Firegeezer notes:  Yesterday I neglected to post the Seligman FD website link until later that evening.  If you missed it, it is HERE.

Also, in the recent past some people have posted the URL for the Bridge Canyon VFD website.  I am not going to do that because when I last went to it my anti-virus program went into a high-speed tap dance while the site was trying to download a malware program and a bunch of other garbage.  Anything on there that is worth exploring I’ll try and tell you about or transfer screen caps.

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How To Start Your Own Fire Dept. in Arizona

Out in the vast spaces of the western states where some counties are larger than many of the eastern states, there is still a gap in the laws governing the territory when it comes to fire departments.  The state of Arizona does not have any requirements that need to be met concerning organized fire protection with the exception of wildfire control and the state OSHA offices.

Yavapai County, in turn, has chosen to stay out of the fire protection needs altogether.  They are not required to provide any fire protection anywhere in the county, and they elect to keep it that way.  Communities, however, can establish their own legal Fire Protection District and collect a property tax to pay for it.  But these fire protection districts are delineated by specific boundaries.  Anybody who is outside the boundary and calls the fire department will be charged a state-mandated fee for the service.  Such fees as well as the real estate tax go directly to the state.

These fees are eventually returned to the fire department in the way of payments for responding to state-owned property, such as a school, or by responding to a wildfire.  Most of the Seligman FD’s income is from these state payments since there are a large number of lightning-generated brush fires in the area.  Go to the Seligman FD website and click on the Fire Coverage Areas link (HERE) to get a more complete description of how the tax and subscription service works out there.

Knowing that there are many people in the outlying areas that are not within the Seligman fire protection district, Frederick Cross saw an economic opportunity by creating his own private fire department and running calls to unprotected areas where he could hopefully charge for his services.

First he had to get some basic equipment, such as a fire engine and the necessary tools.  Nobody knows where he got his fire engine from, but he went on the fire forums and started begging for equipment donations.  And in order to play on the sympathy and good will of the donors, he began his deceptions.

we can DEFINATELY use equipment…and we will pay shipping to send it.
We are a Independent run Company with hardly no budget. :-O
You may visit our website at: http://www.fire-ems.net/firedept/view/SeligmanAZ/
What we mainly need is 2 1/2″hose (about 8 sections),a good used set of jaws(they can be older ones),a droptank for our tanker cuz we have no hydrants or water supply in the subdevelopment,and various other small things but this is just an example.

Donna C
Fire Chief
Bridge Canyon VFD

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Hi (XXXX)…We will take the 2 1/2″ hose,the 2 1/2″ nozzle and the SCBA air filler…we have NOTHING at all to fill our SCBAS…we hafta take those to a diving shop when we can to get those refilled.
As for the hose,that 2 1/2″ is what were looking for.Were pretty well set upon the 1 1/2,the 1″ and the 3/4″ booster lines.The 6″ we cant use unless it has 2 1/2″ reduced couplings(our pumper only has a 2 1/2″ suction outlet.Email me at don@tabletoptelephone or call us at the number on our website.If no answer just leave a message becuase were not there all the time…were not a “manned” station.

Thanks a billion,

Donna C
Fire Chief
Bridge Canyon VFD

Firegeezer will make no attempt to explain the existence of a “diving shop” in the Arizona desert.  But tomorrow we will introduce you to the method of dispatching out there and Frederick’s attempts to circumvent it.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

LAST WEEK A PHOENIX TV STATION ran a sensational story about a “female impersonater” who had bought a fire engine and tried to run fire calls with it in the little Northern Arizona town of Seligman.  Firegeezer picked it up and posted it on Nov. 21 HERE.

“Donna”

What tipped them off was the sex-identity twist to the story and that is the direction the brief article took.  But it didn’t take long for us to find out that the full tale of Donna and his magic fire truck runs much deeper than that.  His irrational behavior has been going on for several years, causing a constant problem for the citizens and the Seligman Fire Department.

Firegeezer has begun an in-depth investigation into the record of this rogue fire department and its unusual members.  Not only have we found an amazing number of weird happenings, but also a persistent pattern of fraudulent behavior.  To tell the full story of this strange activity will take several days and perhaps weeks.

Starting today, we will be begin a regular series reporting on the surreal story of the Bridge Canyon Volunteer Fire Department.

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The front line of the BCVFD

Our story begins 10 years ago in Seligman, Arizona, when an ex-con arrived in town.  Frederick Renan Cross III was unknown by any of the 500 residents except for one.  And he was certainly unrecognizable because he was dressed in women’s clothing, had makeup on, and had plucked his eyebrows.

He went straight to an old 5th-wheel camping trailer that was permanently parked as a residence and occupied by Charles Clark.  This new mystery-woman began moving around town and telling everybody that her name was Donna Clark.  And for the next ten years, nobody knew that Donna was really a man.  Nor did they know that Donna had a string of aliases.

Even the Yavapai County sheriff isn’t sure how many aliases Frederick Cross has used, but we have learned of eight so far:

• Donna Clark

• Donna White

• Donna Dorathy (sic) Clark

• Donna R. Clark

• M. Mann

• Michelle Denise

• Donna Fredericks

• Meg Young, attorney

• Don Clark

Tomorrow we will continue with the next installment of our series that will be posted as The Daily Donna.  We will begin by saying a little about the historic western town of Seligman and tell you about its real fire department, the Seligman Fire Department, and cover the beginnings of the BCVFD.

Update #2:  On November 28 Firegeezer began running an in-depth series on this strange story.  To read all the postings so far, go to the Categories section on the right sidebar and click on the “Donna” category.  The results come up in reverse chronological order, so for the best comprehension scroll down to the end and work back.  Thanks, Firegeezer.

Update:  The Seligman Fire Dept. Deputy Chief has given us some great background on this story in the form of three postings in the Comments section.  After reading the newspaper article, be sure to check them out.  FG.

IN A STORY FROM SELIGMAN, ARIZONA, that is just now coming to light, Phoenix tv channel 5, KPHO is reporting:

A man with at least six female aliases bought a fire truck and responded to a fire call in February, authorities said.

Frederick Cross III, 41, was cited in February after a verbal dispute at the Seligman Fire House, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said. Reports say Cross had purchased a fire truck and was driving around in it, at one point even responding to a fire call.

Authorities said the fire truck Cross owned was not licensed, registered or insured.  At the time, Cross was using the name Donna White.

 
Frederick Cross III

He has at least 5 more aliases.  You can read the full story HERE.