Seguin re-names fire station in honor of fallen firefighter

Seguin, TX, USA / Seguin Today
Cindy Aguirre

(Seguin) – The memory of fallen Seguin firefighter Roger W. Dean III will forever rest at Fire Station No. 3. According to Dean’s father Roger Jr., a fire station is a firefighter’s second home. He says that’s why it’s, even more, honoring that the firehouse is located at the corner of Kingsbury and State Hwy. 123 is now named after his son.

“To firefighters, their station is a second home – a place of family, a place of shelter like a conventional home but it’s also a visual symbol in society that represents a place of safety, of over watch, of pride and indeed just like firefighters are integral to our community so are firehouses,” said Dean.

Dean passed away on April 23, 2021, following complications from COVID-19, which he contracted while serving the community as a firefighter and paramedic for the Seguin Fire Department.

Seguin Fire Chief Dale Skinner led a recent celebration naming the firehouse in his honor. Skinner says Dean is forever memorialized in not only in the structure of the building but in the integrity of the Seguin Fire Department.

“Today Roger’s name will forever be a part of the Seguin Fire Department no matter what and it’s just a great thing for me to be able to honor him this way. Roger began his career in Seguin on July 30, 2018, and it didn’t take long for Roger to find his place in the organization and quickly earned the respect from his peers as a top-notch firefighter. He quickly became a part of our family. As soon as he was eligible for the position of EMS training officer, his battalion chief and other officers quickly recommended him for the job. He had a reputation for being a great paramedic, teacher and instructor as a lot of his service was evident not only in how he treated our community and every patient he encountered but with each new paramedic he trained but that’s the way Roger was. He took great pride in this organization and this profession and that’s why today is such a great honor for me to be able to do that,” said Skinner.

Overwhelmed as the fire engine red drape was pulled off from the letting above the bay doors were Dean’s wife Stephanie and their toddler daughter Amelia. Stephanie says this latest effort by the city of Seguin to pay homage to her husband only exemplifies the true nature of the brotherhood that lies within the fire department.

“I want to start by saying what an honor it is to have Roger’s name forever attached to the Seguin Fire Department. The first time Roger stepped foot in the Seguin Fire Department, he knew he was home. Actually, I remember he had his interview at this fire station. He was very nervous, but I remember him coming home telling me how Seguin embodied everything he loved about the fire service – the tradition, the sense of brotherhood and the passion for serving your community – That no matter where you are or who you are, the fire department is a family – a true community that Roger held so dear — remembering the tradition while developing new training, having a sense of brotherhood with your fellow firefighters and continuing to serve your community with the same passion that you had when you first put on your gear,” said Stephanie.

Having stood by the family every step of the way since 2020 was Seguin City Manager Steve Parker. Parker says naming the fire house is just the next chapter in the profession here in Seguin.

“Although we love and miss Roger, I don’t see this as a sad day – even though I almost teared up. I see this as an inspiring day as this will become an enteral remembrance of what Roger meant to this organization. This place will stand as a tribute to the unwavering dedication and sacrifice of one of our own – a fallen hero who gave everything in the service of others,” said Parker.

Seguin Mayor Donna Dodgen says with the new chapter also comes the continuation of Dean’s stories so that they, too, are forever told.

“I just want to say that it’s really a celebration and an honor to name something after someone — for it to be forever in our memories and for those stories to be forever shared and continued to be passed down. I truly see this as an honoring and a celebration and it’s just a wonderful season to do that as well,” said Dodgen.

The ceremony naming the firehouse after Dean was held Saturday, December 2., the same day as his mother, Ashley’s, birthday.

Dean was the first line of duty death in the Seguin Fire Department’s history.

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