The phrase “risk a lot to save a lot” is more than a motto to fire fighters; it’s a matter of life and death.
General President Edward Kelly highlighted this in a strong warning to Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax and Fire Chief Joel Baker as they consider balancing the city’s budget on the backs of safe staffing.
“What the chief and the city manager are proposing is to reduce the Austin Fire Department below national standards,” Kelly said on the steps of Austin City Hall. “That puts the citizens at risk, and we took an oath to protect the citizens and to die for them if we need to.”
What the chief and the city manager are proposing is to reduce the Austin Fire Department below national standards. That puts the citizens at risk, and we took an oath to protect the citizens and to die for them if we need to.
general president edward kelly
Kelly, 11th District Vice President Michael Glynn, and hundreds of Austin fire fighters gathered to oppose a proposed budget to slash staffing on 48 of the city’s 50 fire engines from four to three fire fighters starting Jan. 1, 2026.
Austin fire fighters have advocated for four-person staffing since 1993. It was implemented by the department in 2013 before the Austin City Council passed one of the nation’s first four-person staffing ordinances in 2018.
Austin, TX Local 975 President Bob Nicks called the proposal dangerous and unacceptable.
“What’s outrageous is that Austin Fire Chief Joel Baker is on record directly stating they should never reduce four-person staffing,” said Nicks. “Fire fighter staffing is the last thing we cut in a tough budget, not the first.”
Fire fighter staffing is the last thing we cut in a tough budget, not the first.
austin, tx local 975 president bob nicks
The proposed budget includes an $8.3 million reduction in the Austin Fire Department’s overtime budget, forcing fire companies to downsize.
Kelly highlighted a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) study showing three-person companies are 25% less efficient than those with four when performing the same tasks, including rescues and fire suppression.
He also highlighted how fires have become more dangerous – and deadly – in recent years.
“In the last 11 years, deaths from fires have risen by 16 percent,” said Kelly. “The fact is that fires burn harder and faster than they once did. Forty years ago, you had about 17 minutes to escape a house fire. Today, with all the synthetic materials, that’s down to just three minutes. How fast we get there matters, and it’s a matter of life and death.”
Last Sunday, a fire in Fall River, Massachusetts, left 10 assisted-living facility residents dead. Strong advocacy by the IAFF – including Kelly, 3rd District Vice President Jay Colbert, and state leaders – led to increased staffing levels for six out of 10 fire companies.
In front of over 300 Austin fire fighters, Kelly warned, “We don’t want to have a conversation [here] after we’ve lost 10 residents. We want to have the conversation now. This is a conversation about priorities.”
Local 975 member Sara Coon said having four fire fighters saves lives, drawing from her experience battling a house fire with staffing below national standards. She also pointed out that many fire fighters have no experience working on three-person crews.
“For us to do three-person staffing would take an entire rewrite of the Austin Fire Department, and we do not have the people to do that,” said Coon. “This is about citizens picking up the phone on the worst day of their lives and knowing that the response they receive is going to meet their needs.”
This is about citizens picking up the phone on the worst day of their lives and knowing that the response they receive is going to meet their needs.
local 975 fire fighter sara coon
Now, the IAFF is standing firm in its demand that city leaders uphold the four-person staffing standard.
“Just as Austin fire fighters have been sounding the alarm for three decades about the importance of having more than just a million or two-million-dollar fire truck, the most important thing we bring to a fire, isn’t water or ladders, it’s the people who can put that water on the fire, raise those ladders, and rescue lives,” said Kelly. “We are going to fight to make sure the people who make the decisions in Austin recognize the threat and we are not going anywhere.”
