From:	Terry Solomon [tsolomon@cgfr.com]
Sent:	Tuesday, March 22, 2011 8:15 PM
To:	Michael Paschall
Cc:	chief@cgfr.com
Subject:	HB 170

To Whom It May Concern,

Please pass HB 170 to exempt the first $200,000 of assessed value from tax for 
the primary dwelling of a volunteer firefighter or rescue squad worker.

Volunteer Fire Fighters and EMS members spend many hours every month training 
and responding to fire and emergency medical requests. They are also involved 
in fire prevention activities and First Aid/CPR training in the community with 
all age groups.

I have been an active volunteer since 2002. Volunteers at our department range 
from HS and college students to retired professionals. Many of our volunteers 
are home owners and established in our community.

There is a wide range of reasons for these citizens to make the initial 
commitment to volunteer. As one of the Recruitment Officers at Chena-
Goldstream Fire and Rescue, I have the opportunity to point out all of the 
benefits of volunteering to potential recruits. One thing we make an effort to 
do is make it reasonable and possible for people to commit to the training and 
shift coverage time without it having to impinge on their other 
responsibilities of jobs, school and family.

Volunteering requires time away from family, recreation activities and 
sometimes sleep. There is also gas money, and wear and tear on personal 
vehicles to attend training and to respond to emergency calls. Many times 
volunteers get called out of bed in the middle of the night, miss birthdays, 
anniversaries and other important events. Even though our first goal is for 
our personal safety, by the nature of our calls, many times we are putting 
ourselves at risk. At times it is hard to compete with the negative effects of 
this commitment.

By passing this bill and giving our dedicated volunteers a tax break, you 
provide a monetary benefit for potential volunteers and will be encouraging 
our valuable, current volunteers to remain in service to the community.

I thank you in advance for your consideration,

Terry K. Solomon, LT
Chena-Goldstream Fire and Rescue
907-388-1521

PS I will be traveling home from Minnesota Thursday during the hearing and 
will not be able to testify. If you have any further questions I would be 
happy to respond if I am not on an airplane.