"Nashville Airport will reduce wait for fliers with prostheses, casts"

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Airport will reduce wait for fliers with prostheses, casts
Scanner speeds security checks
By KATE HOWARD
The Tennessean


Security screeners at Nashville International Airport are set to begin using
a new X-ray machine to screen passengers with casts, braces or prosthetic
limbs more efficiently.

The CastScope, a portable X-ray machine, scans the prosthetic or covered
area for weapons or explosives in a few seconds, according to Transportation
Security Administration officials. Currently, since the metal in such
appendages typically sets off the metal detectors, travelers are patted
down, checked for trace explosives and scanned with a handheld metal
detector.
 
"I understand the process, and I know it's a necessary process, but it's an
unnecessary time delay," said Lance Cpl. Eric Frazier, a Warren County
native and Marine who lost both of his legs to a roadside bomb in Iraq.
Security screening for him means an extra 10 to 15 minutes.

Nashville's airport is joining Ronald Reagan Washington National and Tampa
International airports as a pilot location for the new process, which is
optional.

Transportation Security officials said a conference was held in Nashville a
few years ago highlighting the concerns of amputees, prompting federal
officials to bring the program here.

Army Spc. Maxwell Ramsey said he always calls the travel security agency
ahead of his flights to let officials know to expect him. They send someone
to greet him at the curb and help him through the screening process, Ramsey
said.

He said he knows his prosthetic leg means he will take longer than most
people to get through security and he supports anything that could speed up
the process. More important, though, Ramsey said, he hopes training on the
special needs of amputees will accompany the equipment.

"A lot of times we'll have lotions or oils that surpass liquid regulations,
because that's something that goes along with care," Ramsey said. "Someone
who understands the needs of my condition can make it go a lot easier, and
for those who are sensitive about having it, they might not be quite as put
off about it."

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