Ruppersberger release

	For Immediate Release December 2, 2009		Contact Information Heather Moeder Molino 202-225-3061
	From the Office of Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger Maryland’s 2nd District
	Ruppersberger Breaks Ground on Fire Station for MD National Guard at Martin State Airport
	(Middle River, MD)- Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), Brigadier General James A. Adkins, Adjutant General of the Maryland National Guard, Assistant General Brigadier General Allyson Solomon, and members of the Maryland Air National Guard broke ground today on a new fire station at the Warfield Air National Guard Base at Martin State Airport. Congressman Ruppersberger, a Member of the House Appropriations Committee, secured $7.9 million in federal funds for the new facility last year.  The base houses the 175th Wing of the Maryland Air National Guard, which has more than 1,500 Air Guard members who train, eat and sleep there. The existing station is more than 40-years-old and severely outdated with cracked walls, leaky roofs and tight quarters. In fact, the station – which has no ventilation system – is currently too small to house all of the fire trucks. “Finally, the guardsmen are getting a state-of-the-art facility so they can prepare for future missions,” Congressman Ruppersberger said. “These citizen troops have answered the call to serve their country – and their local community. They deserve better than what they have. I was honored to be in a position to be able to help get this project rolling.” The Airmen stationed at Warfield Air National Guard Base respond to man-made and natural disasters here in Maryland as well as across the country.  Their planes were the first aircraft flying after 9-11 and in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  Crews delivered much-needed food, supplies, and personnel.  The airmen also work together with the Baltimore County Fire Department to assist in emergencies in the surrounding area, including hazardous spills, house fires, and serious car accidents, especially on Interstate 95.  Airmen from the 175th Wing also serve in Iraq and Afghanistan. ####