Shortage of ambularfees inspired the invention of a double-deck stretcher carrier that holds four persons. It is a light-weight iron frame designed to fit into a delivery truck in less than a minute, thus converting it into an ambulance. Test patients stated that riding in this fashion is as comfortable as a ride in an ambulance. Invented by Mabel Boardman, Secretary of the American Red Cross, the frame handles standard stretchers. Besides the Red Cross, military and government health agencies are planning to acquire large quantities of the frames for use in hospitalization work. It will save the necessity of keeping hundreds of expensive ambulances in readiness for emergencies. Instead, trucks may be borrowed from commercial organizations and the stretcher frames placed inside quickly to receive patients.