Albert Walker
Albert Walker is one of the pioneers for our association. Not only did he pave the way by enduring harsh discrimination and unprofessional behavior during his career, but endured and promoted at a time when extreme efforts were made to not promote blacks in the department. Mr. Walker has been a mentor to our organization throughout the years and has stayed consistent with support, guidance and contributions to our organizations history.
Time stamp 3:11 begins information about Albert Walker
Ed Bridges
Ed Bridges was also a past president of our chapter. Click on his name above to see his bio page.
Richard Davis
Assistant Chief Richard L. Davis Jr. has had a long and distinguished career in the Austin Fire Department, starting in 1992 and serving in various capacities for over 31 years. Appointed in 2009, he has been the longest-serving Assistant Fire Chief in AFD for 15 years. In his early years as an operations rookie firefighter, Davis was awarded the Medal of Valor for rescuing a resident with another firefighter from a third-floor apartment building moments before the entire floor was consumed by fire and eventually collapsed. Chief Davis has received numerous awards and accolades for his leadership and community engagement efforts throughout his tenure. He initiated several programs, including revitalizing the Pass the Torch Academy, creating the Robotics Emergency Deployment (RED) Team, and pioneering the Red Angels Program (RAP), which enhances community safety and preparedness. Under Chief Davis’s leadership, AFD has implemented various initiatives, such as improving firefighter sleep deprivation through the elimination of the fire station morning alert tones. In addition, to enhancing the fire department payroll processes and developing a five-year strategic recruiting plan for the Austin Fire Department and the Department of Justice (DOJ). These initiatives exemplify Chief Davis’s commitment to innovation, excellence, and employee engagement. After retiring from AFD in 2024, Chief Davis completed his career as the Fire Chief of the Cedar Hill Fire Department.
Preston Curtis
Firefighter Preston Curtis joined the Austin Fire Department on July 6 1998, as part of AFD cadet class 103. He later heard about some of the African-American Firefighters meeting, fellowshipping and enjoying the company of other black men in his new profession. It was here that he learned about and met some of the great pioneers in the Central Texas fire service.
After attending a few meetings he shared the info with a fellow classmate Darren Hyson. In 2005 the two of them contributed the skills they acquired from their Air Force careers and their education to help advance the Association. Even though the Black Firefighters were very successful in coming together when a need arose, they contributed their organizational skills to add structure to the association and establish it as an active chapter of the (IABPFF) International Association of Black Professional Firefighters through the development of the organizations first constitution and bylaws, membership applications, dues forms, budgets, and bank accounts as well as a website to share their organization with the local Austenites’.
Now being a chapter of the IABPFF he worked with other officers to bring in members of the IABPFF and pioneers from the neighboring chapters in the south-central region came down and met with them to mentor them at one of the local libraries to upgrade the Austin African-American firefighters association to one of the leading chapters in the South Central Region. Those that came down and met with them were past president of the IABPFF James Hill of Dallas, Texas, James “Mouse” Hill of San Antonio, Freddie Jackson of Houston, Texas, and other members of the region.
At the direction of some of the officers Preston worked diligently and got the organizations its’ 501-3c non-profit status. He was voted in as the association’s treasurer, taking on the duties from his previous successor in that position Ruben Fowler, a position in which he held even after his retirement in 2023. Through their association dues and the donations of others their organization was able to give back to the community through assisting small businesses with fire safety supplies, students with educational supplies and more. They later started what became the Ed Bridges Scholarship, an idea brought on by their Chapter President at that time Mr. Bobby Johns.
He worked diligently in sharing the great opportunity of the fire service career to local Austinites and would even set up Q and A sessions around the city to encourage individuals through the process.
He worked with others to encourage professional development, conducted think-tank sessions and brought in various professional speakers. In 2005 Preston Curtis alongside other officers hosted their first annual firefighters’ ball, an idea brought about by his classmate Darren Hyson. Preston developed the ad print work for most of the programs and flyers used for the Firefighters Ball each year along with the coordination of ticket sales to ensure a balanced, informative and enjoyable event.
Darren Hyson
Firefighter Darren Hyson joined the Austin Fire department on July 6, 1998, and was a cadet of AFD cadet class 103. Hyson was one of the founding fathers of the LBJ Fire Academy which produced several successful AFD members. He managed the Austin Fire Department Explorer program for over a decade which produced several Firefighters serving in departments around the country. He currently serves as the state of Texas Representative for the National Fire Exploring program. He also maintains a Fire Instructor III certification, has served as a department Battalion Medical Instructor, served on the AFD Curriculum committee, and has taught at the Austin Fire Academy. Hyson finished his career by bravely serving on the Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System (TIFMAS) and was deployed to serve in the largest wild fire in the history for the state of Texas in 2024.
Hyson re-established the Austin Fire Dept Basketball team to participate in the Texas Firefighter Olympics around 2010 and the AFD team has been participating every year since then and won the championship in 2023. They participated in several city, state, and community events to represent the Austin Fire Dept. He is currently the Texas Firefighter Summer Games Basketball Coordinator for the state annual games.
In 2005 Hyson came up with the idea of the first Firefighter’s Ball in Austin, TX hosted by the Austin African-American Firefighter’s Association. Firefighter Preston Curtis worked closely with Hyson and helped with the planning and implementation to make this event a reality. They have been working together every year to make the event a success to help several young members of the community with scholarships to advance their education. The Austin Firefighters Ball will have its 20-year anniversary in 2026.
Hyson had the honor of participating in the city of Austin’s first All black Military Honor Flight Program (video time stamp :45 & 1:01) by escorting veterans to the Washington DC military memorials. He had the honor of escorting the oldest living veteran in the city of Austin which was an original Tuskegee Airman. Hyson also mentored many military city of Austin employees.
Hyson has a Bachelors degree in Business Management, and Associate degree in Logistics, and an Associate degree in Health Sciences. He is a retired United States Air Force Chief Master Sergeant(CMSgt) with 32 years of honorable service. He served as a Medic and deployed to support the Bosnia/Croatia conflict.
AAAFFA Contributions
In 2005 Darren along with fellow classmate Preston Curtis contributed skills they acquired from their Air Force careers and their education to help advance the Association. Even though the black Firefighters were very successful in coming together when a need arose, Hyson contributed his organization skills to add structure to the association and helped establish it as an active chapter of the International Association of Black Professional Firefighters (IABPFF). Now being a chapter of the IABPFF he worked with other officers to bring in members of the IABPFF and pioneers from the neighboring chapters in the South-Central region came down and met with them to mentor them at one of the local libraries to upgrade the Austin African-American firefighters association to one of the leading chapters in the South Central Region. Those that came down and met with them were past president of the IABPFF James Hill of Dallas, Texas, James “Mouse” Hill of San Antonio, Freddie Jackson of Houston, Texas, and other members of the region.
Hyson strongly encouraged professional development and helped organize think-tank sessions and brought in various professional speakers. He helped to involve the chapter in community involvement activities like school supply drives, school mentoring, reading to children, participating in the MLK March and Juneteenth parades. During this time they established a website and strongly fought for diversity, inclusion, and fairness in the Austin fire department. He along with Preston Curtis saw the need of diversity and presented the “Reflect Initiative” and submitted it to the department command staff for consideration. Hyson and Curtis met with city leaders at City Hall on several occasions on various diversity manners matters, including holding a press conference for one of the females (Johnell Booker) that was being mistreated in the department. The chapter President at the time was Bobby Johns.
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