AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Firefighters Association is accusing Fire Chief Joel G. Baker of preventing personnel from responding to deadly flooding in Kerr County, claiming “lives were very likely lost” as a result of the department’s actions.
Baker responded to the allegation on July 7, telling KXAN that the department will continue to support disaster response efforts for as long as needed, rotating crews and maintaining a presence in affected areas.
The union alleged that highly trained swift water rescue personnel from Austin were prevented from assisting with the flood response. The union called Baker’s actions an “egregious dereliction of duty.”
According to Baker, the department received three deployment requests on July 4: one for an assistant chief, who declined to go; one for a dispatcher, which was denied; and one for rescue swimmers, who were deployed. He said those decisions were made based on operational priorities and the need to preserve coverage within city limits.
“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.”
Baker said the department deployed eight members and a boat team on July 5 and 6 to assist Travis County Emergency Services District 1 as flooding impacted the area and recovery operations grew in Central Texas.
He said local crews must follow state deployment protocols through the Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System and Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, not self-dispatch during disasters.
Union President Bob Nicks told KXAN that some personnel were contacted by the state on July 2 but declined to deploy, citing a prior “standing order” from leadership in a June 6 email, which said deployments were suspended through October 1.
Baker confirmed the suspension, stating it was enacted to resolve internal reimbursement issues for previous state requests. He emphasized that the pause was not due to delays by state partners, who he said have been cooperative and timely. He also noted that, to his knowledge, the state does not currently owe the department any funds.
KVUE reported the association announced it would convene a meeting on July 8 to consider a vote of no confidence in Baker’s leadership.
