When the Guadalupe River surged through Central Texas over July 4 weekend, the disaster hit fast and hard.
Camp Mystic was among the hardest hit, where floodwaters swept away cabins and claimed dozens of young lives.
On July 8, the Austin Firefighters Association formally launched a no-confidence vote against Fire Chief Joel Baker.
Their accusation is serious: he delayed sending rescue teams to Kerrville, despite direct requests from the state, while children were fighting for their lives.
“He said one of his goals was to increase the diversity” https://t.co/Okj1nb7Nxr pic.twitter.com/YtQYE3RN86
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) July 8, 2025
Delay That Didn’t Have to Happen
According to the union, the state requested Austin’s elite swift-water rescue team on July 2. They were trained, equipped, and ready.
But Baker declined.
A handful of rescue swimmers weren’t deployed until the afternoon of July 4. The full team followed even later, after the worst damage was done.
Chief Baker cited a June policy suspending mutual-aid deployments over budget concerns. The city hadn’t been reimbursed for prior missions and was waiting on $800,000 from the state.
That’s not small change. But it’s also not the question to ask when homes are underwater and kids are missing.
You train a rescue team so they’re ready when disaster strikes. You don’t keep them in the garage while you review receipts.
Firefighters Wanted to Go
Union president Bob Nicks made it clear: firefighters were ready and willing to go.
“Our guys sat on their asses while they’re hearing people dying,” he told reporters. And it wasn’t due to risk or capacity. It was leadership, plain and simple.
The union argues that rescue crews could have been pre-staged on July 3, well before floodwaters reached their peak.
Instead Austin responded late, and the delay, they say, was deadly.
What the Vote Means
The vote runs through July 11, and if passed, the results go to the city manager and council.
The message is clear: public safety professionals feel their boss failed them when it mattered most.
It’s symbolic, yes, but it’s also serious. In a crisis, the job of leadership is to act – not to hesitate.
The Conservative Take
We don’t expect miracles from government. We just expect it to do its core job well, especially when lives are at stake.
This situation illustrates why we value mission-first thinking. Fiscal responsibility matters, but it doesn’t mean freezing when the call for help comes in.
Bureaucrats count dollars. Leaders count lives.
When someone dies waiting on a rescue team that was packed and ready to go, that’s not fiscal responsibility. That’s failure.
Help from South of the Border
In stark contrast to the frugality and hesitation displayed here at home, a 13-member team from Mexico’s Fundación 911 arrived in Kerrville with trained dogs and experienced hands on July 6. They worked beside Texas first responders, combing through debris and looking for survivors.
They brought no petty budget debates with them; just help sent when we were in need.
The Mexican team stayed on site for days, helping search for survivors and giving closure to families, earning praise from U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson and a nod of gratitude from President Sheinbaum of Mexico.
Our neighbors reminded us what service really looks like, even in such a tumultuous political climate. That’s what good neighbors do; help each other when help is needed.
You know what they didn’t do? Count nickels and dimes to determine if it was “in the budget” to act when lives were at stake.
What Needs to Happen Now
The vote against Chief Baker is about accountability, but the bigger picture matters more.
Texas needs its leaders – especially in public safety – to move quickly when disaster strikes. That means giving frontline responders the authority and support they need. It means cutting red tape before it wraps around someone’s ankles.
If leadership can’t put action ahead of procedure, then someone else needs to wear the badge.
This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
