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Buckeye Fire Department Investigation Confirms 'Severe and Pervasive' Sexual Harassment by Two Firefighters
An internal city investigation substantiated multiple allegations that former Capt. Joe Frazier and Engineer Ryan Clark routinely sexually harassed fire cadets and civilian ride-along participants, questioning them about their sexual preferences, virginity, and sexual experiences. Both men left the Buckeye Fire Department and now work in Lake Havasu City, and both deny the allegations.
BUCKEYE, Ariz. â A city-commissioned internal investigation has substantiated multiple allegations that two Buckeye firefighters engaged in what the final report describes as "severe and pervasive" sexual harassment of fire cadets and civilian participants in the department's ride-along program, according to records reviewed by local media.
The investigation found that former Capt. Joe Frazier and Engineer Ryan Clark routinely subjected cadets and riders to invasive questioning about their sexual preferences, virginity and sexual experiences. Multiple witnesses told investigators the conduct was not isolated but routine within the department. The final report includes specific examples that are substantially more graphic and explicit than the summary language used in the findings.
Both men have since left the Buckeye Fire Department. They now work for the fire department in Lake Havasu City. Frazier did not respond to repeated interview requests, and Clark declined to comment by email. Both have denied all allegations of sexual harassment.
The findings raise sharp questions about supervision and workplace culture inside a public safety agency entrusted with training new recruits and hosting civilians â including young people â who ride along with crews to learn about fire service. Cadets are typically early-career firefighters completing required training, while ride-along participants are community members, often students or prospective recruits, who observe operations from inside fire apparatus.
Advocates for workplace accountability say the case underscores the importance of independent investigations and transparent reporting when harassment allegations surface in paramilitary organizations, where rank and chain-of-command can discourage complaints. The city's report, which substantiates the allegations, represents a formal finding against the two men even as they have moved on to another jurisdiction.
It was not immediately clear what disciplinary actions, if any, were taken before their departures, or whether Lake Havasu City officials were aware of the investigation's findings when they were hired. The Buckeye Fire Department did not publicly comment on the specifics of the report.
The investigation's conclusion â that harassment was severe, pervasive and routine â places the case among a growing number of fire-service misconduct inquiries nationwide that have prompted calls for stronger oversight, mandatory bystander training and clearer reporting channels for cadets and civilian participants who may fear retaliation.