When you need help and call 911, you and your family deserve a fully-staffed Austin Fire response.

The Austin City Council is the ONLY group with the authority and power to repeal or protect the public safety FOUR Firefighter Staffing Ordinance. This critical law must be protected and we need your help.

When your family is in crisis, seconds matter. You expect Austin firefighters to arrive fast — fully staffed, well-trained, and ready to risk everything to save lives and protect property. That’s our duty. That’s our oath. And nothing less is acceptable.

For years, Austin has followed a national gold standard known as “Four Firefighter Minimum Staffing.” It’s backed by science, endorsed by safety experts, and written into Austin law. Why? Because four firefighters on every fire engine means:

• Faster rescues

• Safer operations

• Better outcomes for you and your family

Whether it’s a fire, crash, heart attack, or overdose — FOUR saves lives.

But Today, That Life-Saving Standard Is Under Attack

Instead of supporting firefighters, city leadership is trying to repeal the minimum staffing law and cut fire crews down to just three firefighters per engine. At the same time, Chief Joel Baker is under fire for a stunning failure of leadership during the July 4 Kerrville floods, where more than 100 Texans died.

Here are the facts:

What Happened During the Kerrville Floods?

• June 6, 2025 – Chief Baker ordered AFD to suspend deployments with Texas Task Force 1 (TX-TF1), an elite FEMA rescue team that responds to floods, hurricanes, and major disasters.

• He admitted it was due to a “cash flow problem,” not safety or readiness.

• July 2 & 3 – TX-TF1 requested Austin’s Swift Water Rescue teams to deploy to Kerrville in advance of deadly flooding. Both requests were denied under Baker’s order.

• July 4 – As floodwaters surged and lives were lost, Texas begged again for help. Rescue helicopters were grounded due to a lack of swimmers. AFD said no — again.

• Only after massive pressure from outraged firefighters did Baker authorize 3 rescue swimmers to deploy — but by then, it was too late.

Could Austin Firefighters Have Made a Difference?

As a matter of fact, 100% Yes.

• A single Coast Guard helicopter with one rescue swimmer saved 165 people.

• Austin had dozens of trained, ready, and equipped swift water firefighters trapped in stations — forbidden to deploy.

• Had we responded when asked, dozens of lives could have been saved.

Instead, firefighters were told to stand down. The reason? Not staffing. Not safety. Money.

A Crisis of Leadership

After the tragedy, Chief Baker misled the public — claiming he had to keep resources in Austin. But documents and firsthand accounts show the truth: it was about “cash flow.”

More than 1,200 Austin firefighters responded with a vote of no confidence, demanding accountability. City Manager T.C. Broadnax refused. He kept Baker in place and is now backing his plan to gut fire staffing levels citywide.

Chief Baker once supported the four-firefighter policy. Now he says it’s okay if crews arrive “eventually.” But in emergencies, minutes cost lives. That’s not safety — it’s spin.

Real Lives. Real Consequences.

In Fall River, Massachusetts, nine seniors died in a nursing home fire in July 2025. Their fire department ran short-staffed with three-person crews. Firefighters couldn’t get ladders up or people out in time. Experts agree: more firefighters could have saved lives.

Here in Austin:

• In July, Engine 20 arrived at a house fire with four firefighters. They entered, rescued the trapped victim, and delivered life-saving care before EMS arrived. With only three, that rescue likely would have failed.

• Every day, Austin firefighters respond to crashes, overdoses, heart attacks, strokes, and rescues. In every case, FOUR firefighters means faster care and better outcomes.

FOUR is Safer. FOUR is Smarter. FOUR is the Law.

• It’s the national safety standard.

• It’s written into Austin law.

• It’s working — saving lives and reducing injuries.

But now, your safety is at risk. Chief Baker and City Manager Broadnax are asking City Council to repeal the four-firefighter law — all to save a few dollars on paper.

We’re Asking You to Take a Stand

Your firefighters are ready to serve. We’re trained, we’re equipped, and we’re willing to risk it all for you. But we need the staffing, the standards, and the leadership to do our jobs safely and effectively.

Please:

👉 JOIN US AND DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY

👉 TELL YOUR COUNCILMEMBER TO KEEP THE FOUR FIREFIGHTER SAFETY STANDARD

👉 SIGN AND SEND THE LETTER SUPPORTING PUBLIC SAFETY FOUR AUSTIN

Public safety isn’t political. It’s personal.

Thank you for your support.

— Your Austin Firefighters

To Mayor Kirk Watson and Members of the Austin City Council.

I’m writing to you today with urgency and deep concern for the safety of our city.

I respectfully urge you to take two actions:

1. Reject the City Manager’s proposal to cut firefighter staffing and repeal Austin’s Four Firefighter Minimum Staffing ordinance.

2. Support an independent, third-party investigation into Fire Chief Joel Baker’s actions during the July 4th Kerrville flood disaster.

Your public commitment to public safety — and to the proven standard of four firefighters per fire engine — is why many Austinites supported you. Turning your back on that commitment now not only violates public trust, but puts lives at risk.

From wildfires and house fires to crashes and floods, Austin firefighters are the first line of defense — and they need four to do more. The four-person crew standard isn’t just tradition; it’s law, best practice, and lifesaving policy.

The Austin Firefighters Association has raised serious and credible concerns about Chief Baker’s leadership during one of the worst natural disasters in recent Texas history. For nearly 1,300 firefighters to stand together in a vote of no confidence is not something that should be brushed aside. It signals a department in crisis and leadership failures that deserve full transparency.

It is deeply troubling that Austin’s world-class, highly trained fire and rescue personnel were ordered to stand down during the Kerrville floods — not because they weren’t ready, but because of what Chief Baker described as “cash flow” concerns. That decision cost time, cost trust, and likely cost lives. In Texas, we help first. We sort out paperwork later. That’s who we are — and who our firefighters are, too.

If Chief Baker indeed issued a months long stand-down order over money, that is dereliction of duty, and he should be removed. Likewise, City Manager Broadnax’s proposal to cut fire staffing — just as public confidence is shaken — must be immediately rejected.

My neighbors and I proudly support public safety. We trust our firefighters to act. Now we must ask why they weren’t allowed to — and stop any plan that would weaken their ability to protect us.

We ask you to do the right thing:

• Keep our four-firefighter staffing law intact.

• Investigate Chief Baker’s actions thoroughly.

• Protect the safety of the public and those who serve us.

I stand with Austin’s firefighters — and I urge you to do the same.