AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Firefighters Association moved forward Thursday with a membership vote on its confidence in Austin Fire Chief Joel Baker. That vote comes after AFA President Bob Nicks accused Baker of delaying deployment of AFD resources to Kerr County ahead of catastrophic flooding over the Independence Day weekend.
Baker insisted there was no delay and that his department has done everything it can to respond to recent flood disasters across Central Texas.
The firefighters’ union opened online voting for its members on the issue this week. According to Nicks, voting will last until 4 p.m. on Friday.
An email, sent to AFA members and others, references an emergency union meeting Tuesday. During that meeting, Nicks claimed that a directive from AFD leadership caused local first responders to allegedly refuse deployment calls to Kerr County, more than a day before floodwaters rose.
The email read in part that “since this issue is so clear and has been discussed around every fire house kitchen table since July 4th … the membership already has enough information to make an informed decision for their vote.” According to that email, union members who attended that meeting approved a resolution for the vote.
The AFA’s resolutions can be read below:
The resolution also calls for the Austin City Manager, Mayor and City Council to thoroughly
investigate the chief’s decisions and take “appropriate measures.”
However, top city leadership said it supports Baker; Mayor Kirk Watson released a statement Tuesday.
“Unlike Bob, I actually talked to Chief Nim Kidd, the Chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, over the weekend. In one of our talks, I asked Chief Kidd if he was getting all he needed from Austin and if there was anything else he needed,” Watson said. “He characterized Austin’s response as ‘above and beyond.'”
Watson also praised his city’s first responders in his statement.
“I’m proud of our public safety pros. They are heroic. They are ready to help elsewhere. And they are ready to help us here at home,” Watson said.
In an interview with KXAN earlier this week, Baker emphasized the number of first responders deployed by AFD for disaster relief.
“We are going to continue to support disasters of this nature. That’s going on right now until we are no longer needed. It’s a long process. We will continue to send people. We will continue to rotate crews. But I’m telling you, I’m obligated to make sure that the residents, the citizens of Austin, is also protected,” Baker said.
KXAN will update this article as more information becomes available.