About Austin Fire
Austin Fire, which was founded on September 25, 1857, provides our community with the services to not just meet their expectations, but to exceed them whenever possible. Responsive, high-quality public safety provided by dedicated Austin Fire personnel build community capital in our department—the “profit” we make in exchange for those services—which directly determines the level of trust our various stakeholders have in the department’s leadership to make decisions in their best interests.
Austin Fire is now one of the 20 largest departments in the country, with 54 fire stations located throughout the city and more than 1,300 employees. The department responds to more than 100,000 calls annually, with approximately 70 percent medical in nature.
Other calls include fires, hazardous conditions, and rescues (cave, high-angle, rope, vehicle, structural, etc.). The Austin Fire Prevention Division performs approximately 25,000 building safety inspections annually. Firefighters inspect approximately 11,000 hydrants per year.
The department's arson arrest rate is four times the national average, and we contain 82 percent of structure fires and 92 percent of apartment fires to their room of origin, meaning less spread and damage.
Learn about our history through this storymap and the structure of our department through our organizational chart.
Austin Fire Executive Team
Thomas Vocke, Interim Chief
Chief Vocke, a native of Dayton, Ohio, has more than 28 years with Austin Fire. Prior to his appointment to Interim Chief, he served as Chief of Staff and before that, an Assistant Chief, overseeing Operations, Logistics, Facilities, Risk Management, Training and Wellness. His career progression also includes assignments in Education Services, Wellness and the Fire Marshal's Office.
Chief Vocke received his Associates from Barton County Community College before earning a dual bachelor's in political science and history from Texas State University.
Jeffrey Kennedy, Interim Chief of Staff
The department’s Chief of Staff is second in command to the Fire Chief. Responsibilities include day-to-day operations of the department, with more than 1,100 members and 56 locations across the 272 square miles of Austin.
Chief Kennedy has 29 years with Austin Fire, and he has been an Assistant Fire Chief since 2020. He was previously assigned to Homeland Security, Special Operations, Airport Operations, and Wildfire Operations.
Chief Kennedy has a Bachelor of Science degree from Columbia Southern University in Occupational Safety and Health/Fire Science, and a Master of Science Homeland Security/Emergency Services degree program from the same university. He was in the Air Force Reserves Fire Service from 1997 to 2012, serving as the Randolph Air Force Base Deputy Fire Chief from 2007 to 2012 and during that time he served as the Interim and Acting Fire Chief. Prior to that, Chief Kennedy was active-duty U.S. Air Force performing Fire Service duties from 1986 to 1997.
Andre de la Reza, Assistant Chief
Chief de la Reza grew up in South and Central America before moving to Austin in 1990. He joined Austin Fire in 2001 and currently oversees the Fire Marshal’s Office (Special Events, Engineering Services, Inspections), Communications & Dispatch, Business Technology, Public Information and Public Relations/Special Projects.
Chief de la Reza is pursuing a master’s degree in public safety leadership and administration.
Ronnelle Paulsen, Assistant Director
Dr. Paulsen joined Austin Fire in 2012 and manages the Finance, Human Resources, Planning and Data Analytics, and Administrative Support Divisions. Prior to that, she was a Division Manager at the Austin Police Department over Planning, Crime Analysis and Records beginning in 1998.
Dr. Paulsen has a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Arizona.
Les McKay, Assistant Chief
Assistant Chief Les McKay has more than 30 years of service with Austin Fire. He currently serves as the Assistant Chief of Member Services, overseeing Training, Risk Management, Wellness, Medical Operations and Safety.
Chief McKay has served in a wide range of operational and administrative roles, including division chief of Training and Risk Management, battalion chief in Operations, Safety, Wellness, and Education Services, as well as assignments as a captain at Education Services, Field Training Officer and Station 8.
Chief McKay holds an Associate of Applied Science in Fire Protection Technology from Austin Community College, which he earned through the Austin Fire’s professional development partnership with Austin Community College.
Phil Mueller, Assistant Chief
Assistant Chief Phil Meuller has more than 24 years of service with Austin Fire. His tenure includes 20 years of Operations firefighting, eight of which were spent in Special Operations. Chief Mueller also spent time in the Fire Marshal's Office, Fire Communications and Education Services. He oversees Operations and Logistics.
Chief Mueller holds a Master Structure Firefighter certification from the Texas Commission on Fire Protection and three higher education degrees, including a Master of Public Administration from UT Tyler.
David Skowron, Interim Assistant Chief
Interim Assistant Chief David Skowron has 20 years of service with Austin Fire. He was previously assigned to the Wildfire Division. Prior to that, he served as the department's Professional Standards Officer since July 2024. In the rank of Captain and below, Chief Skowron worked at the training academy and in Fire Operations.
Interim Assistant Chief Skowron will oversee Homeland Security, Special Operations, Airport Operations, and Wildfire Operations.