Austin Firefighters Deliver No-Confidence Vote Against Chief Over Flood Response

For the first time in more than two decades, Austin firefighters on Friday took the drastic step of approving a vote of no-confidence against their chief.

A resolution that accuses Chief Joel Baker of failed leadership passed overwhelmingly with 93% of association members voting in favor, according to Austin Firefighters Association President Bob Nicks. The Austin Fire Department employs 1,300 firefighters, nearly all of whom are members of the association, and 993 cast ballots on the resolution.

"The members voted and we’re going to forge ahead," Baker told the American-Statesman on Friday. Earlier in the week, he told the newspaper he had "absolutely" no intention of resigning regardless of the outcome of the no-confidence vote.

The vote capped a tumultuous week that started with an incendiary Facebook post from Nicks that accused Baker of adding to the death toll in Kerr County by not sending resources ahead of the deadly July 4 floods and escalated into a bevy of racist attacks lobbed at Baker, Austin's first Black fire chief.

In the Monday social media post, Nicks accused Baker of denying state requests for aid ahead of catastrophic flooding in the region 100 miles west of Austin. The following day, association members crafted a resolution calling on the Austin City Council to authorize an investigation into his decision making. The online polls opened on Wednesday and closed at 4 p.m. Friday.

Nicks on Monday told the Statesman that Baker had ordered a pause on all deployments to other parts of the state to save money, prompting Fire Department officials to decline two requests for aid in Kerr County sent on July 2 and 3 ahead of the storm.

Baker confirmed his decision to the Statesman to pause deployments and said he should have made it clearer to his aides that he would make exceptions.

"I should have added to that order that we would review requests on a case-by-case basis," Baker said.

Top city leaders strongly condemned Nicks’ inflammatory language and accused him of using the flood disasters as a political tool ahead of negotiations over a new labor contract with firefighters and a city budget that is expected to include cuts across a wide swath of city departments.

"[Nicks] shouldn’t be politicizing this horrible loss by making it part of budget negotiations and the collective bargaining with the union," Watson wrote on X.

Nicks was adamant Friday that his campaign against Baker had nothing to do with the budget.

"It was all about a terrible decision to stop deployment of resources that could have saved lives," he told the Statesman.

As the city faces down a historic budget shortfall, Baker – like every other city department head – has been asked to contemplate various ways to cut costs.

Nicks has already pushed back against some of Baker’s proposals that would impact his members, including one authorized in June that transferred some Fire Department personnel from administrative roles back into the field. Nicks said some members were concerned about the strain operations work could have on their mental health.

Two internal Fire Department emails obtained by the Statesman show that Baker’s order pausing disaster assistance deployments is one of his strategies.

"Suspension of deployments was a directive from above," Assistant Chief Thayer Smith wrote on the morning of June 6. "In the effort to stay on budget we are not taking any chances."

The last time firefighters authorized a vote of no confidence in their chief came amid similar circumstances in 2003: Frustration over then-Chief Gary Warren’s cost-savings proposals as the city was facing a budget crunch.

Nicks’ claims against Baker sparked a flurry of online outrage directed at the chief that turned racist throughout the week.

On X, one person posted images of Baker with exaggerated facial features and wearing clown makeup. Another user posted his home address. Many, including the conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, alleged Baker was hired as the result of a "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion" push at the city.

In a July 9 post on the association’s X account, Nicks condemned the racist attacks against Baker – but doubled down on his criticism of the chief’s leadership.

"This issue is not about race or ethnicity, rather it is about the serious failure of leadership demonstrated by Baker," Nicks wrote.

Tara Long, a Fire Department spokesperson, declined to comment on the threats Baker has received.

"Chief Baker remains focused on the task of running the department and keeping the City safe," Long said.