From the wrestling mat to the fire line, he’s chasing greatness in Houston County

If you look in the dictionary for “firefighter,” Chandler Dean’s name will likely come up.

Along with firefighting, he serves as an acting officer in charge and also a field training officer, showing new firefighters the ins and outs of the job. He hopes to become a lieutenant.

Dean described firefighting as the best job in the world and said there aren’t too many other professions like it.

“You make relationships that turn into friendships, and your guys are your brothers as you spend 24 hours at a time, sometimes 48 hours at a time [with each other],” he said.

“You have to have a passion and a desire to want to be in this career field.”

Dean said you can see the worst of the worst and also the best of the best, however, one will experience a lot more dealing with the work-life balance of it all.

“It’s hard balancing being fireman Chandler and still being normal Chandler, because we see things that are unheard of, but honestly, it’s the best job in the world,” he said.

Dean joined the fire service in 2019, starting out with Warner Robins Fire Department. In 2023, he decided to transfer to Houston County Fire.

Before, Dean was an avid wrestler. He was State Champ in high school and went to Life University to wrestle. After finishing his wrestling career in 2019, he moved back home and did not know what to do next. A friend of his who works for the Warner Robins Fire Department, Daniel Sandoval, mentioned he should join the fire service and thought he’d excel.

“I tried out, got hired and I had no idea what I was getting into, but looking back now, it was the best decision I ever made,” he said.

Dean is still involved with his first love and has coached wrestling for Mt. De Sales Academy for the past six years. He described wrestling as one of his outlets and said everyone in the first responder field can benefit by having one given the stress of their jobs.

In 2023, Dean won a Valor Award for his efforts off duty and is also the department’s 2026 Firefighter of the Year.

To become a firefighter, one must have a strong work ethic and dedication. Dean compared it to professional athletics.

“You have to eat the right things, hydrate the right way, train the right way and live the lifestyle of a pro athlete,” he said. “At any given time, the tone can drop and you’re expected to perform at that level.”

Dean starts his 24 hour shift at 7 a.m., usually getting to the station at around 6:30 a.m. They will do pass downs first, where the previous shift will give them information. They will then do truck checks, making sure equipment is working at all times. After their daily briefing and daily duties are done, Dean tries to keep himself busy in between calls.

“Usually about 5 p.m. myself and our crew will go and get a workout until about 6 p.m. and then we usually unwind and eat dinner,” he said. “[Station 2] usually is our busiest station in the county, so we always have something going on as we respond to pretty much every major incident that happens.”

When not at the station, he currently runs a landscaping business with his friend, hangs out with his wife, Avree, and trains basically every day.

“I want to go as far as this career will let me go, and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon,” he said.

Dean touched on a moment where he knew firefighting was something he would strive to do well at. During a fire, he said he wasn’t hydrating, training or eating like he was supposed to. He takes his job very seriously, and that moment was a turning point.

“I went in and I was the first one that came out because my regulator went off, and I was like ‘What am I doing?’,” he said. “After that, I told myself I’m going to get better and I’m going to continuously push guys around me because I don’t want to be in that situation again.”

Another moment that stood out for Dean was on his way to coach wrestling in Macon. He was driving I-75 N where he witnessed a crash. Keeping his wits about him, Dean quickly came over to help and saw a little girl stuck in the back of a Jeep.

“I have my golf bag in my trunk, and took the club and broke the back window, cleared the glass as much as I could, crawled in, got the girl out of her seat, gave her to her mom and went about my day,” he said.

At that moment, it was what he was supposed to do. He added any of their crew would’ve done the same thing.

“[In this profession] everyone has eyes on you, and I try to do the right things every day and try to motivate the guys around me and my family members,” he said.

Dean’s favorite part of the job is the relationships he has made with his fellow firefighters calling it a brotherhood. He said he has become rather close with a lot of them throughout the county.

“These people are really like your second family as we spend a third of our lives with each other,” he said. “I think my wife gets mad at me sometimes because I think I see my Lieutenant more than her.”

Dean felt very humbled and grateful for being named Hometown Hero and Firefighter of the Year. He said the work he has put in, like taking classes and more emphasis on physical fitness over the last year, is what may have factored in for this recognition.

“I just want everyone around me to elevate in whatever capacity that may look like,” he said. “I think when people see you doing the right things and you’re constantly ‘chasing greatness’, guys like that are just naturally the ones you want to follow.”

Overall, the people Dean surrounds himself with, who he works with, those he helps, and the ones he comes home to, are what truly motivate him. He said his wife is his number one supporter and does what he does because of her and his family.

“I want to make them all proud and hopefully by continuing and doing the right things, I will continue to do that,” he said. “I’m a [firefighter] because of the passion of helping people. I have a servant’s heart, and I want to serve people in the best way I know how.”