The Austin Firefighters Association voted 93% in favor of a no-confidence resolution against Fire Chief Joel Baker on Friday, citing failures in response to Texas’s deadly Independence Day flooding. The vote followed criticism over Baker’s refusal to deploy swift water rescue teams ahead of the disaster, despite requests from Texas Task Force 1.
Baker’s decision was based on financial concerns, referencing an internal June 6 memo that halted out-of-jurisdiction deployments until after the fiscal year due to unpaid reimbursements from the state totaling $800,000. In the flood’s aftermath, over 100 deaths have been confirmed, with that number expected to rise.
AFA President Bob Nicks accused Baker of prioritizing cost over human life. He noted that despite urgent requests, the department’s response was minimal—only three firefighters were sent on July 4, with more following days later. “I absolutely believe that lives were lost because Austin firefighters did not deploy,” Nicks stated.
While the no-confidence vote does not remove Baker from his position, it sends a strong signal to city leaders. Nicks emphasized that the resolution was not about labor issues but public safety: “This information really needs to come out.”
Mayor Kirk Watson pushed back on Nicks’ statements, calling them politicized and ill-timed amid ongoing recovery efforts. Nonetheless, the vote places additional pressure on city officials to reevaluate leadership in the wake of one of Texas’s deadliest floods.
