Tom Vocke confirmed as Austin's interim fire chief

Austin Fire official Tom Vocke was confirmed as the city's interim fire chief, effective Sept. 1 after the retirement of current Austin Fire Chief Joel Baker.

The overview

Baker formally submitted his resignation notice Aug. 4 and he'll leave his role at the end of August. City Manager T.C. Broadnax announced Baker was "unavailable and out of the office" starting Aug. 11, leading him to designate Vocke as acting fire chief this month.

City Council honored Baker with a distinguished service award and confirmed Vocke's appointment Aug. 27. He'll now lead Austin Fire on an interim basis until a successor is hired.

"Acting Chief Vocke’s extensive knowledge of the organization, strong relationships with department personnel, and proven leadership position him well to guide the department through this transition while maintaining the high level of service our residents expect and deserve," Broadnax said in an August memo.

The search for Austin's next fire chief will be handled by Mosaic Public Partners, a firm the city has used for several recent high-level recruitments. Details including a timeline are still being finalized; Mosaic's executive search webpage listed the position as an upcoming career opportunity as of press time Aug. 27.

Vocke's appointment to the interim fire chief role came with a 15% acting pay raise, bringing his salary to just under $250,000. Baker's salary is $280,805 this year.

Quote of note

"I’ve been here 29 years and never imagined I’d be sitting in this seat, but am very grateful for the opportunity," Vocke told council members. "We have an outstanding fire department full of amazing members that do great work for this community. Excited to remain a part of this community and keep up the good work that Chief Baker and the chiefs before him have pushed to make this a great department.”

Some context

Vocke, a Dayton, Ohio native, will take the helm at Austin Fire after nearly three decades on the force. Vocke spent five years as Austin's fire marshal and previously served as battalion chief over training, medical operations and the wellness center. He was named an assistant chief in 2023 and the department's chief of staff in April.

"Throughout these assignments, he has demonstrated exceptional leadership, operational expertise, strategic planning capabilities, and a deep commitment to the department’s mission and personnel," Broadnax said.

Baker, an Atlanta native, started his fire service career in Georgia in the mid-1980s and took over as Austin Fire chief in December 2018. Broadnax commended Baker for his "exceptional" public safety career in his retirement announcement, highlighting his leadership and improved local emergency response capabilities, firefighter safety and workforce stabilization.

“You’ve led this department through some extraordinary years. You’ve helped guide our firefighters through a global pandemic, severe weather and natural disasters, and the everyday emergencies that seem to never stop. You also understood something that public safety organizations have not always talked about: taking care of the people who take care of us," Broadnax told Baker Aug. 27.

In recent years, the fire department under Baker opened new stations, expanded firefighter mental health support, improved wildfire readiness, reduced 911 response times, and cemented a four-person engine staffing standard and firefighter benefits under a new labor deal. Baker was also the subject of sharp criticism from the Austin Firefighters Association last summer related to the city's response to the deadly 4th of July weekend flooding.

After a ceremonial transfer of command Aug. 27, Baker credited fire department and AFA leadership for their collaboration which he asked them to continue under Vocke.

“He’s going to have some long days, he’s going to have some tough days. But he’s got a great group of people that stand with him and beside him, and great union leadership. I’m really impressed by our local," he said. "You guys have really been working with me and Vocke, and I really appreciate it. I want to challenge the union to work just as hard as you worked with me to work with interim fire Chief Vocke, he’s just a great person.”