The Martin State Airport where the Maryland Air National Guard firefighters are stationed needs saving from the fumes of departing fire engines.
The station is so old and small that the ventilation system is inadequate.
“The Maryland Air National Guard has been trying for years to get a new station,” said Lt. Col. Charles Kohler, the guard’s spokesman. “Now it appears that they will finally get one.”
The federal government’s latest defense authorization bill gives Maryland $1.4 billion for defense projects, including $7.9 million for the new fire station at Warfield Air Base at the Martin State Airport in Baltimore County.
The 50-year-old station is at the north end of the extensive runaway.
The new station will be centrally located on the tarmac to improve response times.
While the station’s primary service area is the air base, guardsmen respond to emergency calls in the county, said Quentin Banks, spokesman for the Maryland Military Department.
The station responded to the devastating gasoline tanker fire at Interstates 95 and 895 in 2004 and used its foam truck help quell the blaze.
“But that truck cannot fit into the present station and is out in the snow and rain,” Banks said. “It’s hard to keep equipment in good condition when it’s exposed to the elements.”
The federal spending bill also includes other money for the Maryland Guard, including $579,000 toward the readiness center in Dundalk, though guard officials say more money will be needed.
The bill also provides $256 million in construction funding for Base Realignment and Closure expansion at Fort Meade in Anne Arundel, which will see 5,000 new jobs in 2011.
