow for more aid to be delivered where needed on a constant basis.

 The role of the military, working in areas of the world in compassionate service and friendship, is admirable, but not necessary. The same goal of gathering intelligence and training small protective forces can be done with fewer numbers of military and with fewer assets with the influx of Wings World Wide, its transportation platform, volunteers and scheduling. Although many acts of kindness are continually displayed by our servicemen, their duty is to wage war and maintain peace. Though this is another type of war, rarely is the military appreciated. Generally, the images of goodwill are only as lasting as the next image of combat action. As in the Bam, Iran earthquake, “thanks for the aid, now get your military aircraft out of here!” Military aircraft are neither wanted nor appreciated. They are viewed with skepticism.

We are not engaged in a temporary war on terror. This is a generational war, one that may last longer than the “cold war”, probably over 50 years. This is indeed “our children’s, children’s war.” The Department of Defense and Department of State will be working side by side for decades to come. There will have to be a more generous and judicious use of assets, people and invention to defeat this enemy. There will also have to be a more cost effective way to deliver, continually maintain and operate these outposts of humanitarian aid. Wings, with its humanitarian airline concept, while waiting to respond to disaster crisis, can continually support and supply these locations on a continual basis, at a fraction of the cost now borne by the military,.  It keeps aircraft in use and productive while awaiting use for domestic or international disasters.

Then there is the actual disaster concept itself, responding both domestically and internationally. When disaster strikes an “immediate response” is necessary, where “first response” is just not good enough. Our “first response” capability as displayed in the Asian Tsunami, Katrina and Rita disasters demonstrate that our efforts have only proven that it takes as long to respond in our own country as it does half way around the world. A week late is just too late! And the slowness cannot be hidden. The media lets everyone see it “real time” and sadly “real time” is not on time! Thus far the Federal Government  is living a media nightmare and has not been able to live it down. Past history indicates we never arrive on time and often so late that we become a clean-up crew. Our lack of immediate response goes more noticed than whatever we eventually do.

Being an NGO, not being part of the Government or armed services, and acting as an independent humanitarian agency, Wings can go places where our military is not welcome and where our government may have an unsteady relationship that needs repair. Like in China, during the P-3 downing, an aircraft of non military origin was required. In that case, a civilian aircraft needed to be procured and then prepared for the mission. In Wings’ case the cost would have been a fraction and the asset would have been deployed immediately. It is not uncommon for a civilian contractor to meet the needs of unique situations where the government cannot afford the time or the finances to hold specific assets in abeyance for temporary or one time use. In this use of a civilian contractor to offset the lack of manpower available in our military command structure, Wings can fill that manpower shortage and time sensitive gap. The media issue, always of a government concern, would have been eliminated in Bam, Turkey, Pakistan, the

Tsunami in Asia and right here at home in Katrina and Rita, in terms of time, economics and performance. In any of these scenarios; feet and eyes on the ground would have been immediate, less expensive and the assessment more accurate; feedback of the necessary and required equipment and aid would have been more precise and mobile; and the display of compassion and concern with an American presence would have been immediate and priceless!

In short, we have had an ongoing public relations nightmare and the State Department has been called to solve it. Wings World Wide – The Air Medical Foundation proposes its “humanitarian strategy”. This strategy would allow this Foundation to take the lead in both disaster relief and pre-planned medical and humanitarian missions, under the direction of the Department of State, working cooperatively with NGOs such as the Red Cross. Wings has created the vehicle that the United Nations has always needed. It is the vehicle that both the American Red Cross and the International Red Cross/Crescent have also needed. Between actual disaster and relief missions, Wings can go out into the world with other volunteer NGOs, creating and building these relationships of trust that bind friendships that create safer shores.

There is no better or more cost effective way to send a positive message abroad and to assist The Department of State in accomplishing their goal. It can be done in months instead of years. No deal making, no social funding, just people being people, giving compassion, giving love, giving service; The Peace Corps on “Wings”, a Medical Delta Force! This is what makes our shores safer. This is what makes “cents”, this is how the Department of State will get the message they desire out to the world.

Department of Homeland Security / FEMA

The Department of Homeland Security has many and varied responsibilities, mainly the security of our nation against terrorist attack and a subordinate responsibility, under FEMA, to respond to manmade, natural and terrorist disasters. During any type of disaster, DHS / FEMA has no air assets available to respond in an “immediate” fashion.

In fact, in 2004, FEMA notified first responders that they would no longer have aviation assets available to them in their response efforts and that they would be using ground transportation. Prior to that, the DoD Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) traditionally provided transportation for DoD and DHS. Response times have taken up to 48 to 72 hours to arrive onsight. The United States response to the Tsunami in Asia took a week to respond. Turkey, Bam and Pakistan took days. Katrina took five days. First responders have become just that, the first to respond, no matter how long that response takes. TRANSCOM’s requirement is to provide an aircraft 48 hours after a procurement request is made. Thus, first responders respond in days, not hours, in respect to a domestic crisis, or weeks, not days, internationally.

Past experience and performance has shown that an “immediate response” is what is required, not just a first response. Wings World Wide – The Air Medical Foundation can provide just that. The first hours of any disaster bring hope or despair, triumph or tragedy. Hope has often saved more lives than the actual aid delivered. Eyes and feet on the ground to evaluate the situation are always better than news clips on television. An initial cache of any type of aid brings hope and comfort to victims who have often lost everything.

Wings World Wide – The Air Medical Foundation has designed into its response features a wide variety of initial aid, specifically divided into wet, dry, hot, cold  and earthquake scenarios. The initial cache of aid can accommodate 10,000 homeless for up to three days with food, water and shelter. Additional aid can include water purification, medical shelters, and triage, as well as land sea and air support vehicles. Further, Wing’s  aircraft can provide seating for up to 90 medical professionals or disaster response personnel. All of this is enough to supplant one hospital rendered useless by any disaster. Other assets include mobile instrument approach landing gear, self-contained offloading equipment, generators, heat and air conditioning.  This capability fills that initial 24-48-72 hour window gap between the disaster and continued responders. This capability allows the “immediate response” team to leapfrog devastated areas where ground and sea vehicles cannot traverse and do it in hours, not days. Wings can launch in three hours and be operational in 12 hours domestically and 24 hour internationally.  Wings can work independently or in harmony with government emergency teams, the Red Cross or other NGOs. No other capability exists, is planned for, or is as capable, as economical or with the capacity that is planned for in Wings’ “immediate response” platform.

Department of Defense

The Department of Defense is engaged in global conflicts with terrorists in multiple locations throughout the world. This deployment of forces is not only costly from a human life standpoint, but from a financial standpoint as well and drains manpower and military assets to an almost unsustainable level.

These deployments stretch the use of DoD’s, Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) to a limit that taxes the strength, capacity and lifetime of our aircraft fleet. The use of CRAF aircraft in support of these conflicts on any temporary basis is costly, takes time and causes delays of missions. There is a need for aircraft assets to fill temporary, 24-48-72 hour commitments in the movement of medical supplies, personnel, patients and mobile medical units, especially when the movement is in support of hurricanes, earthquakes and flooding throughout the world.

TRANSCOM cannot provide immediate air assets with the correct aid cache. It requires a request and procurement system that precludes an “immediate response capability”.  Wings can reduce the requirement for military transports to respond to any type of disaster, especially immediate response disasters. Wings can provide response platforms in three hours and deploy them in 12 hours domestically and 24 hours internationally. Wings can then continue to supply and re-supply these responders on a continual basis.

Wings World Wide- The Air Medical Foundation can not only respond to natural, manmade and terrorist disaster requirements, that take military assets away from military duties, but Wings can also support patient movement, transport of medical supplies, deploy medical units and supplant existing hospitals for various reasons in need of staffing.

Wings can provide continuous transport for patients to stateside hospitals and then to local hospitals under VA control. Both ambulatory and non-ambulatory patients, as well as their medical support staff can have a continuously available transportation platform and have it available on short notice.

Department of Health and Human Services

HHS is responsible for CDC, for prevention and containment during epidemic or pandemic events. Any outbreak due to toxic substances or disease would be the purview of this department. DHS/FEMA works closely with HHS during disaster situations. This will require personnel, equipment and immediate disaster aid and therefore an immediate disaster response timeframe.

Wings can provide the “immediate” transportation requirements for personnel and equipment to accomplish this objective. Wings can provide portable shelters, transportation of CDC containment units, medical personnel, water purification equipment, continuous re-supply and a wide range of support for this type of activity. This can be done in hours, not days domestically, and days, not weeks, internationally.

Wings has incorporated into its design, uniquely outfitted aircraft with features that can move these vital resources within 3 hours of notification. These aircraft can not only be used during the actual response, but also used for yearly training; training that is not currently available. Unique to Wings is that these are not military aircraft and do not bring with them an alarmist environment. The media exposure alone connotes medical assistance, not military control. Having trained on these dedicated aircraft, the responders know their equipment, are familiar with their surroundings and can go to work immediately and efficiently. Continued resupply of aid, equipment and medical professionals is continually available.

 The genius of this pandemic response platform lies in three areas. First, the response platform is put together with knowledge and judgment of the existing assets available, understanding the limits of these assets, and the commingling of existing and available assets without having to reinvent the wheel. It has the ability to teach and train, on an ongoing basis, first responders, medical professionals and government containment teams. Allowing for this training creates the ability to monitor the readiness of responders, identify weaknesses, change active procedures, develop new techniques and pioneer new response capabilities.

Secondly, it can inspire. It brings a platform which will inspire research into various containment techniques, response capabilities, equipment and procedures. It has a visible presence that can become familiar with the nation and the nation with it, so that it can be readily accepted when it is required to be put into action. It can bring together medical, pharmaceutical and transportation communities to work toward a response plan that can be reacted upon instead of a plan just to react.

 “Acting upon this for the greater good is not just the knowledge, but the action.”

Environmental Protection Agency

The EPA has a responsibility to contain and control environmental disasters as they occur. Specifically, this stewardship involves the immediate response to disaster situations that require containment such as oil spills and toxic waste, industrial disasters and contamination. Their response must be immediate in order to secure and contain the area and preserve life and resources.

Mines of all types throughout the nation and world operate under antiquated conditions in constant fear of one type of disaster or another. In most cases the equipment required to respond to any significant disaster is not on site. The lives of miners rely on time and coordination of rescue crews. Due to time, distance and communications, the outcome is generally loss of life.

Ocean shipping is constantly in fear of spillage and the contamination of land, sea, animal, fish and fowl. The cost of cleanup is extreme and the cost of life of any kind disastrous. Time determines the extent of any disaster and the faster it can be contained the least amount of life, land and resources are lost.

Be it an oil spill, mine disaster or toxic waste containment, Wings can provide the storage of immediate action equipment and aid, immediate transportation and continual re-supply for these types of environmental accidents. Wings can deliver rescue and containment equipment, personnel and supplies to any point in the United States within hours and globally in just one day. Wings is a single source of storage and delivery which saves lives, time, money, preserves nature and protects the environment.

Department of Forestry

Major environmental emergencies caused by wildfires continue to hit the headlines. Dry weather since 1999 has caused a resurgence of fires and threatened a new type of smog disaster. Different regions of the world have been affected by major forest fires linked to climate variability including Indonesia, parts of Latin America, Florida and now once again in California, as well as Arizona, New Mexico, Montana, Wyoming, Spain, Greece, Russia and elsewhere, all of which have an ongoing history of need.

Fighting wild fires domestically is a continual challenge to the Department of Forestry and a drain on our response resources. Moving people and equipment is time consuming, which in turn, allows for the fires to spread. Sometimes multiple fires exist and stretch manpower and assets to their limits. All this can be at a cost of time, property, money and sometimes lives.

Sustaining the men on the fire line is also a dire need. Refreshing and resting crews is a constant need to keep up the battle to contain and extinguish fires in the early stages.

Wings is designed to deploy in the three hour launch window, stop and gather fire fighters in various locations, then deliver them on site within hours, not days. Wings also has the capability to deploy ground support facilities, providing lodging, eating and rest facilities, showers and toilet facilities. Further, Wings can continually re-supply and re-staff personnel and equipment on an ongoing basis. Wings can include medical teams to care for injuries as well as medical transport.

Department of Transportation

The DOT has oversight of any and all transportation demands. From highway, to airline, to railroad to ocean going vessels, trains, trucks, planes or ships, a constant and ongoing demand for investigation and securing of evidence is required by DOT. Personnel and equipment need to be moved immediately and directly to the event. Sometimes victims need evacuation. Especially time critical is the securing and processing of evidence during any transportation disaster.

Wings can provide the “immediate” transportation requirements for personnel (90 or more) and equipment to accomplish this objective. Wings can provide the unique capability of transporting evidence back to the US for processing and investigation. Wings can do this in hours, not days.

Department of Veterans Affairs

The VA has oversight of hospitals and patients in the medical system of the DoD. Movement of patients from location to location is an ongoing and critical need. TRANSCOM assets are too few and too thin as a result of the multiple combat actions underway. The “nightingale” aircraft have been removed from service. CRAF aircraft are costly and take too long to convert for each use. Existing military transport aircraft are filling needs outside the US. There is a need for an ongoing and gap filling transportation platform for ambulatory and non-ambulatory patients.

Wings can provide the unique capability of transporting patients as well as providing transportation of medical care personnel. Wings can provide transportation of personnel and equipment to supplant a hospital in times of disaster. Wings can provide the ongoing patient transportation needs from Europe to stateside hospitals as well as relocating patients from their initial stateside care to their local VA hospitals. Wings can fill that critical transportation gap!

With more than 1.2 million Veterans and a continual number of returning disabled from combat zones, this number is ever growing and will continue to do so for decades to come. The movement of the disabled and injured from combat zones, although the main responsibility of the military airlift command (TRANSCOM), can be replaced or assisted if necessary by Wings World Wide with compatible litters and seating. Movement from the European facilities the United States can also be supported. Further movement from major receiving hospitals in the US to local VA or civilian establishments can be accomplished on an ongoing basis. This cannot be accomplished with regularly scheduled commercial aviation assets. Wings’ unique conversions allows for this special, type-specific lift capability.

Varied Department Usage

And the list goes on and on. The remaining departments within the federal government, though not having a daily need for the capabilities of Wings World Wide, will have major and ongoing roles during a time of national disaster in rebuilding the infrastructure of devastated areas of the United States. Or, perhaps during such times of “immediate” response need, such as terrorist bombings, where investigation and evidence preservation and containment are required. Further, there will be a constant and ongoing need to provide transportation and re-supply for these departments in the rebuilding of labor and commerce, housing, financial institutions, law enforcement, educational institutions and virtually all other aspects of daily life for US citizens after a major and catastrophic national disaster.

Government officials repeatedly state that it is not a matter of “if”, but “when”, that this need will arise. During a major domestic disaster, estimates put over 60% of hospitals out of service. Police, fire and financial institutions will be rendered useless or at a standstill. A military already stretched too thin and currently at a breaking point, will not be able to respond to any national or international disaster with infrastructure support. It will be too busy providing ongoing emergency aid, if it can provide it at all. Not only is it questionable whether they can respond at all; it is certainly questionable whether they can respond “immediately.”

Wings can provide for filling the gap between the disaster, immediate emergency aid and the rebuilding of infrastructure. The faster that infrastructure is restored the quicker confidence by US citizens is restored in our Federal Government. Confidence leads to peace and stability. It is imperative that this stabilization take place immediately and citizens feel secure and productive while day to day life is re-established.

Wings World Wide – The Air Medical Foundation can provide the lift capability for all these departments, immediately and ongoing. Wings can do this economically, efficiently and capably, in far less time and cost that procuring commercial transport in the immediate first few hours and days. The flexibility of Wings provides the government with the ability to set priorities and delegate departments to respond when and as needed on a continual basis.

THE RED CROSS

“A Partnership in Response”

The original concept of the Red Cross, founded in 1863, was its focus on war, combatants and prisoners of war. The American Red Cross is a quasi public institution whose titular head is the President of the United States with an operational President/CEO, appointed by a Board of Directors. Founded in 1881 by Clara Barton, it is the mobilization of American citizens, originally generally women, but now with a more balanced support by both male and female, in support of not only war issues, but disaster relief. There is also an International Red Cross.

There should be no misunderstanding that these are two separate institutions. The American Red Cross is funded by charitable contributions and from the federal government, while the International Red Cross receives contributions, likewise from charity and from government contributions world-wide. Our own government supports both and representatives from the American Red Cross work with the International Red Cross. An example of associated members of the International Red Cross is the Red Crescent. There are now thousands of chapters throughout the world.

At one time, the military stationed railroad cars throughout the country for immediate use in case of an emergency. These cars could be relocated anywhere in 24 hours. However, these assets were only for the use of the military. The Rockefeller Foundation saw a civilian need and created another set for domestic disaster response. At that time it was deemed to be for disease control, but it was more notably used to care for victims of several munitions factory explosions. From the Johnstown flood in 1889, through the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the Ohio and Mississippi river floods of 1912, WWI, the Great Depression, WWII, the Korean War, Viet Nam and the current Gulf Wars and Afghanistan, the Red Cross, both domestically and internationally has played a most important role in aiding disaster and combatant victims, locating prisoners of war, feeding hunger and aiding in epidemics.

Unfortunately, after the railroad cars were disposed of, there has been no permanent transportation vehicle available to this organization. The Red Cross, both domestically and internationally relies on donations to fund transport, or the military (when available) to move aid and volunteers to disaster sites. The vessel HOPE is no longer in service and the vessel MERCEY cannot transit oceans fast enough to be considered an immediate response asset. It takes weeks for ocean vessels to navigate to disaster sites. They are great assets, just too slow. Responders require better and certainly the disaster victims deserve better. Something is needed to fill the gap.

Historically, the Red Cross has had fewer volunteers per capita in each conflict since WWII, which had few volunteers than WWI. As the world grows, the need is greater and the numbers of volunteers decrease in proportion to the number of disasters and victims in need. Currently, volunteers and aid are assembled and then a delivery platform is procured or searched for. In a time of immediate need, and in this day and age of technology, this system is entirely unacceptable.

If the Red Cross is to continue to provide adequate and cost effective aid, there needs be a reliable transportation vehicle. The vehicle must be mobile, it must have an immediate response capability and it must be flexible in the delivery of aid composition. Wings World Wide – The Air Medical Foundation has created such a delivery mechanism. Wings’ fleet of diversified aircraft, outfitted with unique features and the correct cache of initial response emergency aid can move these vital resources within 3 hours of notification. They can be on site at the disaster in 12 hours within the United States and 24 hours internationally. The aircraft are discrete in their markings and liveries; not liveried in military colors, but can carry the Red Cross or Red Crescent, conveying friendship, calm and assurance. Having trained on these dedicated aircraft, the responders know their equipment, are familiar with their surroundings and can go to work immediately and efficiently. This saves time, is more productive, economical and builds relationships of trust with victims and residents of a disaster or area of conflict.

Working as partners, Wings and the Red Cross can formulate plans, specific relief caches and have them stored and ready for any immediate domestic or international disaster response. Wings can also coordinate the use of its own command center for use by first responders.

Among the many and varied capabilities of Wings World Wide – The Air Medical Foundation, providing medical assistance, transportation of medical assets, and support in medical situations is a predominant feature that makes this Foundation a vital asset. Wings can react, arrive and employ on the ground faster than any existing assets available today. Wings can do this more economically than commercial carriers. Wings fills the gap between the immediate need and long term support while working in harmony with long term responders. Wings is available to train responders yearly on a rotational basis to assure compatibility with volunteers and assets.

With two charitable institutions, Wings and the Red Cross can share assets and volunteer data bases with minimal cost and increased effectiveness. With Wings’ delivery base and the Red Cross disaster aid experience an unmatched resource becomes available to the nation and the world on immediate notification. Further, resupply and replacement of volunteers can take place continually.

As the ultimate responsibility for response is on the shoulders of the federal government, this partnership serves the threefold purpose of being able to respond immediately, reliably and capably. It is a cost effective win-win for Wings, the Red Cross, the country and the world.

The United Nations

Currently, the United Nations secures commercial and military transport in support of disaster and humanitarian aid throughout the world. This inventory of transport comes from a unique vendor economy put in place by the United Nations with rules and regulations which limit who can obtain a contract.

This is costly, more costly than commercial transportation and less efficient as it relies on only a certain group of vendors. All of this leads to an excess use of finances and decrease in humanitarian aid. Without hesitation, it can be said that the United Nations has its own vendor economy, decreasing the benefit to the victims of disaster and those in need of aid, all along increasing the profit of vendors who provide transportation. The recently disclosed financial practices of the UN, and poor asset delegation testifies to the problem itself. At the very least, contributions to the United Nations have gone wasted in time and money.

Anytime an asset can be made more available and utilized at a reduced cost, it should be used. At the very least, the expense saved can be used to purchase more aid. Wings can provide the controlled delivery platform which serves the disaster victims, not the vendor. The delivery can be pre-planned and ongoing, or meet an immediate need that has no lift capacity available. Wings can do it faster, better and more economically. After all, getting as much aid as possible and as fast as possible to the victims of any disaster should be the first priority.

Commercial transportation costs are almost three times what Wings operational costs are. Delivering aid via Wings cuts cost, saves time and delivers the goods to where they are needed. With Wings delivering aid and humanitarian care, victims get the aid and donors get to compound their donations. With Wings as the representative delivery system for the UN, more funds can go to relief aid and not delivery costs.

The Bottom Line in Wings’ Response Capability

Deploying with Wings, NDMS responders would already have an identical cache onboard and could leave their own cache at their home base of operations to be utilized if an event occurred there in their absence. Wings’ flexibility allows for understaffing, disruptions and relocation. There is no loss lift. The continually available aircraft, with different capacities, and capabilities make this adjustment seamless. Where the existing system would require days to adjust, with Wings it is just a matter of hours. Wings can provide not only the transportation and the deployable ground medical facility, but the Air Mobile Medical Facility as surgical platform as well. Teams just need to mobilize and go. No repackaging, re-palletizing or staging of gear is required. Wings’ deployment concept is to be airborne 3 hours after mobilization, stopping at a maximum of three locations enroute to the disaster sight to augment regional teams into one or more fully staffed USAR team(s). Augmented, they will be employed at the disaster site within 12 hours domestically and 24 hours internationally. Initially planned augmenting sites (subject to full agreement of DHS/FEMA) are those where regional teams currently reside. There are 19 teams throughout the United States. Wings can accommodate transportation for any of these teams within hours from a major airport near their location. A number of cities in each state have sufficient airport capacity for Wings aircraft and are in close proximity to regional teams. Augmenting and deploying from any of these cities is planned for in the Wings deployment concept. Utilizing the Wings response assets and scenario, a Federal response can save time, money and most importantly, lives!

Concerning the VA, the aircraft are available immediately with a response time in hours instead of days. Wings’ structure link creates a patient custody chain providing aircraft of various capacities and equipment which can comfortably and efficiently transport patients and attendants on a regular basis. Wings’ structure can accommodate these needs either on an ongoing basis or on an immediate demand basis within hours.

Wings’ mobilization and response plan can enable DMATS to deploy as a unit with all the necessary equipment and response package necessary to employ at the disaster site within hours instead of days.

Wings can provide for VMAT initial response mobilization transportation platform as well as continued re-supply and relocation of animals to various receiving teams throughout the country. Wings can provide pre-palletized containers, pens and necessary handling positions on a continual basis throughout the disaster evolution. While VMAT personnel are called to federal service for only 14 days as "intermittent" employees of the National Disaster Medical System, Wings can provide for the continual re-placement transportation asset for these teams so that they may function indefinitely.

Wings has adjusted to meet the particular needs of USAR, allowing for complete mobility, as one unit, as well as practicality and economical efficiency.

The synergy between DART and Wings creates an opportunity to provide for all NDMS, USAR and IMSuRT teams to have the best possible training, share experiences, improve basic skills and learn the latest techniques available on a regular basis. Wings can provide transportation to, set-up and real time “hands-on” training at a single learning site. Additionally, Wings can provide transportation for DART to go out to each state and instruct local providers on the latest disaster response, search and rescue techniques available. Wings can allow DART function at the highest level.

Under the National goal of preparedness, coordination with the Center for Disease Control (CDC), U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID and the World Health Organization (WHO), Wings will deploy with the aforementioned capabilities along with the type specific capability of transporting over 24-50 CDC biological and viral containment units with the varied configurations of Wings’ aircraft, allowing for multiple and diversified situations. Be it palletized seats and litters, a hospital configuration, fixed seating, litters, containment units or cargo, Wings can mix and match to suit the needs of any CDC mission.

The bottom line is that Wings can deploy in hours instead of days and at a capacity and capability not available anywhere else in the Federal or NGO system.

The varied configurations of Wings’ aircraft allow for multiple and diversified missions. Be it palletized seats and litters, a hospital configuration, fixed seating, litters or cargo, Wings can mix and match to suit the needs of the mission.

Wings can evacuate hundreds of citizens from exposed areas or disaster sites every three hours on a continual basis and provide an onsite medical platform or the ability to replace one existing, but non-operational medical triage or emergency trauma center, or both, in one movement.

Lastly, Wings is cost effective. Wings can accomplish disaster and relief response more efficiently, with more capability and more economically than commercial carriers, CRAF or TRANSCOM assets. Generally, an asset such as this would be created and then stored for future use. It would be put before Congress for appropriations, developed under contracts for millions, purchased for billions of dollars and take over 5 years to create. Wings can integrate this platform into effect in months for merely a fraction of congressional costs. The aircraft can be maintained and used daily nationwide and internationally by the government and NGO sectors, thus keeping the response assets immediately available and in operational condition. Mobilization is cut in half and the capacity is multiplied 20 times. It is more available, capable and economical that any other pandemic response platform on the drawing boards.

Wings has created a vehicle available to train responders yearly on a rotational basis to assure compatibility with volunteers and assets.

Most importantly, Wings fills the gap between the incident and long-term support, while remaining available for continued re-supply of personnel, supplies and aid.

Wings World Wide – The Air Medical Foundation has delivered the transportation and facility platform that NDMS teams require and that TRANSCOM can utilize to support IMSuRT, USAR and DART. That the Department of State, the Red Cross and United Nations can utilize for humanitarian and disaster relief missions, and that CDC can utilize during Biological/Viral pandemic or incident intervention.

This design concept allows for continued training; evaluation and adjustment, reliability in deployment and employment; a coordinated movement of passengers and equipment along with continual re-supply. These are dedicated aircraft, caches and support equipment, with support personnel ready when the disaster event occurs. Wings fills that initial 24, 48 and 72 hour gap and the gap yearly training.

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