Howdy to all BRCST Members!
Since our beginning in Spring of 2023, we have seen sustaining growth both in activity and membership involvement. As 2025 comes to a close I want to look back at what we were able to accomplish through your service and support.
Our main goal for 2025 was to improve awareness of our organization in the community through getting involved in outreach and communication, and to improve our skills through seminars and exercises shared with the people up here on the mountain.
Some of our key outreach activities included participation at the “BRFD Welcome Back to the Mountain” pancake breakfast, and the craft shows on Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day, where we were able to share our vision and information with the community. We also entered a float in the July 4 cruise at Starlight Pines to help spread the word.
Our event teams worked with local agencies to put on the following seminars:
- May – Active Shooter and Stop the Bleed training with CCSO
- June – Open House and BBQ with US Forest Service, Mogollon Rim Amatuer Radio Club, Coconino County CERT and Emergency Services representatives
- August – Seminar on Preventing Sex Trafficking
- September – Winter Preparedness and Health Awareness seminar with Coconino County Health Services and BRFD participation
- November – We had heavy participation in the Radio Protocol seminar provided by the Mogollon Rim Ametuer Radio Club, a great partner in our mission
This additional outreach to raise awareness of our organization and what we do has resulted in more direct contact for services such as:
- 4-5 Successful Animal Search Incidents
- 1 Call out for a lost person
- 1 Call out to assist with stranded vehicle
- 2 – 3 requests for Community Support of local people with limited physical ability
- 2 – 3 scheduled Mock Personnel Searches – one of these included Mogollon Rim Ametuer Radio Club to help with communications
The use of our new physical phone with rotating support (thank you for stepping up to take the phone) allowed direct contact for service and the ability to route calls appropriately for more rapid response.
It has been a very productive year with generous donations from the community and individuals to help us maintain our capabilities through the year and have a good start for 2026.
As we look forward to 2026, this year’s board members and the incoming board have established high level goals for 2026 to solidify our professional footprint through improved communications, and securing our organizational stability through appropriate risk management.
We also plan to look at ways to expand our presence both within and outside the community through specialized training events, such as hosting another CERT training in May with Coconino County Sheriff’s Office (watch for details in the near future), and identifying ways we can share our experience with other communities that may want to establish similar programs.
I want to thank all our 2025 board members for their service this year and congratulate the new board (listed below) for 2026:
- President – Dan Pirtle
- Vice President – Daron Kettler
- Secretary – Deb Pirtle
- Treasurer – Lori Whitesell
- Board Member at Large – Rod Jackson
We are in good hands with this team and I am excited to see how they will guide us to an even stronger year.
Again, thank you all for your participation and support. We welcome the support from ALL our members in order to be successful in spreading the word about the organization, and stepping up to participate with their time and resources to serve our community here on the mountain.
Wishing you and your families a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year.
Rod Jackson, President 2025
BTW: As we come to the end of the year, this would be a good time for that last minute tax deductible donation to your community non-profit organizations, including BRCST. Information is provided below on how you can donate. 😉
This message is from Blue Ridge Community Support Team, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, volunteer organization serving the Happy Jack, Arizona community. Individual donations can be made by mail to BRCST, PO Box 25, Winslow, AZ 86047 , or through Zelle using the donations@brcstaz.org email address.
