AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Firefighters Association began a membership vote on whether it has confidence in Fire Chief Joel Baker, following allegations from the union president that Baker delayed sending AFD resources to Kerr County after the devastating Independence Day weekend flooding.
Baker maintained that there was no delay in response and said his department has done everything possible to assist with the recent flood emergencies, KXAN reported.
The firefighters’ union opened online voting for its members on the matter on July 10, with voting set to close at 4 p.m. on July 11, according to Nicks.
An email sent to AFA members and others referenced an emergency union meeting held on July 8, during which Austin Firefighters Association President Bob Nicks claimed a directive from AFD leadership led local first responders to allegedly decline deployment to Kerr County more than a day before floodwaters rose.
The resolution also urges the Austin city manager, mayor and city council to conduct a thorough investigation into Chief Baker’s decisions and take “appropriate measures.”
City officials have expressed support for Baker, with Mayor Kirk Watson issuing a statement backing the fire chief.
“Unlike Bob, I actually talked to Chief Nim Kidd, the chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, over the weekend. In one of our talks, I asked Chief Kidd if he was getting all he needed from Austin and if there was anything else he needed,” Watson said. “He characterized Austin’s response as ‘above and beyond.’”
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