[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16615]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        CONGRATULATING CHIEF STEVEN T. EDWARDS ON HIS RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 25, 2017

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to offer my congratulations to former 
Prince George's County Fire Department Chief Steven T. Edwards as he 
prepares to retire as Director of the Maryland Fire Rescue Institute 
(MFRI) after twenty-four years. I've had the pleasure of working with 
him throughout those years, including in my capacity as Co-Chair of the 
Congressional Fire Services Caucus.
  Steve is a fifty-year veteran of the fire services. He began his 
career with the Prince George's County Fire Department as a high school 
cadet. Over the years, Steve rose through the ranks and became Chief in 
1989. After a four-year tenure marked by accolades for his leadership 
and citations for the Department--including the International 
Association of Fire Chiefs Award for Excellence--he stepped down to 
take on a new challenge leading MFRI. A world-renowned training 
institution for firefighters and emergency services personnel, MFRI 
prepares more than 38,000 students each year to enter the fire 
services. Under Steve's leadership, MFRI set high standards that help 
ensure that trainees are ready to face any emergency when they go out 
to serve in fire departments across the country. MFRI has been working 
closely with the Congressional Fire Services Caucus for more than a 
quarter-century, conducting training programs for Congressional staff. 
Steve has been instrumental in preparing these programs and making them 
so informative.
  Steve has also contributed his time and talents to advancing the 
safety and health of fire service personnel at the national level. In 
1997, he was named President of the North America Fire Training 
Directors, a forum for exchanging information and best practices among 
state fire training and education programs. In addition, Steve has 
served in leadership positions with National Fire Protection, the 
National Board on Fire Service Professional Certification, and the 
Congressional Fire Services Institute's National Advisory Committee. 
For the latter, he served as Chair from 2004 to 2006, and we worked 
closely together to ensure that Congress was providing fire departments 
with all the tools necessary to carry out their work safely and 
effectively.
  I'm proud that Prince George's County has produced such a fine 
national leader for the fire services in our country. Throughout the 
years I've known Steve, I've seen him give all his passion and talents 
to the work of supporting firefighters and emergency services personnel 
and their families. I hope my colleagues will join me in congratulating 
Chief Steve Edwards on his retirement, and thanking him for his work on 
behalf of the fire services in Maryland and across this nation.

                          ____________________