Call to Order

• Directors attending in person: Steve Long, Holly Smyth, Meredith Hutchins, Todd Weber, Monte Gagliardi, Ken Powell, Larry Smith, Jerry Hudlow, and Braden Townsley
• Special Board Members attending in person: Dusty Qualls and Justin Stanbery
• Attending via video: None
• Absent: Laura Tucker
• Quorum Status: Noted

Chairman Comments

• Reviewed the new room setup, Zoom setup, and future improvements for video conferencing.
• Discussed whether there is any training the directors would like to see.
• Discussed using Google Drive more in the future.
• Noted that Laura and Dusty have Facebook access and will post a group photo of the directors.
• The Chairman will not be available to chair the February and March meetings in person.
  • Larry Smith will chair the February meeting.
  • Todd Weber will chair the March meeting.

Disposition of Previous Meeting Minutes

The Board reviewed the minutes from the December 9, 2025 Board of Directors meeting.

Open to Public Comments

Sheila Gallagher thanked the new board members for their service.

Reports of Officers

Fire Chief Operations Report

• Reviewed monthly response numbers.
• Staffing report update:
  • 541 runs and 3 mentionable fires were reported.
  • A new individual was onboarded.
  • The new NERIS reporting system began being used in January and will assist with federal funding and grant transitions.
  • Renovation for the upstairs area continues.
  • The 2022 Wildland Grant can be utilized at the station.
  • Pafford report was discussed.
• Acquisition of new firefighting/rescue apparatus:
  • The new fire apparatus remains in Illinois, will then go to Oklahoma City, and is expected to be received in May.
• Backup generator project:
  • $25,000 is available for the purchase, but this does not include Station 2.
  • A quote should be obtained for both stations.
  • The current station runs on propane, with Scott’s as the vendor.
  • The furnace and heater run on propane, but propane is not used for heating water.
  • A grant was previously pursued but was not approved.

President’s Report

Nothing to report at this time.

Treasurer’s Report

• Monthly financial documents were reviewed.
• Larry Smith noted that the department’s asset position has been growing since 2023.

Secretary’s Report

The Dues Validation Report was sent in December.

Reports of Committees

None.

Old Business

None.

New Business

Election of New Member

Braden Townsley was approved as a new member for 2026.

Other Business

• Google Drive will be used to verify board members.
• Larry Smith suggested creating a subcommittee for the generator project.
• The generator subcommittee was approved, with Larry Smith serving as chair and Braden Townsley and Todd Weber serving on the committee.
• The Board discussed that there has been a $25,000 donation available since 2024.
• The Board reviewed available options to obtain backup generators for both sites.

Next Meeting

The next meeting is scheduled for February 10, 2026, at BLFD Fire Station 1, 16035 Cypress Ln, Rogers, AR 72756.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned.