owners policies will amount to $2, 300, 000 annually, the Insurance
Commissioner advises me. And the savings resulting from the 13 per
cent decrease in the premiums of the basic fire policies is approxi-
mately $4, 300, 000. And so, the property owners of Maryland have
these tangible benefits from the good work you have done. This is a
record of which all of us who are connected with the fire service can
be proud. For the economic drain of fires on the resources of the State
we love so well is cause for concern and concentrated attention on the
part of all of us.

Maryland for years has been in the forefront in its achievements in
fire protection and fire prevention. For example, Baltimore City last
year was awarded first place among the cities in its category in fire
prevention. High rankings were given other departments in the State
for their accomplishments in this field.

The whole country has been made aware of the perils of traffic
accidents and is familiar with the magnificent job the many public
spirited individuals and groups are doing to minimize accidents on
our highways. But you people in the fire service stand virtually alone
in spearheading the effort to reduce the tragic loss of life and property
in fires. Please do not conclude that I wish to de-emphasize the im-
portance of traffic safety. The point I would make is that fire safety
as a matter of public concern should be brought to a level with traffic
safety, with perhaps much more emphasis upon both....

Last year, scores of persons lost their lives in fires during this winter
season especially; daily we read in our newspapers the tragic stories of
entire families being wiped out in fires which could have been, and
most certainly should have been, prevented. In addition, many mil-
lions of dollars worth of property went up in flames. Our record in
Maryland, as I have suggested, is good, but it is far from being good
enough. And as Governor of the State—and as an old fire fighter
myself—I shall not be satisfied until that record is improved.

It is a source of pride to me, as I know it is to all of you, that prop-
erty owners of Maryland will save millions of dollars in insurance pay-
ments as a result of the rate reductions which I have mentioned.
Credit for this, as I have pointed out many times, must go to you men
whose toil and talent have been employed in fire-prevention and fire-
protecting activities. Credit must be paid, too, to our splendid Fire
Service Extension at the University of Maryland, where so many of
the fire-fighters of the State have been trained in the skills and tech-
niques of fire fighting.

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