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 the structure of our department through our organizational chart.
Austin Fire Executive Team
Joel G. Baker, Austin Fire Chief Chief Baker was served as the head of Austin Fire since December 2018. An Atlanta native, Joel G. Baker began his professional fire service career with the City of East Point Fire Department (Georgia) in 1986. Fire Chief Baker holds several degrees, including an Associate of Applied Sciences in Fire Science Technology, a Bachelor of Science in Human Resources and Policy Studies from the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University, a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Columbus State University, and is a graduate of Harvard’s Senior Executive Education in State and Local Government program. |
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Robert Vires, Chief of Staff Chief Vires has served with Austin Fire since 1995. As the Chief of Staff, he oversees the department’s daily operations and collaborates with City Hall and other departments on joint efforts to serve the community. Prior to serving as Chief of Staff, Chief Vires was the Fire Marshal for three years. Throughout his career, Chief Vires has earned a variety of certifications, completed training and pursued college education that have been instrumental to his past and current role. |
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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), Arson, Communications and Dispatch, and Business Technology Divisions. Chief de la Reza is pursuing a master’s degree in public safety leadership and administration. |
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Jeffrey Kennedy, Assistant Chief Chief Kennedy joined Austin Fire in 1997. He retired from the United States Airforce reserves as a Deputy Fire Chief. He oversees the Homeland Security, Special Operations, Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) and Wildfire Divisions. Chief Kennedy is pursuing a master’s degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management. |
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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. |
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Thayer Smith, Assistant Chief Chief Smith has known he wanted to work in the fire service since he was in kindergarten and began training with a local volunteer department at age 15. He joined Austin Fire in 1992 and currently oversees the Operations, Public Information, and Logistics Divisions. Chief Smith has an associate’s degree in Fire Protection Technology from Austin Community College. |
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Thomas Vocke, Assistant Chief Chief Vocke joined Austin Fire in 1997. He oversees the Wellness, Workers’ Compensation, Training, Recruiting, Community Engagement, Peer Support, Safety and Risk Management Divisions. 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. |
