Continuing the saga of Donna and his magic fire truck.
Where Is Seligman, Arizona?
Seligman is located at the northern edge of Yavapai County on the high desert of Arizona at an altitude of 5,240 ft. Typical of the vast distances of the far West, the unincorporated town of 500 people is 75 miles away from the county seat of Prescott and 45 miles west of Williams, known by many as “The Gateway to the Grand Canyon.” This distance from the county government and judicial center plays a big part in our story.
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First settled around 1866, Seligman was a trading center for the large cattle ranches in the area. Later, the Santa Fe railroad took over an abandoned rail bed and extended their main line through there. Part of the A.T. & S. F.’s expansion included setting up a section point and roundhouse making the area economically sound. The Santa Fe then renamed the community Seligman after two New York bankers who helped finance the railroad’s extension.
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Seligman’s famous “Harvey House”
which still stands.
At the turn of the century, Seligman was still largely populated with the cowboys who worked on the nearby ranches and the town was noted as a rough-and-rowdy place. In 1926 the conglomeration of roads that joined Chicago and Los Angeles was certified as U. S. Route 66 and went right down the main street of Seligman. This fortuitous alignment of the route provided longevity to the town which remains today as one of the historic spots on the old highway and attracts thousands of tourists every year.
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The Seligman Fire Department
Since the early days of the town, Seligman has always had a fire department. Beginning with hand-drawn carts, they have kept pace as best as can be done in a community of its size over the years.
Today the Seligman Fire Department has its own station with a Class A pumper and two other operating engines, including an older parade piece. Along with those they operate a brush truck and two 2,200-gallon water tenders. The bulk of their activity is wildfires.
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They also carry a full set of extrication tools which are used frequently on incidents on Interstate 40 which runs by the town. The jaws and cutters are inspected annually by the Yavapai County Emergency Management Agency.
The department is run by 14 volunteers who drill weekly and file training reports with the state Fire Marshal’s office. They have recently received FEMA and state grants to purchase a complete set of fire hose, SCBA’s, running gear and some additional working tools.
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Seligman Fire Department WEBSITE.
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It was in the year 2000 that Frederick “Donna” Cross and Charles Clark, neither of whom have ever displayed a visible means of support, decided to fulfill their fantasy and start what they hoped to be a profitable venture by building and running a faux fire department.
Tomorrow we will start following their adventure as they join the fire forums and begin what we believe to be a fraudulent enterprise in buying and selling fire equipment and protection services. In order to appear legitimate, they also created an archives of fantastic feats of rescue.
“Our first write-up was back on this past July 4th,a pickup truck truck rollover involving a bunch of kids,in which 3 of those kids died,and all under 12.4 of us responded on the incident because the rest was out of town.I was the only medic available to treat all 5 patients(3 other kids and 2 adults).Fortunately,today,thos e other 3 kids are at home recovering despite thier critical injuries…and yes,I have visited them at the hospital becuase they was taken to Kingman Med Center,which is near me.As for the Driver,he is currently in jail for charges of illegal drug use(he was on coke at the time and lost control of the vehicle),3 counts of manslaughter(becuase of the kids dying),and a few other charges.He is also in lawsuits becuase 2 of the 3 kids that died was not his,they was a neighbors and the 2 adults and all the kids was up here visiting family over the holiday.”
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