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[caption id="attachment_5822" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Kentucky Army National Guard Field Maintenance Shop #3A is open and ready for business in Burlington, Ky. The shop offers wheeled vehicle maintenance, equipment recovery support and minor welding and fabrication for military vehicles. Photo by Warrant Officer Candidate Alexander Maloney, Headquarters Battery, 138th Field Artillery Brigade."]
Burlington, Ky. – Kentucky National Guard troops in Northern Kentucky don’t have as far to drive to get their vehicles worked on thanks to a newly opened maintenance facility in the region.
Located in Burlington, the 5,897 square foot Field Maintenance Shop #3A is closely located to the future home of the 1204
th Aviation Support Battalion. The shop is staffed by five full-time Soldiers and has 38,000 square feet of parking, most of which is fenced.
[caption id="attachment_5825" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Staff Sgt. Roger Rucker prepares a load handling system – which is built on a hemmet chassis - for annual service. Rucker is a mechanic assigned to Field Maintenance Shop #3A. Photo by Warrant Officer Candidate Alexander Maloney, Headquarters Battery, 138th Field Artillery Brigade."]
According to Lt. Col. Anthony Adams, the new FMS will save time and money for the Guard as well as the taxpayer.
“There was a genuine need for closer maintenance support to the units in northern Kentucky,” said Adams. “They were being supported from the field maintenance shop in Lexington, which was over an hour and a half away. That meant too much windshield time was wasted in driving back and forth for the troops, time that would obviously be better spent working on equipment.”
While maintenance on wheeled vehicles is the primary service offered by the shop, limited welding and minor fabrication can also be performed. The staff can also provide equipment recovery support, which means they can retrieve vehicles that break down on the road or in the field. This service is available to all military vehicles, including convoys passing through Kentucky.
In addition to routine maintenance for local units, the new shop will also increase readiness during state emergencies and natural disasters, which is good news for the local citizens.
[caption id="attachment_5828" align="alignright" width="300" caption="The new Burlington field maintenance shop also has a spill containment pad which is used to contain spillage from leaking vehicles and military fuelers. These pads have proven essential in protecting the environment and alleviate the need clean up spills. Photo by Warrant Officer Candidate Alexander Maloney, Headquarters Battery, 138th Field Artillery Brigade."]
“It’s important that we respond efficiently and effectively,” said Adams. “We are, after all, the first line of defense for our communities.”
FMS #3A will also have an economic impact on local businesses. In addition to leasing the building, the maintenance crews will make local purchases of common hardware and repair parts from civilian vendors as well as employ some tire repair services.
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