The Downtown Austin Alliance hosted its Downtown Safety Forum on May 21, 2026, bringing together downtown stakeholders, public safety officials and community partners to discuss fire safety, infrastructure planning and major upcoming events expected to bring increased activity to downtown Austin.
The forum included presentations from the Austin Fire Marshal’s Office and Austin Energy, along with updates on upcoming community events, conferences and summer programming throughout downtown.
Announcements
The Downtown Austin Alliance shared several upcoming community events and seasonal activations taking place downtown this spring and summer.
Republic Square Programming
Stakeholders were encouraged to attend recurring events at Republic Square, including the SFC Farmers’ Market on Saturdays and the Summer Sunset Series featuring outdoor fitness and community programming on Tuesday evenings.
ATX TV Festival
The forum also highlighted the upcoming ATX TV Festival Season 15, scheduled for May 28–31, 2026, which will bring screenings, panel discussions and entertainment industry programming to venues throughout downtown Austin.
Waterloo Greenway Grand Opening
Officials also previewed the Waterloo Greenway Phase II: The Confluence Grand Opening Celebration, scheduled for June 6 along Waller Creek between Lady Bird Lake and Fourth Street.
Austin Fire Marshal’s Office Presentation
The forum featured a presentation from Division Chief Carrie Stewart with the Austin Fire Marshal’s Office (FMO), who shared an overview of the department’s role in protecting life and property throughout Austin.
Purpose of the Fire Marshal’s Office
The Fire Marshal’s Office is responsible for:
- Fire code enforcement
- Fire inspections and plan review
- Fire and life safety engineering services
- Fire cause investigations
- Identifying and regulating fire and explosion hazards.
Stewart explained that many modern fire safety standards stem from lessons learned following major historical tragedies, including the 1903 Iroquois Theater Fire in Chicago and the 2017 Liverpool Arena parking garage fire, both of which led to changes in building safety practices and fire prevention requirements.
Fire Safety Review and Development Process
The Fire Marshal’s Office works closely with development teams throughout the planning and construction process.
AFD’s Role in Development
Austin Fire Department review is typically required for:
- New construction projects
- Remodels and tenant improvements
- Changes in building use
- Projects requiring building permits
- Fire system plan reviews.
The presentation outlined how the department participates throughout multiple stages of development, including zoning review, site plan review, system plan review and inspections.
Common Challenges
The Fire Marshal’s Office also highlighted several recurring issues encountered during project review and inspection processes.
Common plan review challenges include:
- Missing or incomplete documentation
- Site plans that do not meet fire lane or hydrant requirements
- Plans that do not match architectural submissions
- Delays responding to reviewer comments
- Missing access control information.
Inspection-related challenges often include:
- Incorrect permit numbers
- Incomplete projects at the time of inspection
- Duplicate inspection requests
- Construction not matching approved plans.
Officials encouraged property owners, contractors and project teams to communicate early and consistently throughout the review process to avoid delays.
Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Code
The Fire Marshal’s Office also discussed Austin’s Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Code, which focuses on reducing wildfire risk in vulnerable areas.
The code was originally implemented in 2021 and revised in 2025.
According to the presentation:
- Approximately 90% of home ignitions during WUI events result from ember cast.
- The code emphasizes home hardening strategies, not only vegetation mitigation.
- Austin is currently enforcing the amended 2024 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code.
The Fire Marshal’s Office also shared resources including an interactive WUI map and public guidance documents available through the City of Austin website.
Customer Service and Resources
The Fire Marshal’s Office emphasized a customer-service approach centered on:
- Consistency
- Communication and connection
- Technical credibility and professionalism.
The department also shared contact information and online resources related to inspection scheduling, construction expectations and wildfire preparedness resources.
Austin Energy Downtown Network Update
The forum also featured a presentation from Bill Sparks, Director of Commercial and Key Accounts with Austin Energy, who provided an overview of Austin Energy’s downtown electrical network and upcoming infrastructure work.
Downtown Electrical Network
Austin Energy’s downtown network traces its origins back to the city’s original power plant near the Seaholm area and includes a looped electrical system serving downtown Austin.
The network is supported by substations including:
- Brackenridge
- Seaholm
- Rainey.
ERCOT Emergency Alerts
Austin Energy reviewed the three levels of ERCOT Energy Emergency Alerts (EEAs) and explained how utilities respond during high-demand events.
The presentation outlined:
- EEA1: Operating reserves drop below 2,500 MW
- EEA2: Operating reserves drop below 2,000 MW or frequency issues occur
- EEA3: Operating reserves drop below 1,500 MW, triggering firm load shed and rotating outages.
Officials explained that Austin Energy participates in ERCOT-directed load reduction requirements and utilizes critical load planning and voluntary reduction strategies during extended emergencies.
Repowering Downtown Austin
Austin Energy also shared updates on infrastructure improvements intended to modernize and strengthen downtown electrical service.
Key updates included:
- The Brackenridge Substation is approaching end-of-life and will be rebuilt.
- The Rainey Substation will help absorb portions of the Brackenridge load.
- The first phase of network improvements was completed last summer.
- Additional phases are scheduled for June 22 and July 13, with planned overnight work affecting portions of downtown and areas south of Lady Bird Lake.
The project is intended to improve long-term reliability and resiliency across downtown Austin’s power network.
Upcoming Downtown Events
Several major events and conferences are expected to bring increased activity to downtown Austin in the coming weeks.
May
- Paramount Summer Classic Film Series – Paramount Theatre & various venues (May 22–Sept. 7)
- 2026 City-Wide Vintage Sale – Palmer Events Center (May 23–24)
- NISOD Annual Conference – JW Marriott (May 23–26)
- 2026 Superfit Austin – Palmer Events Center (May 24–25)
- CapTex Triathlon – Downtown Austin (May 25)
- International Site Alliance Conference – Fairmont Austin (May 26–29)
- 2026 Build Expo – Palmer Events Center (May 27–28)
- ATX Television Festival – Various downtown venues (May 28–31)
- Austin Record Convention – Palmer Events Center (May 30–31)
- Corient Advisors Conference – Fairmont Austin (May 31–June 2).
June
- ACL Radio’s Blues on the Green – Zilker Metropolitan Park (June 9–10)
- NASPA Student Affairs Administrators Conference – JW Marriott (June 9–13)
- Central Texas Juneteenth Parade & Festival – Rosewood Neighborhood Park (June 19)
- Council of Chief State School Officers Conference – JW Marriott (June 19–26)
- Mixers at Hyatt Regency Austin (June 21–25)
- Austin Asian American Film Festival – AFS Cinema & Event Hall (June 24–28).
Upcoming Downtown Safety Forum
The next Downtown Safety Forum is scheduled for:
Thursday, June 18, 2026
8:30 a.m.
The forum will feature a special presentation from Luis Benavides with the Texas Department of Public Safety on iWatchTX.