Our People

As a full-time firefighter with the Baton Rouge Fire Department, Austin is accustomed to “unpredictable days at the office”; however, he also gets this sense of adventure when working CSRT Boat Operations for Roco Rescue. Since most of Roco’s work is on the Mississippi River, the fourth largest river in the world, it can be very unpredictable. According to Austin, “Each day there is always a change or new challenge, it never gets old!”

Austin began his career with Roco in October of 2013 as a CSRT standby crew member. The following year he was promoted to CSRT Crew Chief. In addition to his Roco Rescue training, Austin also completed his COSS (Certified Occupational Safety Specialist) certification through LSU. This allowed him to perform duties as a field safety tech for Roco. Then, in 2019, he was offered a position as a boat operator for our Marine Rescue Division.

Today, Austin continues to serve Roco in all three capacities (CSRT Chief, Safety Tech, and Marine Rescue) with a focus on the Marine Division of CSRT. His other certifications include Firefighter 1; Firefighter 2; HAZMAT; Fire Equipment Operations; EMT (NREMT) and COSS.

According to Austin, “Roco provides its clients with peace of mind when on their site or in their facilities. While confined space and high-angle work can be a daunting task for our clients, we readily offer our support. We add an additional layer of safety by educating those around us on how to be properly prepared in case of an emergency and to aid in the prevention of such events from ever occurring.” He routinely hears, “Man, we sure are happy to see y’all here!”

In fact, he says this is what he enjoys most about working for Roco – the support and education we provide to our clients while working on site. He adds, “We provide a calming effect. You can tell when they realize we have their back if something goes wrong.”

Austin and his wife, Kristen, live in Albany, Louisiana. And, some very exciting news…they are expecting their first child in December – a sweet baby boy. Austin will soon have someone to accompany him when he’s enjoying the outdoors, whether it’s fishing, hunting or just enjoying friends and family. He spends his Sunday mornings at church and looks forward to spending time with his church family as well.