About AFD
The Austin Fire Department, headed by Fire Chief Joel G. Baker, was founded on September 25, 1857.
We are now one of the 20 largest departments in the country, with 52 fire stations located throughout the city and more than 1,200 employees. AFD responds to more than 85,000 calls annually, with approximately 70 percent medical in nature. The most common question we get? “I called 911 for an ambulance; why is a fire truck here?" Now you know why!
Other calls include fires, hazardous conditions, and rescues (cave, high-angle, rope, vehicle, structural, etc.). Our Prevention section does about 25,000 building safety inspections annually; our firefighters do about 11,000 hydrant inspections per year. Our arrest rate for arsons 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.