Maryland National Guard activated to support winter storm response across the state
BALTIMORE — At the direction of Governor Wes Moore, the Maryland National Guard activated 50 Soldiers on state active duty to support civil agencies responding to the winter storm across the state on January 6, 2024.
The Maryland Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 58th Troop Command were staged at armories ready to assist local and state emergency agencies in responding to potential impacts from heavy snowfall with humvees and high-clearance vehicles for evacuation and transportation.
“I am incredibly proud of our Maryland National Guard Soldiers who once again demonstrate their unwavering readiness to serve,” said Maryland Army National Guard Maj. Gen. Janeen L. Birckhead, the adjutant general of Maryland. “Our ability to respond rapidly and effectively to this snowstorm stems from years of collaboration with our dedicated state and local partners. We are deeply honored by the trust Governor Moore places in us to protect and support our communities in their time of need.”
The Maryland National Guard regularly trains with local and state emergency agencies to prepare for weather-related emergencies.
Thirteen Soldiers assigned to the 200th Military Police Company and six vehicles were stationed to support the Baltimore City Fire Department at multiple firehouses in the city. At Engine Company 35 in Brooklyn Park, two Soldiers transported an emergency medical technician in a Humvee to a woman in the community who was having a stroke.
“It was exhilarating because I had never done anything like that,” said Maryland Army National Guard Spc. Jose GomezTorres, a military police assigned to the 200th Military Police Company. “I was also nervous because it was a serious medical emergency and what if we could not make it in time.”
Despite the weather conditions, the team arrived in a few minutes to deliver the EMT and waited on the scene until an ambulance arrived.