CONGRESSWOMAN JOHNSON ANNOUNCES $3 MILLION IN AIRPORT IMPROVEMENT GRANTS FOR DFW

Dallas, TX — (Thursday, August 19, 2010) - Congresswoman Johnson welcomed the news that Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) will be receiving $3 million in Airport Improvement Program grant funds for the rehabilitation of the Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) Training Facility at DFW.

“This grant is an important step in moving the project forward, and it’s great news, not only for DFW, but also for airport firefighters and responders around the world,” said Jeff Fegan, DFW Airport CEO.  “More than fifteen thousand airport firefighters from 29 states and 23 countries have trained at the DFW fire training facility over the past 15 years, so it is vital to the aviation community as a whole that we maintain this important resource.”

These funds will extend the useful life of the current facility and enable DFW to continue to meet federal regulations required for training its aircraft rescue and firefighting personnel, as well as training visiting firefighters.

“I’m glad to see these funds going to DFW,” said Congresswoman Johnson. “Although we all hope that the airport will never be the site for a fire or accident, it is reassuring to know that we have experienced personnel and an updated facility to handle any unforeseen incident.”  
 
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U.S. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson is the highest-ranking Texan on the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure and a senior member of the Science Committee. She represents the 30th Congressional District of Texas, which, includes Downtown Dallas, Fair Park, Oak Lawn, Turtle Creek, Old East Dallas, Pleasant Grove, & South Oak Cliff; all of Balch Springs, DeSoto, Hutchins, Lancaster & Wilmer and parts of Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Ferris, Glenn Heights and Ovilla.