About AFD
The Austin Fire Department (AFD), 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 AFD 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.
AFD is 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.
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.
Learn about the structure of our department through our organizational chart.
Austin Fire Department Leadership
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Joel G. Baker, Austin Fire Department Chief Joel. G. Baker was appointed as the Austin Fire Chief in 2018. Since becoming head of Austin Fire, Chief Baker has joined several local organizations whose focus is grassroots community involvement: 100 Black Men of Austin, Inc., and the Gamma Eta Lambda Chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He also serves as the 2025 President of the Texas Fire Chiefs’ Association. 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. He is also a designated Executive Fire Officer (EFO) of the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland, a program designed to provide senior officers and others in key leadership roles with enhanced executive-level knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to lead, conduct research, and engage in life-long learning. |
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Robert Vires, Chief of Staff Chief Vires has served with AFD since 1995. As the Chief of Staff, he oversees the Department’s daily operations and collaborates with City Hall and other City 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 AFD 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 AFD 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. Ronnelle Paulsen joined AFD 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 the department 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 AFD in 1997. He oversees the Wellness, Workers' Compensation, Training, Recruiting, Community Engagement, Peer Support and 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. |