Austin firefighters' union calls for 'no confidence' vote against AFD chief
KVUE ^
Posted on 07/07/2025 4:33:07 PM PDT by TigerClaws
The Austin Firefighters Association claims Chief Joel Baker delayed sending firefighters to help with rescue efforts in Kerrville until it was too late.
AUSTIN, Texas — Austin's firefighters’ union is calling for a vote of "no confidence" against Austin Fire Department Chief Joel Baker over his response to the deadly Central Texas flooding.
The Austin Firefighters Association claims Baker delayed sending firefighters to help with rescue efforts in Kerrville until it was too late. The union says lives were likely lost because of his decision.
Union President Bob Nicks will hold a press conference on Tuesday morning at 11 a.m.
The union called Baker's decision an "egregious dereliction of duty" in a social media post on Monday.
“We are disgusted with our fire chief,” the post said. “He needs to be held accountable and fired for his disgraceful dereliction of duty.”
The Austin Firefighters are outraged by Fire Chief Joel G. Baker’s decision to deny the deployment of our highly trained... Posted by Austin Firefighters Association on Monday, July 7, 2025
KVUE reached out to the Austin Fire Department, which sent a statement from Baker:
“The weather this weekend devastated the entire region, and the Austin Fire Department is proud to be part of the response effort.
“The decision about how to allocate resources to help our fellow Texans is not a simple one. It requires communication from public safety partners on the ground to ensure we are providing resources and personnel when, where and how they are most needed.
“The Austin Fire Department must also prioritize having sufficient resources in our own community given the unpredictability of this weekend's storms and the risk for catastrophic flooding in our immediate area.
“In an effort to strike that balance, AFD deployed three rescue swimmers on Friday, July 4 to serve with the Texas Task Force 1 helicopter search and rescue team (HSART) to perform water rescues in San Angelo, Kerrville and Seguin. On Saturday and Sunday, July 5 and 6, two crews, eight total fire personnel, and an AFD boat, were assigned to assist ESD 1 with search efforts at Cow Creek and Big Sandy Creek. An additional six personnel were deployed today, at approximately 9 a.m., to augment Texas Task Force 1 search and rescue efforts in the area.
“AFD is a strong public safety partner in our region. We will continue to live up to that reputation while maintaining adequate resources for those we serve in our City and neighboring communities.”
TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: austin; dei; department; fire; texas
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Another DEI hire.
1 posted on 07/07/2025 4:33:07 PM PDT by TigerClaws
To: TigerClaws
The entire Austin government leaders are corrupt commies.
2 posted on 07/07/2025 4:44:04 PM PDT by RetiredTexasVet (Trump has arrived and it is awesome to have a real President.)
To: TigerClaws
“Association President Bob Nicks told the American-Statesman the Fire Department denied an informal request for help from the state on July 2 before flooding began. Another request on July 3 also was denied”
Fire Chief Joel Baker Probably voted for Kramala puppet and idolizes Obummer.
To: TigerClaws
4 posted on 07/07/2025 5:04:58 PM PDT by jacknhoo (Luke 12:51; Think ye, that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, no; but separation.)
To: doc maverick
I worked for several DEI Fire Service Officers, high pressure emergencies break your brain down so your basic knowledge and training is all you have to make high pressure decisions off of. Draw your own conclusions on the remainder of this comment.
5 posted on 07/07/2025 5:11:30 PM PDT by Colt1851Navy (What was wrong with Nixon?)
To: RetiredTexasVet
Let me take a wild guess. Another DEI hire that never pulled an inch and a half off a pumper in his entire “career”
To: TigerClaws
I don’t know if what you wrote is true. I also don’t know if there have been ongoing tension between the chief and union members. I think more information is needed.
7 posted on 07/07/2025 5:40:15 PM PDT by lastchance (Cognovit Dominus qui sunt eius.)
To: lastchance; All
8 posted on 07/07/2025 7:06:17 PM PDT by TigerClaws
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