10 June 2003

Aeromedical evacuation workshop Eighty-five participants from NATO and partner countries, as well as from Israel and Australia were in Kiruna, in the north of Sweden, 10-11 June, for an Aeromedical Evacuation Workshop. The intensive two-day workshop focused on the air transport of contaminated persons and persons with highly infectious diseases; the need for a NATO standard for medical equipment; and examples of fixed-wing Aeromedical Evacuation resources available in Sweden, Norway and the commercial aviation market in general. It also comprised a display of Aeromedical Evacuation resources at Kiruna airport. The Israeli Air Force and the Australian Air Force contributed to discussions on this highly relevant issue by making a presentation respectively on aircraft decontamination and on the combined military and civilian aeromedical evacuation following the terrorist bombing in Bali. This workshop was jointly sponsored by the NATO Civil Aviation Planning Committee and the Joint Medical Committee. These committees, both subordinate bodies of the Senior Civil Emergency Planning (CEP) Committee, initiated the workshop within the framework of the CEP Action Plan for the Improvement of Civil Preparedness for Possible Attacks Against the Civilian Population with Chemical, Biological, or Radiological Agents. Additional information: Background: NATO and Civil Emergency Planning