the vital importance of strong measures to reduce the tragic loss of lives
and the inexcusable destruction of property through fires. You have
heard it said many times before, I know, but it is a truism worthy of
repeating, that fires are man-made hazards, and, being man-made, are
susceptible of control by men. And yet, as we know also, we have not
attained a degree of control with which we can be satisfied. Our daily
confrontation with the useless sacrifice of lives and useless destruction of
property in fires is a constant reminder to all of us that our task is not
finished.

We in Maryland believe, and have believed for a long time, that the
education and training of firemen is our most effective defense against
the peril of fires. This Fire Service Extension, which has been built up
with so much care here on the main campus of our State University, is
our prime example of this thinking.

We are quite aware that other states have developed excellent pro-
grams of training in fire protection and fire prevention, but we believe
we have developed a program here, too, which is, to say the least, out-
standing in many of its qualities...

The training philosophy of this training program, as you have noted
already by attendance at this short course, I am sure, is "learning by
doing. " Experience, we know, is the best teacher, and so the instruction
here is aimed at staying as closely as possible to actual conditions facing
firemen battling a real blaze.

Emphasis is placed, also, on the instructor-student ratio, with the

number of instructors compared to the number of students maintained
in such a way as to assure personal coaching in all groups where skill
development is involved. As one with some experience and some back-
ground in this area of endeavor, I know the high quality of instruction
that is maintained here in this short course and in the other educational
activities of this fire service extension.

Our goal here in Maryland, of course, is the reduction of the fire loss
in our State, and the need for education becomes apparent when we
observe the statistics which reflect that loss. The monetary loss from
fires, to say nothing of the more tragic loss in human lives, mounts with
every passing year.

Now, we know that, to a certain extent, these figures reflect the
inflationary values of an expanding economy and a growing population.
We recognize, too, that the great upsurge in building construction has
created a much greater fire risk potential. Maryland is making tremen-
dous advancements as a manufacturing state, and industrial develop-

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