AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Fire Chief insists his department is doing everything it can to respond to deadly flooding in Kerr County after firefighters accused him of actions that delayed deployment of specialized search and rescue crews.
Chief Joel G. Baker responded to the accusations made in a social media post by the Austin Firefighters Association, which claimed that highly trained first responders from Austin were not allowed to respond. The post called the chief’s actions an “egregious dereliction of duty,” and the association announced it would meet on Tuesday to discuss whether to take a vote of “no confidence” in Baker.
The association’s president, Bob Nicks, claimed the state requested assistance from the Austin Fire Department (AFD) special operations teams more than a day before floodwaters rushed from the Guadalupe River early July 4…