Joint Conference 2001	Resolutions Committee Report	 8/4/01

Resolution 1:  	(Submitted by Resolution Committee)
* Whereas, the Columbus Fire Department are the hosts for the 2001 Joint Conference, and
* Whereas, the fire department personnel deserve recognition for their hard work and energies expended toward the conference;
* Therefore, be it resolved the GAFC extend the deepest appreciation to the personnel of the Columbus Fire Department, with a special thanks to Deputy Chief Vic Schmidt, and that such appreciation be extended through a letter of appreciation to the Honorable Mayor and Council of the City of Columbus, Georgia.

Resolution 2:	(Submitted by Chief Jackie Gibbs, Marrietta FD)
* Whereas, the GAFC Executive Board members and the Auditing Committee have spent many hours of research and discussion, and
* Whereas, their goal, on behalf of the GAFC, has been to establish fiscal control and financial accountability of the monetary resources of the GAFC;
* Therefore, be it resolved that the membership of the GAFC extend its deepest appreciation to the Executive Board and the Auditing Committee, and that such appreciation be extended through a letter of appreciation to the respective governing agencies for each Board member and Committee member 

Resolution 3:	(Submitted by Chief/General Manager Wesley Meadows, Southside Fire/EMS)
* Whereas, the Volunteer Firefighters of the State of Georgia give of their time, effort, monies, and even their lives in the pursuit of saving the lives and property of the citizens of Georgia, and 
* Whereas, these same Volunteer Firefighters receive no compensation for their unselfish service to the citizens of Georgia, and 
* Whereas, it is the desire of the Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs (GAFC) to encourage and increase volunteerism in Georgia;
* Therefore, be it resolved that the GAFC does support and will write letters to all State Legislators asking for an exemption of Georgia State Income Taxes for all Volunteer Firefighters in the State of Georgia.

Resolution 4:	(Submitted by Assistant Chief Hugh Futrell, Southside Fire/EMS)
* Whereas, the training of qualified Firefighters is of paramount concern to the Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs (GAFC) and the safety of the citizens of Georgia, and
* Whereas, Live Fire Training in Acquired Structures offers the most realistic method of preparing Firefighters for actual emergency calls to structure fires; 
* Therefore, be it resolved that the GAFC does support and will write letters to all State Legislators and to all U.S. Congressional Legislators in support of a full exemption of Live Fire Training in Acquired Structures from any regulation of the Georgia EPD and the U.S. EPA and that all control of Live Fire Training remain under the authority of the local Fire Department having jurisdiction.

Resolution 5:	(Submitted by Chief Jason Waterfield, Islands FD)
* Whereas, the current requests for Transcripts of Training Time from the Georgia Fire Academy (GFA) requires the filling out of "bubble-sheets", sending this to the GFA, and costs to the GFA of locating, copying, and mailing the requested Transcript, and
* Whereas, Law Enforcement Services in the State of Georgia already have access to their respective transcripts on-line via the World Wide Web;
* Therefore, be it resolved that the Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs does support and shall petition the GFA to provide ready access to an individual Firefighter's Transcript on-line via the Internet or World Wide Web.

Resolution 6:	 (Submitted by Chief Jason Waterfield, Islands FD)
* Whereas, the Georgia Public Safety Training Center (GPSTC) has limited access for Firefighters to participate in certain courses, such as EVOC and Instructor courses, on the basis of regulatory mandates for Law Enforcement, and
* Whereas, no provision has been made to supplant this loss of training availability for Firefighters in Georgia;
* Therefore, be it resolved that the Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs will send letters to the Director of the GPSTC supporting more access to the limited courses or an increased number of courses to be made available to the Firefighters of Georgia.

Resolution 7:	(Submitted by Chief Carl Johnson, Glynn County FD)
* Whereas, the Georgia State Firefighters Pension Fund Board is desirous of increasing the Pension Fund for Retirees with over twenty-five (25) years of service, and
* Whereas, this bill in the Georgia State Legislature is known as House Bill 255;
* Therefore, be it resolved that the Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs express its wholehearted support of House Bill 255 by sending letters to the Georgia State Legislators expressing the GAFC support of such an increase in retirement benefits.

Resolution 8:	(submitted by the GAFC Board)
* Whereas, the Board of the Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs (GAFC) recognizes the amount of ongoing work necessary to maintain an effective organization, and
* Whereas, the GAFC Board further recognizes the increasing time demands of responsibilities and activities required of Chief Fire officers across the State of Georgia;
* Therefore, be it resolved that the GAFC adopt as a primary goal of the Association the hiring of a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to conduct business on behalf of the GAFC as soon as funding permits.