Service for BIA firefighter Anthony Ramon Polk

Service to be held Thursday for BIA firefighter

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Bill Gabbert

A memorial service will be held Thursday, June 14, for Anthony Ramon Polk who was killed June 8 when his Type 6 engine rolled over while helping to suppress the Montezuma Fire in Arizona. Here are the details, as provided by the Bureau of Indian Affairs:
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Final Arrangements Planned for Fallen Firefighter

Anthony Ramon Polk, a firefighter for Quechan Tribe and a resident of Yuma, AZ would have been 31 on his birthday, June 22, this year. He died June 8 in a one-vehicle accident while on assignment at the Montezuma Fire.
Memorial services are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Thursday at Quechan Community Center. A wake is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. Friday at Yuma Mortuary Chapel. Funeral services will be at 5 p.m. Friday at Cry House in Winterhaven. Cremation will be at dawn Saturday at Quechan Cemetery.

Anthony Polk and his daughter Aiyana. Photo provided by Fort Yuma Agency.

A member of the San Carlos Apache and Quechan Tribes and a descendent of the Carr, Pasqual, Sahenti, Escalanti and Polk families, Anthony’s given names are: “Two Feathers” and “Morning Dancer at Sunrise.” Anthony participated in powwows and traditional ceremonies as a singer and grass dancer. He was an avid sports enthusiast and played a variety of sports. A graduate of San Pasqual High School in 1999, Anthony attended one year of college at Haskell Indian College in Lawrence, KS in 2000.
He served 10 years with the Bureau of Indian Affairs at the Fort Yuma Agency where he became a leader of the Prescribed Fire Operations/Fuels Program. He was a Firing Boss and Incident Commander Type 4 as well as an Engine Boss, and training to be a Fire Investigator and a Burn Boss. He worked with several organizations including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife Service and local fire departments throughout the area in the fuels program.
He is survived by his daughter, Aiyana Polk, his mother, Ramona Villa, grandmother, Lucinda Polk, siblings, Manual, Alex and Raquiel Villa, and numerous relatives and friends.
His parents are Ramona Polk Villa and Benjamin Villa of Yuma; grandparents are Lucinda Escalanti Polk and the late Raphael Bradley Polk, Sr. He was preceded in death by Grandmother Vicenta Villa and Grandfather Manual Martinez and his Aunt Mancy Triste.
Anthony was most known for his outgoing, caring, friendly personality and good sense of humor. He enjoyed fishing, cooking, and being with family. He devoted all his energy to making his daughter happy.
Cards can be sent to the Polk Family at 673 Baseline Road, Winterhaven, CA 92283. Flowers can be sent to Yuma Mortuary & Crematory, 551 W. 16th Street, Yuma, AZ 85364. Donations are being accepted at AEA Federal Credit Union, Donation Account: 1613510-010, Member Name: for Anthony Polk.