Northern Arizona Fire District formally known as Northern Arizona Consolidated Fire District. Formed in 2008, the District was formed with the consolidation of the following former fire districts:
• Hualapai Valley FD
• Valle Vista FD
• Truxton FD
• Chloride FD
• Valentine FD
The NAFD response area includes approximately 69 square miles, serving approximately 18,612 residents. We are proud to provide protection to visitors traveling Historic Route 66 from the City of Kingman limits to the Hualapai Nation boundary. Our nine (9) fire stations responded to 4,695 incidents in 2020. We are governed by a five-person Board of Directors and are a political subdivision of the State of Arizona.
The Northern Arizona Fire District has mutual aid and automatic aid agreements with neighboring Departments and organizations and continues to improve the nature and coordination of emergency responses to incidents that threaten loss of life or property within the geographic boundaries of their respective jurisdictions to include regional operations, procedures, and practices governing command and control hazard zone operations.
NAFD has significant leadership deficiencies at every level, characterized by administrative incompetence and complacency that jeopardize the safety of both its members and the public. This is most evident in the persistent refusal to staff equipment according to national NFPA standards, creating undue risk for taxpayers and first responders alike. Systemic operational failures are further compounded by a fleet ridden with maintenance issues, with apparatus often remaining out of service for over a year. Consequently, morale within the department has reached an all-time low, fueled by a profound lack of faith in the current leadership and exacerbated by internal conflicts among battalion chiefs that stifle any potential for progress. Furthermore, a critical lack of transparency has left the fire board unaware of the severity of these internal morale and operational challenges, preventing necessary oversight and intervention.
The resourcefulness of the firefighters are at an all time high. Most of these firefighters have to figure how to manage effectively fighting fire, engineer apparatus, and often times spend time in the officer role. Sometimes with as little as 2 weeks on the job. And most times done at the same time.
This is due to the critical failure that the fire administration and board of directors have bestowed upon them. Fire Chief David Cunningham and Assistant Chief Donald Dallman have done a fantastic job in demolishing morale, riddle the department in political garbage, and cease all progression to be an effective fire department, while failing at both public and firefighter safety.
The board of directors are responsible for appointing the fire chief, and to be accountable for spending the department budget. It’s been obvious that the board could care less of firefighter safety from Chairman Jim Bailey stating instead of investing in a second set of turnouts, firefighters should just rinse the turnouts after a fire and get back on the engine. Or the refusal to have 3 person fire companies, to instead open an additional fire station that runs 10-12 calls per year. His unruly behavior is a cancer both to the NAFD and for the community in which he serves. This is evident by the sexual harassment payout the Department was forced to pay to the front office worker who since was forced to resign. Or the additional payout the department was forced to pay due to the board firing a fire chief because “his views didn’t align with that of the boards”.
Lastly the operational battalion chiefs. BC McDowell, BC Cameron, and BC Baca. With as little as 20 years of fire service experience between the 3 of them, forcing these people into this job is doomed from the start. Between a BC that couldn’t control his emotions, to one that would rather spend his time engaged in fire fighting instead of running a fire scene (with victims trapped on multiple occasions), to an unhinged battalion chief that would rather force people out to make himself look better. These “leaders” come with a lot of baggage. The tone is set from these people due to the failure of promoting and retaining fire captains. The tone is set to being a victim, and placing the department and the job above one’s own family. These battalion chiefs embody the word poison.
Overall the Northern Arizona Fire District is ranked into the dirt by incompetence, hate, jealousy, and the knowledge that they will forever be as the fire chief says a Stepping Stone Department.
Everyone is leaving this department and the public doesn’t know that shame on this fire administration for not carrying for its members enough to listen and fight for them instead their concerned about their paychecks.
Rating Breakdown
1.3/5
1.3/5
1.7/5
1/5
3 Reviews on “Northern Arizona Fire District”
NAFD has significant leadership deficiencies at every level, characterized by administrative incompetence and complacency that jeopardize the safety of both its members and the public. This is most evident in the persistent refusal to staff equipment according to national NFPA standards, creating undue risk for taxpayers and first responders alike. Systemic operational failures are further compounded by a fleet ridden with maintenance issues, with apparatus often remaining out of service for over a year. Consequently, morale within the department has reached an all-time low, fueled by a profound lack of faith in the current leadership and exacerbated by internal conflicts among battalion chiefs that stifle any potential for progress. Furthermore, a critical lack of transparency has left the fire board unaware of the severity of these internal morale and operational challenges, preventing necessary oversight and intervention.
The resourcefulness of the firefighters are at an all time high. Most of these firefighters have to figure how to manage effectively fighting fire, engineer apparatus, and often times spend time in the officer role. Sometimes with as little as 2 weeks on the job. And most times done at the same time.
This is due to the critical failure that the fire administration and board of directors have bestowed upon them. Fire Chief David Cunningham and Assistant Chief Donald Dallman have done a fantastic job in demolishing morale, riddle the department in political garbage, and cease all progression to be an effective fire department, while failing at both public and firefighter safety.
The board of directors are responsible for appointing the fire chief, and to be accountable for spending the department budget. It’s been obvious that the board could care less of firefighter safety from Chairman Jim Bailey stating instead of investing in a second set of turnouts, firefighters should just rinse the turnouts after a fire and get back on the engine. Or the refusal to have 3 person fire companies, to instead open an additional fire station that runs 10-12 calls per year. His unruly behavior is a cancer both to the NAFD and for the community in which he serves. This is evident by the sexual harassment payout the Department was forced to pay to the front office worker who since was forced to resign. Or the additional payout the department was forced to pay due to the board firing a fire chief because “his views didn’t align with that of the boards”.
Lastly the operational battalion chiefs. BC McDowell, BC Cameron, and BC Baca. With as little as 20 years of fire service experience between the 3 of them, forcing these people into this job is doomed from the start. Between a BC that couldn’t control his emotions, to one that would rather spend his time engaged in fire fighting instead of running a fire scene (with victims trapped on multiple occasions), to an unhinged battalion chief that would rather force people out to make himself look better. These “leaders” come with a lot of baggage. The tone is set from these people due to the failure of promoting and retaining fire captains. The tone is set to being a victim, and placing the department and the job above one’s own family. These battalion chiefs embody the word poison.
Overall the Northern Arizona Fire District is ranked into the dirt by incompetence, hate, jealousy, and the knowledge that they will forever be as the fire chief says a Stepping Stone Department.
Everyone is leaving this department and the public doesn’t know that shame on this fire administration for not carrying for its members enough to listen and fight for them instead their concerned about their paychecks.