AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Firefighters Association announced that 93% of its members have voted “no confidence” in Fire Chief Joel Baker, following concerns about the department’s response to catastrophic flooding in the Texas Hill Country.
According to the union, 927 firefighters (93%) voted “no confidence,” with 36 (4%) voting in opposition on July 11. In a statement, union leaders said the decision was “not about politics,” but rather about accountability and public safety.
Union calls for investigation
On July 10, the union began voting on a resolution stating Baker “has forfeited our confidence to lead the Austin Fire Department.” The resolution called for city officials to investigate the chief’s decisions during the flood response and take appropriate action.
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Union President Bob Nicks alleges a June directive from department leadership led to Austin firefighters refusing deployment calls to Kerr County during deadly flooding over the Independence Day weekend. Officials report 96 deaths and more than 160 people missing in Kerr County as of July 10.
During a meeting with members, Nicks said Austin firefighters had the training and equipment to assist and expressed concern that a better deployment could have led to more rescues, according to KXAN.
Flood deployment dispute
Chief Baker denied any delay in response, stating the department “absolutely” did everything it could to help with the floods. He explained that on July 4, he received requests for five personnel to deploy. Three rescue swimmers responded, while a dispatcher’s request was denied and an assistant chief declined to deploy. Baker said he was focused on maintaining enough resources in Austin for local emergency needs and mutual aid.
“It’s important that we are able to function and maintain a certain level of readiness in the city of Austin. Now, to keep in mind, again, I was not sure how much of the weather would impact my city, the city of Austin,” Baker said. “I need to make sure that I have an adequate amount of resources within the city so I can respond for my mutual aid calls and my automatic aid calls around the city of Austin.”
City leaders, including the city manager and mayor, have expressed support for Baker and said they were disappointed in the union’s decision.
Next steps
The union is calling for a full investigation into leadership decisions during the flood response.
“The firefighters will not stop until every responsible party is held accountable and systemic changes are made to prevent such a tragedy from happening again,” the union stated.
Chief Baker maintains that the department’s response was appropriate given the circumstances and the needs of the city.
