Austin Fire Association blasts chief for delayed flood response in Kerrville
CBS ^ | Story by Andrew Freeman
Posted on 07/08/2025 4:00:32 PM PDT by NoLibZone
The Austin Fire Association had strong words for Fire Chief Joel Baker Monday, claiming his delay on sending firefighters to assist in Kerrville over the holiday weekend may have cost lives.
"I have firefighters that are in the area that are hanging their head in shame," A.F.A. President Bob Nicks said. "People in the community are asking, why wasn't the Austin firefighters here to help us?"
Nicks says when the Hill Country is in trouble, the Austin Fire Department has a responsibility to respond.
"This is in our backyard," Nicks said. "We know people in that area. We have family in those areas, it was incredibly tragic."
He says Austin Fire Chief Joel Baker denied the deployment of Austin firefighters to Kerrville until just Monday morning, outside three rescue swimmers who he says had to pull strings to be there.
"We started having community members post to our page, why weren't you guys here? Why were Austin firefighters not showing up?" Nicks said. "I figured if they're communicating like that, it's time they know the rest of the story."
CBS Austin reached out to the Austin Fire Department, who says besides those three swimmers deployed on Friday, eight firefighters were sent over the weekend to assist efforts in northwest Travis County. Another six were deployed Monday morning to assist Texas Task Force One in Kerrville.
The chief goes on to say the decision on allocating resources is not simple, and the department had to prioritize having the right manpower available at home in the face of this weekend's unpredictable weather and flooding in our own area.
Nicks says he doesn't buy it.
"Chief Baker is so concerned about, you know, squeezing pennies here and saving money rather than saving people." Nicks said. "We have the capacity to do both, and we've done both many, many times. So that's just disingenuous for the chief to suggest that. What he was trying to do here is save money."
With nearly 40 years of firefighting experience, he says he doesn't make these claims lightly.
"I used to be a part of the original swift water team. I know the conditions. I know what happens in the field and areas and things like and conditions like this and swift water," Nicks said. "I absolutely believe that lives were lost because Austin firefighters did not deploy."
Now he's calling for a vote of no confidence amongst his membership, calling it a disgraceful dereliction of duty.
"This is just the tipping point where we can no longer pretend the fire chief is competent enough to be our leader." Nicks said. "It's just so egregious that we cannot sit back and be dishonest with the citizens and not let them know that their public safety is at risk with a fire chief like this at the helm making these sorts of decisions."
If a no confidence vote is called Tuesday, Nicks says the results will be announced by next Thursday.
TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: fd; flood; guadaluperiver; kerrville; response; texas; texasfloods
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1 posted on 07/08/2025 4:00:33 PM PDT by NoLibZone
To: NoLibZone
DEI kills, and the Texas tragedy is just the latest example.
Meet Austin Fire Chief Joel Baker, Austin’s first black Fire Chief who has been working to hire more black and LGBTQ firefighters, and who is now facing a vote of no confidence by his union for denying the pre-deploying of resources to Kerrville citing “budget concerns.”
The only problem? The Austin Fire Department is FULLY reimbursed by the state of Texas for such deployments(!!) .
Here’s the Austin Firefighters Association ripping Baker’s decision:
“Why would Fire Chief Joel G. Baker do this, you may ask? It was a misguided attempt to save money. I say ‘misguided’ because the fire department is fully reimbursed by the state to deploy. I explained the reimbursement process to Chief Baker last week, and he failed to understand this very simple concept.”
Austin hired a DEI Fire Chief who could have saved an untold number of lives, but he was unable to comprehend the simple concept of reimbursement.
DEI likely killed those little girls.
2 posted on 07/08/2025 4:01:44 PM PDT by NoLibZone (Trump failures: leaving Antifa off Terror list,Market chaos, Bondi. )
To: NoLibZone
It came from CBS, so we know without doubt the slant of the reporting along with the (un)believability.
Shove it up your Obamahole, CBS. I read real news.
3 posted on 07/08/2025 4:02:55 PM PDT by Da Coyote (H)
To: Da Coyote
Liberal source blaming a liberal is solid
4 posted on 07/08/2025 4:05:09 PM PDT by NoLibZone (Trump failures: leaving Antifa off Terror list,Market chaos, Bondi. )
To: NoLibZone
Give him to CNN and their RAT massas. They’ll be happy to string him up. The Party of Death strikes again!!!
5 posted on 07/08/2025 4:11:19 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (Correction! America is a nation of LEGAL IMMIGRANTS! All of mine came here legally. No free stuff.)
To: NoLibZone
6 posted on 07/08/2025 4:11:53 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: NoLibZone
Dumbass ought to be fired for simply being a dumbass.
7 posted on 07/08/2025 4:20:27 PM PDT by albie
To: albie
“””Dumbass ought to be fired for simply being a dumbass.””
it’s the government. Dumbass gets promoted.
8 posted on 07/08/2025 4:36:37 PM PDT by shelterguy
To: albie
Dumbass ought to be fired for simply being a dumbass.
You got that right
9 posted on 07/08/2025 4:37:58 PM PDT by Dawgreg
To: NoLibZone
As expected...diversity hire.
10 posted on 07/08/2025 7:28:14 PM PDT by lightman (Beat the Philly fraud machine the Amish did onest, ja? Nein, zweimal they did already!)
To: NoLibZone
Braids don’t bestow brains.
11 posted on 07/08/2025 7:29:11 PM PDT by lightman (Beat the Philly fraud machine the Amish did onest, ja? Nein, zweimal they did already!)
To: NoLibZone
You have to deal with the current deadly threat and call for reinforcements.
12 posted on 07/08/2025 7:35:55 PM PDT by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer” )
To: jacknhoo
guess he figured after retiring with one pension in place to try to acquire another. hope he gets kicked out and gets nothing further.
13 posted on 07/08/2025 7:53:09 PM PDT by b4me (Pray, and let God change you. He knows better than you or anyone else, who He made you to be.)
To: NoLibZone
Yet another magical DEI hire who venue shops for the next higher paying gig. Cities trip over themselves to hire a black in charge of anything regardless how incompetent they are. There are so many examples. Look at all the jobs this clown had before Austin hired him. The last big example was that DEI black police chief who bounced from liberal city to liberal city. And the first thing she did at ALL the cities is change the dress code to allow her to wear ridiculous fingernails and weave. (Danielle Outlaw.) DEI is DIE
14 posted on 07/08/2025 11:17:10 PM PDT by Organic Panic (Democrats. Memories as short as Joe Biden's eyes.)
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