Patient transport system unveiled at Scott Air Force Base

BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) - The federal Department of Defense is announcing a new tool to help military personnel safely airlift patients who have deadly diseases.

The Transport Isolation System was developed by St. Louis-based Production Products Inc. and placed on display at Scott Air Force Base near Belleville. It features sets of plastic-enclosed modular treatment rooms. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (http://bit.ly/1GJmZY1 ) each compartment is engineered so medical staff can treat patients in the middle of flights without putting others on the aircraft at risk of contamination.

Production Products President Barry Corona says the modular system is like a contained ambulance that can be loaded onto a plane.

Two of three test models have already been constructed. Department of Defense officials say they plan to order 22 more units in the coming weeks.