AUSTIN, Texas — Austin Fire Chief Joel G. Baker will retire Aug. 31 after nearly eight years leading the Austin Fire Department, with the city announcing Tuesday that he will be out of the office starting Aug. 11.
The city and fire department did not disclose a reason for Baker’s departure.
Tom Vocke will serve as acting fire chief starting Tuesday and will formally assume the interim position Sept. 1, according to a city memo.
Baker joined the Austin Fire Department in December 2018 after retiring from Atlanta’s Fire and Rescue Department, where he spent 30 years and served as fire chief during his final three years. He became Austin’s first African American fire chief.
“We will miss Chief Baker and his ever-present positive attitude,” Vocke wrote in an internal email to the department. “We wish him a retirement filled with holidays, banquets and fortunes.”
The city plans to conduct a nationwide search for Baker’s replacement.
“The recruitment process will be designed to attract highly qualified candidates with demonstrated experience leading modern fire and emergency services,” Vocke said in the memo.
During Baker’s tenure, the Austin Fire Department responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, added mental health assessments to firefighters’ annual medical exams and opened five new fire stations over six years, according to the city.
Baker also faced criticism from the Austin Firefighters Union. In 2025, union members approved a vote of no confidence in him following his department’s response to historic flooding in the Texas Hill Country.
About 93% of the union’s 993 members supported the resolution, according to KUT.
