Once a shining beacon in Texas as THE department any firefighter would dream of joining, AFD’s light has dimmed, and is quickly fading.
Headed by astoundingly inept and out of touch “leadership”, the boots on the ground desperately try to survive demoralizing beating after beating from a city who’s management and council HATE us, manufacture budget crisis after crisis to deny raises (not even remotely on par with the astronomical cost of living here), and consider us overpaid janitors. We adsorb the failures of Police and EMS daily, taking on policing duties they don’t have the staffing to handle, and act as the crutch for EMS’s staffing crisis. 30+ minute EMS response times are the new normal if you aren’t bleeding out.
At a time when the department has done more with less for 10+ years, when 20+ year old stations are riddled with mold, brand new stations have a/c systems producing 90% humidity, when front line trucks are riddled with mechanical problems, when moral is low, suicide rates have trended up sharply, 20+ calls a shift and ZERO sleep is the new norm, we’re told “not good enough, cut more from your budget”.
New hires going forward will NOT have the retirement we all desperately hope is going to make this all worth 26+ years of abuse. We’ve now been forced to accept a two tier system, further de-incentivising people from applying for the job. 600 people applied last cycle, only half qualified. 10 years ago, that number was 5000 or more.
Surrounding suburbs now pay more, offer better retirements, and have a fraction of the call volume.
Department wide, the moral has never been lower, and only our twisted sense of firefighter humor and our profound moral sense of doing what is right, no matter what new kick in the gut comes next shift/next week/next year, keeps us holding our head high and serving the public to the best of our ability with a smile on our face.
Eventually the city will break us down to a point that we are barely mission capable. On the day tragedy strikes, I hope the public will realize we would rather have sacrificed ourselves, and have been for years, instead of failing our duty to protect.
This department is so messed up you don’t even know what is what because it changes every other month.
AFD can’t even figure out a uniformed helmet to wear. Euro? Go for it. Leather? Go for it. LA style? Go for it? Want a stupid leather front piece that makes you look like an unprofessional idiot? Go for it.
We wear class A’s and members have to purchase their own dress shoes or wear some shoes they would wear to Sunday Mass. Coats? No way. Proper dress uniform? No way.
Black mold infestation is common in fire houses. Roof leaks, drainage issues, old beds, A/C issues, etc… Oddly enough, even the fire houses that have been “renovated” for millions of dollars and have a stupid “art” sculpture in front of them have this same issue.
When I went through the academy, they said we earned the “golden ticket”.- It’s false and the department doesn’t listen to its members who are desperately asking for a different schedule, better pay, or benefits. As a matter of fact, you can vote for something in the local and it will be ignored even if the vote was won.
Cost of living for Austin is through the roof. You sit in traffic for hours just to get groceries. The 24/48 Schedule is outdated and old and it’s not going to change anytime soon.
The city cannot maintain our apparatus in a timely manner. We have reserves that consistently break down. Our front line units will be broken down as well. We have 1 mechanic that is truly reliable and a legend in the department.
The upper echelon “leaders” sit on their ass and collect their fat paychecks. They follow what Chief Baker says and continue to read their spread sheets and emails- holding on for a few more months before they can collect their retirement.
We’ve had a disproportionate amount of suicides. Our peer support program is broken and lost. Good people in the program, but it’s not working.
If we have leaders who actually do their job- they are shunned and sent away. Instead, you have some clown that falls in step with “leadership” and does anything the command staff says.
Our Fire Chief is a clueless idiot. He’s so inundated with his own self ego that he can’t even meet his firefighters. I’ve met him one time since I’ve been on the job for almost 10 years.
At the end of the day, working for this Department is exhausting. It’s constant drama. The firefighters are great, the upper echelon “leaders” are absolute garbage.
I’ve been in long enough to say this. I’m not a rookie or a new guy. This department sucks. Do not apply here. Go work for a suburb and have a fatter wallet, a better schedule and a better quality of life.
Nothing will change until Baker leaves and the city gives us some sort of compensation for all we do.!
Morale has never been lower. We’re running on fumes—physically, mentally, and emotionally. Moldy, aging stations, unreliable trucks, 20+ calls a shift with no sleep, and suicide rates climbing. Still, we’re told to “do more with less” and cut deeper.
The city treats us like liabilities, not lifelines. They block raises by fabricating budget crises, while the cost of living skyrockets. We’re not seen as professionals—we’re seen as overpaid janitors. Meanwhile, we carry the weight of broken systems: filling in for understaffed police, waiting alongside patients during 30+ minute EMS delays.
To make things worse, new hires are being sold a watered-down version of the career. No real retirement, no incentive to stay. Applications have plummeted. Suburbs now offer better pay, fewer calls, and actual support.
We keep showing up because it’s who we are. Not because we’re unbreakable, but because we believe in the job—even when the city doesn’t believe in us. One day, when it all falls apart, we hope people remember: we’ve been holding the line long before it snapped.
You can tell who hasn’t worked anywhere else but AFD when you read some of these reviews or hear people complaints.
This review is based on my experience working for 3 different departments before coming on with AFD. All these departments were in the central Texas area.
With that being said, at some point in my career I was miserable at each of those departments.
My first one, had a horrible chief who we would have to hide from just to eat breakfast in the morning. I got paid $12 an hour and had no equipment or training and were left to hang dry from leadership. We could only do trades within the same pay period. There was no overtime and the moral was low.
My second department was a second job to everyone, to include the Chief. There i made $15 an hour, had no training because everyone was to tired to train. The chief would micromanage every waking moment of us on duty. To include firing and re hiring folks multiple times.
My third department was much bigger but did not act like a fire department at all. We focused so much on EMS due to having ambulances, that it would cost us when we actually got a Fire. You could tell we had no idea what we were doing due to the lack of fire training. There was no good rotations on the ambulance or to get you some rest if you were on it. There i made $22 an hour.
All of these departments had the things in common.
You couldn’t chose what station or part of the city you wanted to work.
You did not have a pension.
You did not have the opportunity for overtime like AFD
You did not have the opportunity to go to staff or dispatch if you needed to due to life.
If you were injured there was no light duty.
You could not promote when you wanted to. Aka we promote every list
There was no academy to help teach. Or make extra OT
There were no “unions”.
There was no station pride, only uniformity. No shirts, no hats, no hoodies, only what was issued.
There was no “safety naps” for those that needed them.
There was no sitting on the recliners if you chose to.
There was no sleeping in.
There was no calling in sick with no questions asked or BIL
There were no Kelly’s
There was no working at 1 station for as long as you chose to.
There were no acquired structures.
For those of us who work at AFD I think we could agree to some extent we get to have these things. Although not important to everyone. These things are the things that still set us apart to other departments in my opinion and not to mention WE DONT HAVE AMBULANCES.
Also if you are still in this job to be a “Firefighter”, depending on where you work you still get to fight fire. I got to fight more fire in my first 6 months here than in my previous 3 jobs combined. But I know some of yall didn’t join to be Firefighters, yall joined to be entitled City workers. Or joined to be at a slow station, collect a check, pension and work on your side business.
My point is, that every department big or small has its problems. But you chose to work for a “Big city Department” and with that comes “Big city problems. But if you ask me, my day to day life at work is the best it’s ever been since getting to AFD.
I have worked at multiple departments as well as with many agencies across the state, so I can confidently say that the officer corp is trash from top to bottom. The department is incredibly lacking in leadership, emotional maturity, and sometimes even basic competency. We seem to have a choice between officers who don’t care at all and officers who micromanage almost every aspect of our existence. Toxic personalities in the firehouse largely go unaddressed by officers.
The call types in this place are absolutely absurd and often leave one feeling like we accomplished nothing all shift.
This department has a strong culture of gossip that we disguise as “reputation.” We have replaced the traditional fire service type bullying to the social bullying of middle school girls and this weird social climbing game that really undermines honesty and teamwork. We seem to have an abnormal amount of suicides, yet we have all of these mental health resources. Why is there such a disconnect? I would argue that the way our “brothers and sisters” treat each other might have a little something to do with it. We value “reputation” so much, but do zero self reflection on how we are perceived. Coming into this department, AFD was seen as arrogant and antisocial. I can’t tell you how often I have seen our people interact poorly with other agencies or sometimes not even interact with them at all of scenes. We aren’t superior to anyone and we aren’t special. We should practice humility.
Teamwork, pride in personal appearance, equipment, and pride in all aspects of this job are in short supply. I am quite literally embarrassed at times to be associated with people on calls who only seem to care about less than 1 percent of our job.
It’s a very wasteful culture where you don’t even have people taking care of basic needs of a station because “somebody else will fix it.” Stations turn into such a disgusting state and nobody seems to care about it.
Pay is great for what we do, but not necessarily for the cost of living in the area. The pension is also great if you were hired before the changes. A lot of agencies in the area have better pay and better schedules though.
Overall, there are worse places and jobs that I could be doing, but I came here seeking out people who would share my values of standards and morals. I can unequivocally say that I have found it very lacking here and I have been greatly disappointed with my time here.
Doesn’t matter if you have all your own certs and done an academy. Coming into this department and have been a firefighter for years they will still send you through an academy like you haven’t done a second of time served. I had my medic and they made me go back to EMT school. City’s on an outdated 24/48 schedule with a noon shift change. I lose half my day waiting to get relieved after not sleeping most the night. I get it’s to beat traffic but when stations can’t be manned till 1-2 for overtime’s floats to get there it’s ridiculous. Overall need to be better that.
Have to give at least 1 star unfortunately. Currently serving under the worst chief and operation’s chief. Grand ma was better and she was terrible (Noda may Kerr).One brilliant idea they recently had was for FF to stop lifting weights due to On the job injuries. Recently tried get station brown out due their in ability to manage the budget. Most of the brass above shift commander level are not smart enough to pour piss out of boot with the instructions on the heel. Then to top it off their egos are so large they won’t accept help. The union president is not much better. So the people in the big red trucks are screwed.
Yeah so these are all pretty dramatic. There are definitely problems. We could use better pay, a schedule change would be nice, and it would be great if we could get more efficient with station and apparatus repair but it’s just not that bad.
For the most part we have good equipment that works. No one is running 20+ calls every shift and getting zero sleep. That’s not a thing. Uniforms could be better for sure but there’s literally a committee working on that right now and we’re about to get a bunch of new stuff
Small unit leadership is our strength. There are so many rock solid officers in our department i don’t know what these people are talking about. Command staff is a friction point in literally every military/paramilitary organization since the beginning of time. That’s the role when youre the ones that deal with budgets and admin crap none of us want to do
Overall there are for sure things we could be doing better but we make good money, you can get overtime just about whenever you want, things that break get fixed, if you’re not getting sleep at night take a nap instead of watching a movie or playing on your phone till 1 every morning
Is it the “golden ticket”? No. Of course not. You work for the city, what did you expect? It’s a good job with a good pension and good benefits. You literally ride around on a fire truck with your friends every 3rd day…get a bowl of ice cream and chill out
Austin Fire has 52 stations and runs 82,000 calls a year. We average 4.3 calls per station per 24 hour period – of course station 1 and 6 are outliers, but even those stations aren’t terribly busy. I left my old gig for this place so I could chill.
I don’t know why all my coworkers are complaining – we have it pretty good. We literally have battalion pickleball tournaments, rarely miss and meal, and get paid well.
User-352… Tell me you are a representative of a toxic executive team without telling me you are a representative of a toxic executive team. This is exactly the kind of tactic that our leadership employs: Gaslighting, victim blaming, targeted harassment, and gross misrepresentation of the environment. Well done proving all of the other commenters completely correct in their ratings!
I have spent 25+ years in the Austin Fire Department and while incompetence has stayed relatively stable in the leadership and executive team, the level of aggressive and targeted attacks and toxic work environment has skyrocketed under the tenure of Joel Baker and Rob Vires. Lawsuit after lawsuit filed for wrongful termination, just like Joel Baker’s experience in Atlanta. Do not work at AFD.
AFD brutally heaps their mismanagement of budget and staffing on the back of their firefighters with mandatory overtime, and rampant short-staffing that takes a daily toll on their firefighters and their firefighters families. They literally haven’t balanced a budget in well over a decade. Do not work for AFD.
Years ago, when I applied at AFD and until recently, there were upwards of 5,000 people who would take the civil service exam for 40-60 available positions. I believe that there were barely 600 that took the last test. The word is out and applicants have dried up precipitously. What does that mean? See the above bullet on mandatory overtime and short staffing. It is going to get worse. And this isn’t happening everywhere, other departments are doing fine. It is absolutely happening in Austin. Do not work for AFD.
The uniformed members of Austin Fire are innovative, dedicated, and forward leaning. Because of this, they are often targeted by a command staff that is all but. I often say to my brother and sister firefighters, literally in tears as brutal punishments are handed down for minute or trumped up infractions, “You are a highly innovative, and competent firefighter. Because of this, you are a mirror that they look at and see their own reflection… and they don’t like what they see. So it is much easier to just break the mirror than change themselves for the better.” That is exactly what the command staff at AFD does, break the person instead of changing themselves. Do not work for AFD.
The amount of talent that exists in the stations is astounding. I am so proud of my firefighters and I have done everything I could to ensure they continue to grow and develop to their full potential while protecting them from the executive leadership. We used to lead the country in ability, innovation, trust, and competency. Now those very things are held against us and snuffed out by incompetent and narcissistic “leaders” to make sure that their ideas are the only ones that matter in their fiefdom. Do not work for AFD.
I may have lost count, but during my time here, there have been at least six of our firefighters that have taken their own lives. Five of these in the last eight years along with a few close calls. Despite that, the department thought it would be a great idea to fire the Chaplain who worked PRO BONO for seven years. It is a culture of cancel and blame with a blatant disregard for the safety and wellbeing of the hardworking people under their care. And then, they have the nerve to get up and speak at our friends’ funerals – Chief Vires, I am talking about you. Read it yourself… https://www.firehouse.com/careers-education/video/55131381/austin-tx-firefighter-opens-up-on-mental-health-challenges Do not work at AFD.
Is the AFD Fire Marshal’s Office currently pencil-whipping apartment inspections rather than actually protecting the citizens of Austin? I don’t know, ask if they are counting permit updates submitted by The Compliance Engine as apartment inspections, even though the TCE “inspections” only consist of filing paperwork turned in for alarm and sprinkler permits. Do not work at AFD.
Austin Fire has been hemorrhaging talent the past 6 or 7 years. There was hardly anyone who left before they finished a 28 to 32 year career. Anyone who did, was an outlier. Now, it is the norm. I have seen people leave at 24 years, 20 years plus just enough days to file their paperwork and get out, 8 years, at 14 years, and this is becoming the norm. What does that mean, other than losing their influence, talent, and aptitude? … See the bullet on mandatory overtime and understaffing. Don’t work for AFD.
I am so proud of the AFD members that have taken time to post their real experiences and opinions here. You care, you try hard, and you matter. Keep fighting for what’s right. Maybe you finally have a voice to effect change.
What a weird place to vent your frustrations. Especially cause you can leave at anytime. I was in the military, and was stuck under bad leadership cause I signed my life away. But out here, you can just leave…. It’s crazy.
“Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.
It is up to you to give life a meaning.”
Jean-Paul Sartre
The people complaining in this post haven’t left because this job provides stability and security like no other. Everyone who works for AFD knows someone who was hurt for a year and didn’t miss a pay check, someone got diagnosed with ALS and received overwhelming support. Examples like this aren’t few and far between.
The same people that take up arms about mandatory are the same that have a lot to say when they sign up and don’t get it and they needed the extra money.
You have so much to complain about because you’re pouring gasoline on the grass and wondering why it’s not getting greener.
You can’t control any of the issues we face in this department, and I don’t want to be the guy that has control over it.
What I can control is calling in when I need a mental health day, making sure I come to work with a great attitude for my crew, I make the most of my downtime at work and at home. What I can control is instead of hopping on the internet and spreading negative nonsense I find ways to be productive and brighten my day.
I’m not command staff, I’m not an officer. Just some guy who knows what it’s truly like to hate your job, and feel devalued. That’s not AFD. I’ve done much more work for so much less.
Take a breather, put your phone down, go for a run. It’s not that bad.
Times are changing, blue collared jobs aren’t as glorified as they used to be. So, recruitment numbers are low, but you can make 6 figures posting online these days. Or get a job working from home making twice as much.
Command staff might be trash, but the folks on this post are the real issues. If you came on this page and took the opportunity to attract positivity I would consider you a true leader. Shame. I hope we don’t work together anytime soon.
Rating Breakdown
1.9/5
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1.8/5
14 Reviews on “Austin Fire Department”
Once a shining beacon in Texas as THE department any firefighter would dream of joining, AFD’s light has dimmed, and is quickly fading.
Headed by astoundingly inept and out of touch “leadership”, the boots on the ground desperately try to survive demoralizing beating after beating from a city who’s management and council HATE us, manufacture budget crisis after crisis to deny raises (not even remotely on par with the astronomical cost of living here), and consider us overpaid janitors. We adsorb the failures of Police and EMS daily, taking on policing duties they don’t have the staffing to handle, and act as the crutch for EMS’s staffing crisis. 30+ minute EMS response times are the new normal if you aren’t bleeding out.
At a time when the department has done more with less for 10+ years, when 20+ year old stations are riddled with mold, brand new stations have a/c systems producing 90% humidity, when front line trucks are riddled with mechanical problems, when moral is low, suicide rates have trended up sharply, 20+ calls a shift and ZERO sleep is the new norm, we’re told “not good enough, cut more from your budget”.
New hires going forward will NOT have the retirement we all desperately hope is going to make this all worth 26+ years of abuse. We’ve now been forced to accept a two tier system, further de-incentivising people from applying for the job. 600 people applied last cycle, only half qualified. 10 years ago, that number was 5000 or more.
Surrounding suburbs now pay more, offer better retirements, and have a fraction of the call volume.
Department wide, the moral has never been lower, and only our twisted sense of firefighter humor and our profound moral sense of doing what is right, no matter what new kick in the gut comes next shift/next week/next year, keeps us holding our head high and serving the public to the best of our ability with a smile on our face.
Eventually the city will break us down to a point that we are barely mission capable. On the day tragedy strikes, I hope the public will realize we would rather have sacrificed ourselves, and have been for years, instead of failing our duty to protect.
The above is well said.
If you’re thinking about applying to AFD, do it as a backup. There are better options nearby.
We’re essentially the big school that should have a good team, academic program and student life.
But we don’t. And we won’t until there is a complete change in leadership, or at least a reprioritization of values.
Apply elsewhere. Austin Fire Department is currently ****.
This department is so messed up you don’t even know what is what because it changes every other month.
AFD can’t even figure out a uniformed helmet to wear. Euro? Go for it. Leather? Go for it. LA style? Go for it? Want a stupid leather front piece that makes you look like an unprofessional idiot? Go for it.
We wear class A’s and members have to purchase their own dress shoes or wear some shoes they would wear to Sunday Mass. Coats? No way. Proper dress uniform? No way.
Black mold infestation is common in fire houses. Roof leaks, drainage issues, old beds, A/C issues, etc… Oddly enough, even the fire houses that have been “renovated” for millions of dollars and have a stupid “art” sculpture in front of them have this same issue.
When I went through the academy, they said we earned the “golden ticket”.- It’s false and the department doesn’t listen to its members who are desperately asking for a different schedule, better pay, or benefits. As a matter of fact, you can vote for something in the local and it will be ignored even if the vote was won.
Cost of living for Austin is through the roof. You sit in traffic for hours just to get groceries. The 24/48 Schedule is outdated and old and it’s not going to change anytime soon.
The city cannot maintain our apparatus in a timely manner. We have reserves that consistently break down. Our front line units will be broken down as well. We have 1 mechanic that is truly reliable and a legend in the department.
The upper echelon “leaders” sit on their ass and collect their fat paychecks. They follow what Chief Baker says and continue to read their spread sheets and emails- holding on for a few more months before they can collect their retirement.
We’ve had a disproportionate amount of suicides. Our peer support program is broken and lost. Good people in the program, but it’s not working.
If we have leaders who actually do their job- they are shunned and sent away. Instead, you have some clown that falls in step with “leadership” and does anything the command staff says.
Our Fire Chief is a clueless idiot. He’s so inundated with his own self ego that he can’t even meet his firefighters. I’ve met him one time since I’ve been on the job for almost 10 years.
At the end of the day, working for this Department is exhausting. It’s constant drama. The firefighters are great, the upper echelon “leaders” are absolute garbage.
I’ve been in long enough to say this. I’m not a rookie or a new guy. This department sucks. Do not apply here. Go work for a suburb and have a fatter wallet, a better schedule and a better quality of life.
Nothing will change until Baker leaves and the city gives us some sort of compensation for all we do.!
Morale has never been lower. We’re running on fumes—physically, mentally, and emotionally. Moldy, aging stations, unreliable trucks, 20+ calls a shift with no sleep, and suicide rates climbing. Still, we’re told to “do more with less” and cut deeper.
The city treats us like liabilities, not lifelines. They block raises by fabricating budget crises, while the cost of living skyrockets. We’re not seen as professionals—we’re seen as overpaid janitors. Meanwhile, we carry the weight of broken systems: filling in for understaffed police, waiting alongside patients during 30+ minute EMS delays.
To make things worse, new hires are being sold a watered-down version of the career. No real retirement, no incentive to stay. Applications have plummeted. Suburbs now offer better pay, fewer calls, and actual support.
We keep showing up because it’s who we are. Not because we’re unbreakable, but because we believe in the job—even when the city doesn’t believe in us. One day, when it all falls apart, we hope people remember: we’ve been holding the line long before it snapped.
You can tell who hasn’t worked anywhere else but AFD when you read some of these reviews or hear people complaints.
This review is based on my experience working for 3 different departments before coming on with AFD. All these departments were in the central Texas area.
With that being said, at some point in my career I was miserable at each of those departments.
My first one, had a horrible chief who we would have to hide from just to eat breakfast in the morning. I got paid $12 an hour and had no equipment or training and were left to hang dry from leadership. We could only do trades within the same pay period. There was no overtime and the moral was low.
My second department was a second job to everyone, to include the Chief. There i made $15 an hour, had no training because everyone was to tired to train. The chief would micromanage every waking moment of us on duty. To include firing and re hiring folks multiple times.
My third department was much bigger but did not act like a fire department at all. We focused so much on EMS due to having ambulances, that it would cost us when we actually got a Fire. You could tell we had no idea what we were doing due to the lack of fire training. There was no good rotations on the ambulance or to get you some rest if you were on it. There i made $22 an hour.
All of these departments had the things in common.
You couldn’t chose what station or part of the city you wanted to work.
You did not have a pension.
You did not have the opportunity for overtime like AFD
You did not have the opportunity to go to staff or dispatch if you needed to due to life.
If you were injured there was no light duty.
You could not promote when you wanted to. Aka we promote every list
There was no academy to help teach. Or make extra OT
There were no “unions”.
There was no station pride, only uniformity. No shirts, no hats, no hoodies, only what was issued.
There was no “safety naps” for those that needed them.
There was no sitting on the recliners if you chose to.
There was no sleeping in.
There was no calling in sick with no questions asked or BIL
There were no Kelly’s
There was no working at 1 station for as long as you chose to.
There were no acquired structures.
For those of us who work at AFD I think we could agree to some extent we get to have these things. Although not important to everyone. These things are the things that still set us apart to other departments in my opinion and not to mention WE DONT HAVE AMBULANCES.
Also if you are still in this job to be a “Firefighter”, depending on where you work you still get to fight fire. I got to fight more fire in my first 6 months here than in my previous 3 jobs combined. But I know some of yall didn’t join to be Firefighters, yall joined to be entitled City workers. Or joined to be at a slow station, collect a check, pension and work on your side business.
My point is, that every department big or small has its problems. But you chose to work for a “Big city Department” and with that comes “Big city problems. But if you ask me, my day to day life at work is the best it’s ever been since getting to AFD.
I have worked at multiple departments as well as with many agencies across the state, so I can confidently say that the officer corp is trash from top to bottom. The department is incredibly lacking in leadership, emotional maturity, and sometimes even basic competency. We seem to have a choice between officers who don’t care at all and officers who micromanage almost every aspect of our existence. Toxic personalities in the firehouse largely go unaddressed by officers.
The call types in this place are absolutely absurd and often leave one feeling like we accomplished nothing all shift.
This department has a strong culture of gossip that we disguise as “reputation.” We have replaced the traditional fire service type bullying to the social bullying of middle school girls and this weird social climbing game that really undermines honesty and teamwork. We seem to have an abnormal amount of suicides, yet we have all of these mental health resources. Why is there such a disconnect? I would argue that the way our “brothers and sisters” treat each other might have a little something to do with it. We value “reputation” so much, but do zero self reflection on how we are perceived. Coming into this department, AFD was seen as arrogant and antisocial. I can’t tell you how often I have seen our people interact poorly with other agencies or sometimes not even interact with them at all of scenes. We aren’t superior to anyone and we aren’t special. We should practice humility.
Teamwork, pride in personal appearance, equipment, and pride in all aspects of this job are in short supply. I am quite literally embarrassed at times to be associated with people on calls who only seem to care about less than 1 percent of our job.
It’s a very wasteful culture where you don’t even have people taking care of basic needs of a station because “somebody else will fix it.” Stations turn into such a disgusting state and nobody seems to care about it.
Pay is great for what we do, but not necessarily for the cost of living in the area. The pension is also great if you were hired before the changes. A lot of agencies in the area have better pay and better schedules though.
Overall, there are worse places and jobs that I could be doing, but I came here seeking out people who would share my values of standards and morals. I can unequivocally say that I have found it very lacking here and I have been greatly disappointed with my time here.
Doesn’t matter if you have all your own certs and done an academy. Coming into this department and have been a firefighter for years they will still send you through an academy like you haven’t done a second of time served. I had my medic and they made me go back to EMT school. City’s on an outdated 24/48 schedule with a noon shift change. I lose half my day waiting to get relieved after not sleeping most the night. I get it’s to beat traffic but when stations can’t be manned till 1-2 for overtime’s floats to get there it’s ridiculous. Overall need to be better that.
Have to give at least 1 star unfortunately. Currently serving under the worst chief and operation’s chief. Grand ma was better and she was terrible (Noda may Kerr).One brilliant idea they recently had was for FF to stop lifting weights due to On the job injuries. Recently tried get station brown out due their in ability to manage the budget. Most of the brass above shift commander level are not smart enough to pour piss out of boot with the instructions on the heel. Then to top it off their egos are so large they won’t accept help. The union president is not much better. So the people in the big red trucks are screwed.
If you like being yard art on scene and enjoy watching other departments work. join AFD
If you like looking as unprofessional as you possibly can. Join AFD
If you like check box, yes man leadership join AFD.
If you like putting safety first above the community’s needs. Join AFD.
Yeah so these are all pretty dramatic. There are definitely problems. We could use better pay, a schedule change would be nice, and it would be great if we could get more efficient with station and apparatus repair but it’s just not that bad.
For the most part we have good equipment that works. No one is running 20+ calls every shift and getting zero sleep. That’s not a thing. Uniforms could be better for sure but there’s literally a committee working on that right now and we’re about to get a bunch of new stuff
Small unit leadership is our strength. There are so many rock solid officers in our department i don’t know what these people are talking about. Command staff is a friction point in literally every military/paramilitary organization since the beginning of time. That’s the role when youre the ones that deal with budgets and admin crap none of us want to do
Overall there are for sure things we could be doing better but we make good money, you can get overtime just about whenever you want, things that break get fixed, if you’re not getting sleep at night take a nap instead of watching a movie or playing on your phone till 1 every morning
Is it the “golden ticket”? No. Of course not. You work for the city, what did you expect? It’s a good job with a good pension and good benefits. You literally ride around on a fire truck with your friends every 3rd day…get a bowl of ice cream and chill out
Austin Fire has 52 stations and runs 82,000 calls a year. We average 4.3 calls per station per 24 hour period – of course station 1 and 6 are outliers, but even those stations aren’t terribly busy. I left my old gig for this place so I could chill.
I don’t know why all my coworkers are complaining – we have it pretty good. We literally have battalion pickleball tournaments, rarely miss and meal, and get paid well.
User-352… Tell me you are a representative of a toxic executive team without telling me you are a representative of a toxic executive team. This is exactly the kind of tactic that our leadership employs: Gaslighting, victim blaming, targeted harassment, and gross misrepresentation of the environment. Well done proving all of the other commenters completely correct in their ratings!
I have spent 25+ years in the Austin Fire Department and while incompetence has stayed relatively stable in the leadership and executive team, the level of aggressive and targeted attacks and toxic work environment has skyrocketed under the tenure of Joel Baker and Rob Vires. Lawsuit after lawsuit filed for wrongful termination, just like Joel Baker’s experience in Atlanta. Do not work at AFD.
AFD brutally heaps their mismanagement of budget and staffing on the back of their firefighters with mandatory overtime, and rampant short-staffing that takes a daily toll on their firefighters and their firefighters families. They literally haven’t balanced a budget in well over a decade. Do not work for AFD.
Years ago, when I applied at AFD and until recently, there were upwards of 5,000 people who would take the civil service exam for 40-60 available positions. I believe that there were barely 600 that took the last test. The word is out and applicants have dried up precipitously. What does that mean? See the above bullet on mandatory overtime and short staffing. It is going to get worse. And this isn’t happening everywhere, other departments are doing fine. It is absolutely happening in Austin. Do not work for AFD.
The uniformed members of Austin Fire are innovative, dedicated, and forward leaning. Because of this, they are often targeted by a command staff that is all but. I often say to my brother and sister firefighters, literally in tears as brutal punishments are handed down for minute or trumped up infractions, “You are a highly innovative, and competent firefighter. Because of this, you are a mirror that they look at and see their own reflection… and they don’t like what they see. So it is much easier to just break the mirror than change themselves for the better.” That is exactly what the command staff at AFD does, break the person instead of changing themselves. Do not work for AFD.
The amount of talent that exists in the stations is astounding. I am so proud of my firefighters and I have done everything I could to ensure they continue to grow and develop to their full potential while protecting them from the executive leadership. We used to lead the country in ability, innovation, trust, and competency. Now those very things are held against us and snuffed out by incompetent and narcissistic “leaders” to make sure that their ideas are the only ones that matter in their fiefdom. Do not work for AFD.
I may have lost count, but during my time here, there have been at least six of our firefighters that have taken their own lives. Five of these in the last eight years along with a few close calls. Despite that, the department thought it would be a great idea to fire the Chaplain who worked PRO BONO for seven years. It is a culture of cancel and blame with a blatant disregard for the safety and wellbeing of the hardworking people under their care. And then, they have the nerve to get up and speak at our friends’ funerals – Chief Vires, I am talking about you. Read it yourself… https://www.firehouse.com/careers-education/video/55131381/austin-tx-firefighter-opens-up-on-mental-health-challenges Do not work at AFD.
Is the AFD Fire Marshal’s Office currently pencil-whipping apartment inspections rather than actually protecting the citizens of Austin? I don’t know, ask if they are counting permit updates submitted by The Compliance Engine as apartment inspections, even though the TCE “inspections” only consist of filing paperwork turned in for alarm and sprinkler permits. Do not work at AFD.
Austin Fire has been hemorrhaging talent the past 6 or 7 years. There was hardly anyone who left before they finished a 28 to 32 year career. Anyone who did, was an outlier. Now, it is the norm. I have seen people leave at 24 years, 20 years plus just enough days to file their paperwork and get out, 8 years, at 14 years, and this is becoming the norm. What does that mean, other than losing their influence, talent, and aptitude? … See the bullet on mandatory overtime and understaffing. Don’t work for AFD.
I am so proud of the AFD members that have taken time to post their real experiences and opinions here. You care, you try hard, and you matter. Keep fighting for what’s right. Maybe you finally have a voice to effect change.
What a weird place to vent your frustrations. Especially cause you can leave at anytime. I was in the military, and was stuck under bad leadership cause I signed my life away. But out here, you can just leave…. It’s crazy.
“Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.
It is up to you to give life a meaning.”
Jean-Paul Sartre
The people complaining in this post haven’t left because this job provides stability and security like no other. Everyone who works for AFD knows someone who was hurt for a year and didn’t miss a pay check, someone got diagnosed with ALS and received overwhelming support. Examples like this aren’t few and far between.
The same people that take up arms about mandatory are the same that have a lot to say when they sign up and don’t get it and they needed the extra money.
You have so much to complain about because you’re pouring gasoline on the grass and wondering why it’s not getting greener.
You can’t control any of the issues we face in this department, and I don’t want to be the guy that has control over it.
What I can control is calling in when I need a mental health day, making sure I come to work with a great attitude for my crew, I make the most of my downtime at work and at home. What I can control is instead of hopping on the internet and spreading negative nonsense I find ways to be productive and brighten my day.
I’m not command staff, I’m not an officer. Just some guy who knows what it’s truly like to hate your job, and feel devalued. That’s not AFD. I’ve done much more work for so much less.
Take a breather, put your phone down, go for a run. It’s not that bad.
Times are changing, blue collared jobs aren’t as glorified as they used to be. So, recruitment numbers are low, but you can make 6 figures posting online these days. Or get a job working from home making twice as much.
Command staff might be trash, but the folks on this post are the real issues. If you came on this page and took the opportunity to attract positivity I would consider you a true leader. Shame. I hope we don’t work together anytime soon.
Do not apply here. Citizens here are great. The City of Austin does not deal honestly. The Department is in decline.