(Seguin) – Hearts remain heavy today as the Seguin Fire Department mourns the loss of one of its fire service brothers who died Friday following complications from COVID-19.
Seguin Firefighter/Paramedic Roger Dean, 31, died after months of battling the illness at St. Luke’s Hospital in Houston.
Seguin Fire Chief Dale Skinner was among those who traveled to Houston to say their good-byes and to honor Dean for his years of service and dedication to Seguin.
“It’s heart-wrenching time for me personally as well as all the members of the Seguin Fire Department to lose one of our own. It’s not something that we would wish upon anybody and so all of our hearts are heavy at this time and we just ask for the community’s prayers and support but still know that they are committed to serving this community but that’s what they signed up to do and that’s what Roger Dean would want us to do is to keep doing what we do and that’s serving our community,” said Skinner.
Joining Skinner and other members of the Seguin Fire Department family in Houston was Seguin City Manager Steve Parker.
Parker says Dean will be remembered “for his kind, caring nature, and his dedication to serving this community.” “
“It’s very devastating to see somebody who is so devoted to a community and to his profession and to see this happen so early on in his life. It was really heart-wrenching for me and the rest of the community and his team members,” said Parker.
Waiting outside his hospital room to help bring him back home were members of the Seguin Fire Department Honor Guard. The fire guard led Dean’s Honor Walk down the hospital hallway. Several of Deans fire service brothers were also there to escort his body back home as it rode in a Seguin/Fire EMS unit.
Parker says he appreciates the showing of support by so many.
“It was a great sendoff to get him home, a special appreciation to the city of Houston. Their police department, fire department just pulled out the red carpet for us — made sure that we were taken care of.
Houston gave us a police escort all the way to the city limits of Houston. You can tell how much of a relief that was on the family — one of the most devastating days in their lives. To have it run so smoothly just made a world of difference and we got him back to Seguin about 5 o’clock,” said Parker.
As his procession continued West along Interstate 10, Dean was further honored by fellow members of the Houston Fire Department who were seen standing and saluting on an overpass. Flags outside Seguin City Hall were also flown at half-staff over the weekend.
It was in December when Dean first fell ill to the virus. Skinner says since that time, Dean has been fighting the fight.
“Over the next few months, his condition just continued to deteriorate to the point where he was on the transplant list to receive lungs. The COVID had attacked his lungs to the point where they were no longer functioning. The decision was made by the doctors and his family early (last week) to discontinue the life support,” said Skinner.
Dean began his career with the Seguin Fire Department as a Firefighter/Paramedic on July 30, 2018. He was then promoted to Field Training Officer in July 2019.
Dean leaves behind his wife, Stephanie, and 8-month-old daughter, Amelia. Funeral arrangements for Dean are pending.