Bill represents. The fire school recently built in Baltimore City has
received some fine recognition in numerous national firemen's maga-
zines. The publicity has brought many visitors to the city to inspect this
modern facility. I am told that this firemen's training center in Balti-
more is used by more men daily than any other in the country. Bob
Byrus and John Bryan agree with me that this is true. So, Bill, we are
genuinely proud of your Baltimore City program of firemanship training
and education.

You will forgive me, I am sure, if I direct most of my remarks to the
volunteers who predominate in Maryland. The aims and objectives of
the fire service in reducing fire losses will always have my sympathetic
support, just as the people engaged in this work will always include some
of my finest friendships.

Maryland perhaps was not the first state to engage in firemen's train-
ing, but we did get into the field rather early. It was in September, 1930,
that we began, and we got in with both feet by starting a program to
teach firemen to fight fire. The firemen of our State realized early the
importance of teaching—that to await the lessons of experience some-
times can be pretty costly.

In 1937, we took a big step forward when Professor Robert Bruce
Criswell agreed to come to the University of Maryland to take charge of
our firemen's training program on a full-time basis. Bob was well known
to the old-timers of this conference. The program was placed in the
College of Engineering of the University, and this, I believe, contributed
greatly to the success of our fire service training. In the scientific and
technical atmosphere of the College of Engineering, the program flour-
ished. In such a good home, it has been able to fulfill the purpose of the
University, now as in the past, to be a service agency to the citizens of the
State.

In 1939, another stalwart of FDIC, Mr. James W. Just, became
director of the Fire Service Extension Department of the University of
Maryland. In 1945-46, the Fire Service Extension Building was con-
structed on the campus of the University of Maryland to house the
Maryland Fire Safety Program. We are planning next year to expand
the facilities further through a capital improvement item in the Univer-
sity budget. This is tangible evidence of the importance we in Maryland
assign to our present program, which includes fire prevention and fire
protection, as well as fire suppression.

I call your attention to the fact that Maryland acclaims itself as being
tops in fire service training. But idle boasts are futile and undignified

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