The Austin Firefighters Association is set to hold a no-confidence vote in Austin Fire Department Chief Joel Baker for alleged delinquency in deploying firefighters to assist in water rescue efforts in Kerr County.
According to a social media post from the association, the AFA accuses Fire Chief Baker of delaying the deployment of rescue swimmers from the department’s special operations teams, who are trained for swift water rescue in the Hill Country.
“Deployment orders came down from the State of Texas on July 2,” writes the AFA. “We would’ve been pre-deployed before the waters even began to rise! It is unforgivable that a fire chief would NOT allow his firefighters to answer the call to save lives.”
Baker denied these claims during an interview Monday night, explaining that he did not know about deployment orders from the state until Friday, July 4.
In a statement to Texas Scorecard, Baker said the decision on the allotment of resources amid such a crisis 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,” wrote Baker.
He said that the Austin Fire Department had to balance prioritizing sufficient resources for the local community because of the storm’s unpredictability and the possibility of flooding in the Austin vicinity with the needs of the Hill Country.
“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,” he added.
The Austin Fire Department also told Texas Scorecard that three of the department’s five swimmers were deployed to the Kerr County area on Friday.
Results from the no-confidence vote will be available at 4 p.m. on Friday.
