Portal, AZ - Rodeo, NM

Portal Rescue-Minutes-Agenda

Board Meeting Minutes

Thurs, May 14th, 2026, 6:00 PM (Arizona time) Portal Rescue Classroom

Board: Cary Booth, Aaron Smith, David Newton, Jackie Lewis, Jeff Cooper, Alina Downer, & Bec Webster

Community: Erik and Ayano Lee

1. Called Board Meeting to order at 6:02 PM AZ.

2. Adoption of agenda

a. Cary moved to adopt agenda as written, Jackie seconded. Non-opposed, motion carried.

3. Approval of Minutes of Board meeting on March 28th, 2026 found at

https://portalrescue.com/gallery/PR_Board_Meeting_Minutes_2026-03-28.pdf

a. Jackie requested ‘2028’ in the March Treasurer’s report be changed to ‘2026’

b. Cary moved to adopt the amended meeting minutes, Aaron seconded. Non-opposed, motion

carried.

4. Reports - inclusive of updates on projects or tasks not included in agenda below

a. Fire Chief: David Newton

i. Operations: No new operations since the May board

meeting. Firefighters have assisted EMTs on all calls.

ii. Training: Attendance has been okay at training.

iii. Vehicles: All vehicles currently in service.

iv. Grants: Equipment from the Rural Fire Capacity Grant has

arrived and PR has paid our 50 percent contribution.

v. Facilities: The GMRS repeater is functional and accessible

as far as Rodeo. David to acquire a backup battery for the repeater.

b. EMS Chief: Alina Downer

i. Operations: EMT's responded to 7 calls since the March 14th meeting. Good support

from volunteers, lots of fire fighters available to assist.

ii. Training: PR had an EMT attend the New Mexico Ruidoso EMS Conference.

iii. Vehicles: Both rescue vehicles are operational.

iv. Other: Alina submitted a State Farm fire grant for EMS equipment and will find out if we

have received the grant in a few months. Alina and other Portal Rescue volunteers will be

attending the Friends of Cave Creek Canyon garden party on May 23rd

.

c. Treasurer: Jackie Lewis

i. Thank you notes, with donations, were received for two recent EMT calls. Both

had accolades for Alina and the rest of the response team. Appreciation was also

expressed for all Portal Rescue volunteers and assistance provided.

ii. An extension was filed and accepted for the 2025 990 tax return. I need to

contact Tax990 and possibly the IRS for assistance with the fundraising income

section. As it stands, the form is adding the gross & the net fundraising income.

iii. Thanks to Delane Blondeau for donating the proceeds of her book

sales to Portal Rescue.

iv. See Appendix A for Treasurer’s Report.

d. Member without Portfolio: Jeff Cooper

i. No new reports.

e. Secretary: Bec Webster

i. No new reports.

c. VP Report: Aaron Smith

i. Aaron has reached out to several HVAC companies in regard to upgrading the

heating and cooling system in the classroom and will present his findings at the next

board meeting.

ii. Thanks to Cindy and Edward La Russa for their donation of a

replacement fridge for the Portal Rescue ambulance bay.

d. President: Cary Booth

i. Filed Arizona Corporate Commission paperwork.

ii. Will be out of town for July board meeting, Aaron to run in his place.

5. Continued Business

a. Building project progress

i. Responders Lounge

1. Cleaning and equipment organization ongoing.

ii. Fire Building storage

1. Cleaning and equipment organization ongoing.

b. Land search for radio tower status update

i. No progress.

c. Continued discussion regarding improving communication on emergency vehicles in remote

areas. Cary to acquire.

i. The Starlink Mini service and capabilities were researched by Cary, who found that

available, portable options should be more than adequate for our needs in improving

communication from Portal rescue emergency vehicles in limited areas. He also found that the

service was within our current communications budget and capable of being cancelled at any

time, as well as maintained on ‘standby’ mode without sacrificing the quality of the service.

ii. Much discussion was had amongst the board members, including cost, storage,

maintenance, troubleshooting, and connection quality of the service. As a result, it was decided

that the best route was to experiment with the service in the field, report the findings to the

board, and see if there is marked improvement with our remote communications.

ii. Cary moved to acquire and set up an account for Starlink Mini and proceed with the

service on standby mode. Alina seconds. Non-opposed, motion carried.

iv. Thanks to Rose Apol for the suggestion of the Starlink Mini.

d. Continued discussion on Portal Rescue joining Cochise County Adopt-a-Roadway for a

portion of Portal Rd.

i. Tabled for next board meeting.

e. Continued discussion regarding how PR may assist PR patients with no family or friends in

the area and who have been transported some distance away for treatment to return to the

Portal area to be reunited with their property. Cary to follow up with Dinah and VoIP solution-

Google number or other

i. Community members Erik and Ayano Lee presented their findings on prospective

transportation and temporary lodging for Portal Rescue patients after their release from the

hospital.

ii. For temporary lodging, specifically in Tucson, Mr. Lee explored options with Extended

Stay American Suites and the Sheraton hotels and found that while it was possible to authorize

and obtain temporary lodging for patients, there were many issues surrounding liability, the need

for extensive policy, and especially the need for patients to have some form of I.D.

iii. Due to logistic limitations on Portal Rescue’s end, it was suggested that we explore

options through the Social Services department of the hospitals most frequented by our patients

and see what they would suggest.

iv. Jeff will follow up with the Social Services departments at Tucson Medical Center, St.

Joseph’s, and Banner hospitals in Tucson.

v. For transportation, Miss Lee presented a number of options to the board, with the most

encouraging being Lyft, specifically their ‘LyftUp’ program for non-profit businesses. More local

options included compiling a list of available local volunteers, as well as reaching out to the

Men’s Service Group. Some concerns included not just patient transportation but transportation

of loved ones, as well as ensuring patients have a HIPPA authorized agent in the event of being

unable to communicate their wishes or talk to loved ones after being admitted.

vi. Jackie will do further research into the LyftUp program while Cary will work

with Dinah Davidson to compile a list of volunteers for patient assistance ranging

from pet-care to transportation.

vii. Alina will check the library and other public information sources for general

HIPPA forms to provide patients.

6. New Business:

a. Replacement battery for the repeater

i. The current backup battery on our VHF repeater is around nine years old, David

suggests replacing it with a new one and repurposing the nine-year-old battery into a

backup for the GMRS repeater.

ii. David moves to buy a new battery to replace the nine-year-old one. Aaron seconds.

Non-opposed, motion carried.

7. For the Good of the Order

a. Blood Drive Updates

i. Next Blood Drive: July 16th

ii. 28 donors attended the last blood drive, with 30 units total collected. 95 total

units have been collected this year so far.

iii. Jackie to attend a blood drive coordinator lunch May 15th

.

b. Community open mic

i. No community comments.

8. Adjourned at 7:41 PM AZ time.