Travis County Judge Andy Brown and Mayor Kirk Watson held a joint news conference Monday to announce that each had signed disaster declarations related to wildfire risk. “On Friday I signed a disaster declaration,” Brown said. “It will allow Travis County to proactively access resources, streamline emergency coordination (and) reinforce wildfire prevention efforts.” According to […]
Fire
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After heated talks, Austin, firefighters reach a deal on a four-year labor contract
The Austin firefighters union has agreed to an 11th-hour deal on a new labor contract with the city. The agreement late Friday ends a weekslong stalemate after the Austin Firefighters Association rejected of a proposal that it said wouldn’t substantially increase wages for its personnel. The AFA agreed to a deal that would raise wages by at […]
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To slash costs, Austin will decide whether to cut firefighter staffing below national standards
The city of Austin is looking to cut overtime for Austin firefighters as a way to save money in the new budget. The change would mean adjusting staffing levels on many fire trucks, which some officials said puts people and fire crews at risk. When a fire team responds to a fire there are a […]
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Firefighters to seek firing of Chief Baker
Austin Firefighters Association President Bob Nicks will hold a press conference today to discuss the removal of Fire Chief Joel Baker from his position. Nicks told the Austin Monitor that Baker issued a standing order on June 6 that prevented Austin firefighters from deploying to assist those working to rescue people during the catastrophic 4th […]
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City and county officials kick off Wildfire Awareness Month
As Austin/Travis County heads into another scorching hot wildfire season, city and county leaders are sharing updates on community-wide preparedness efforts and emphasizing how individual Austinites can do their part. Local officials held a press conference on Tuesday to kick off Wildfire Awareness Month. Austin currently ranks fifth on a list of major U.S. cities […]
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Firefighters, city reach agreement on retirement fund
Negotiators for the city and Austin firefighters have finally reached agreement on how to deal with the Austin Firefighter Retirement Fund so that it complies with state law and can promise retirement benefits to current and future retirees. This has been a vexing problem for the city and its firefighters for some time. Mayor Kirk […]
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Two bills compete to reform firefighters retirement fund
Two competing bills in the Texas Legislature aim to tackle the issue of reforming the funding structure of the Austin Firefighters Retirement Fund. In a message on the City Council Message Board (posted by the mayor’s chief of staff, Colleen Pate), Mayor Kirk Watson said: “AFRF has been on the Texas Pension Review Board watchlist […]
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Austin has had 5 high-risk wildfire days this month alone. Why are there so many red flag warnings?
As Texas becomes hotter and drier, and urban sprawl grows, the state could see more days with an elevated risk for wildfires. So far this year, Austin has had five of these days, also known as red flag warning days, and all of them have been in March. Texas State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon said over […]
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As wildfire anxiety grows, Austin plans to designate half the city as at risk of fire damage
Austin plans to greatly expand the amount of land, and therefore homes, considered at risk of wildfire damage. City Council members are scheduled to discuss updating rules surrounding Austin’s WUI, or Wildland-Urban Interface, later this month. This is the area where wilderness and development meet, and where there is a higher risk that a fire […]
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Austin ranks fifth in nation for cities most at risk for wildfires
According to a CoreLogic Wildfire Risk Report conducted in 2024, Austin ranks fifth in the nation for cities most at risk for wildfires. The top four cities are all located in California. David Bock, senior wildfire mitigation specialist at the Austin Fire Department, gave a presentation to the Environmental Commission at its regular meeting on […]
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Proposals to address wildfire dangers face opposition
Two items on today’s City Council agenda related to wildfire prevention have raised alarms among at least two community groups – the Save Our Springs Alliance and Community Not Commodity. The agenda indicates that the first item would allocate nearly $200,000 for a study of wildland fire fuels by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. […]
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Austin ranks 5th in major cities vulnerable to wildfires
Those who were in Austin in 2011 remember the tragic wildfires that hit Bastrop, Steiner Ranch and Spicewood that summer. The fires collectively burned through thousands of acres of land and destroyed over a thousand homes. “You can still drive down 21 in Bastrop and see where the trees were,” Travis County Fire Marshal Gary […]