Austin Fire Chief Joel Baker faces a no-confidence vote over his handling of emergency deployments, which fire labor leaders said hampered Austin's response to last week's deadly floods.
The setup
Austin Fire Department deployments—which can take place following requests from affected local officials or through regional and state response groups—were limited due to financial and staffing concerns, according to AFD.
Department deployments had been suspended through at least September due to Austin's "budget crisis" and worries about other agencies reimbursing the department for its efforts, according to a June email from an AFD division chief. An AFD spokesperson also said Baker "expressed caution" about ongoing deployments this spring, given concern about receiving reimbursements before the end of the fiscal year.
"Though there may have been some confusion about his initial order, he remained realistic about the potential need to assist with a significant event, as demonstrated by his immediate response to the July 4 request for assistance in Kerrville, San Angelo and Seguin," the spokesperson said in an email. "AFD evaluates deployment requests on a case-by-case basis to ensure we can meet the needs of the requesting agency/agencies without compromising staffing and resources in our City."
Before this month, Austin firefighters were most recently deployed to Uvalde on June 2. That operation later expanded over two weeks in response to severe weather from Victoria to Lubbock, according to AFD.
A closer look
Three Austin firefighter rescue swimmers were sent to assist with Texas Task Force 1 water operations around Kerr County on July 4, according to AFD. Additional staff have since gone out around the region.
On July 5-6, two crews including eight personnel with a boat also aided search efforts around Cow and Big Sandy creeks to the west in Travis County Emergency Services District 1, according to the department. On July 7, six more personnel were sent to support Texas Task Force 1 rescue efforts, and a fire engine was sent to Williamson County in response to a request there. And as of July 8, AFD reported four engines were aiding search efforts in Burnet County around Marble Falls while a fire battalion chief was deployed in response to a Texas Department of Emergency Management request for staffing support.
The emergency task force and TDEM didn't respond to questions about the timing of requests for assistance as of press time.
Bob Nicks, president of the Austin Firefighters Association that represents AFD employees, called Austin's water rescue crews among the best in the state. He said they would've been available for an activation to Kerr County last week and suggested they could've contributed to live-saving operations had they been deployed ahead of the July 4 flooding.
"We explicitly train with San Antonio for response to the Hill Country because it’s in our backyard," he said at a July 8 press conference. "We have the resources, we have the training, we have the personnel, we are absolutely geared to doing that area of work. And we refused to go because of a standing order: ‘Do not even ask.'"
According to Nicks, an informal request for support in the Hill Country was sent out July 2 through a Texas Task Force 1 emergency group, which AFD didn't respond to. A follow-up request was sent July 3, he said, which also wasn't taken up by the fire department.
Nicks said he began petitioning Baker to deploy resources after seeing the impact of the floods July 4, but then reached out to Austin city management on July 5 after receiving no response. Those city leaders weren't aware of the previous deployment requests, he said, but supported sending firefighters out.
A city spokesperson didn't respond to questions about city management's knowledge or handling of the deployments as of press time. An AFD spokesperson said department officials weren't aware of any requests before Independence Day.
"The first request for aid that was communicated to AFD leadership came in on July 4, the same day we deployed. If informal requests came in before that, they were not shared," the spokesperson said.
Other city first responders were engaged sooner. Initial requests for Kerr County deployments through the Texas Task Force 1 group were made July 2, according to Austin-Travis County EMS, when department officials committed to sending a small boat crew with more personnel to follow. Additional staff and vehicles were sent to Kerr County later on July 3 and July 4, and city medics are still responding. An ATCEMS spokesperson said the department has participated in "significant rescue operations," rescuing or evacuating dozens of residents, in addition to transport, reunification, and medical work.
"These deployments occurred alongside our ongoing flood response efforts within the region, with teams operating in Travis County, Burnet County, and Williamson County," the spokesperson said.
What they're saying
Both before and during the Hill Country flash floods, Nicks said Baker didn't act on a deployment, leading to AFD's delayed response to requests he said were made as early as July 2.
“Every agency that’s in Texas Task Force 1 is expected to respond when called to," Nicks said in a July 7 interview. "Now, they realize you might have your own staffing needs, so you can say ‘no.’ But you’re not supposed to say ‘no’ because you think you’re saving a couple bucks. Part of being in that system is you promised you would help respond."
Baker said AFD was proud to join in regional response efforts, and pointed to the difficult decisions faced when allocating resources in an emergency.
"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," he said in a statement. "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."
City Manager T.C. Broadnax responded to AFA's claims July 8, noting Austin's past response efforts and his support for Baker's leadership.
“It is disappointing that the Firefighters Association would make these allegations and consider such a vote, especially while these communities continue to grieve and recover. It’s even more disheartening how quickly the Association’s claims spread because so many people are ready to place blame," he said in a statement. "The City of Austin, and the Austin Fire Department in particular, have a very long track record of supporting and sending aid to neighboring communities in need. To be clear, I continue to have confidence in Chief Baker and remain committed to listening and working with both the Chief and the Fire Association to ensure that the Austin Fire Department is able to continue supporting our neighbors while protecting our local community.”
What happens next?
The AFA board advanced a call for no confidence in Baker during a special meeting July 8. A vote on the resolution by the body's more than 1,000 members will begin July 9 and close at 4 p.m. July 11.
Nicks said the vote wasn't his preferred course of action, but that the process is playing out given widespread dissatisfaction in the AFD ranks and a desire to focus on the department's deployment freeze.
“I’m very much against votes of no confidence. Many times when they’re done by fire associations, it’s over some labor issue that comes across quite whiny to the public," he said. "In this case, I think it’s in the public interest that this information really needs to come out, and it needs to come out in a transparent and accountable way.”
Like other city department heads, the AFD chief is appointed by the city manager. It remains to be seen what action, if any, Broadnax would take in response AFA members' vote. Nicks said he didn't think a no-confidence vote, if approved, would affect Baker's job.
