Everyday Heroes 2018

WARNER ROBINS FIRE
DEPARTMENT
ASST. TRAINING CHIEF MICHAEL CHRISTIAN
By JAMES SIMPSON II
Journal Staff Writer
As the Assistant Training Chief at the Warner Robins Fire
Department, Michael Christian (called “Dean” by many) has many
duties that surely keep him occupied.
“I’m a man of many tasks,” said Christian. “I’m in charge of training
recruits, hiring, promotional processes, researching and finding
new techniques and ways to help these suppression guys. We hold
classes for firefighters who are employed so they can get their
state certification. I’m in charge of the training center here. I’m a
Task Force leader with the Georgia Search and Rescue team and
an Adjunct Instructor for the State of Georgia. I instruct classes at
the academy in Forsyth and work for a couple companies that hold
rescue classes. For our personnel staff, we have 124 on it, so I have
to track all of their training hours, make sure they stay up to date for
their firefighter certification, their EMT certification, and monitor
insurance ISO ratings.”
Born in Anchorage, Alaska in 1962, Christian has spent most of his
adult life fluctuating between Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Warner
Robins, Georgia. A high school graduate of Warner Robins High
School in 1981, Christian started as a firefighter in 1990.
“I was working in Macon at Georgia Wire and I was just overworked
and a friend of mine said, ‘Hey, the fire department is hiring.’ Never
even thought about it,” explained Christian. “I applied. Didn’t get it
the first time and that was in 1989. I decided to apply again in 1990
and I ended up getting it. Loved it and it’s a job I’m really passionate
about. I stayed here for a little over two years and moved back to
Louisiana. I missed it so much that I ended up coming back here and
back with this department in 1995 and I’ve
been here ever since.”
Throughout his 25 years as a firefighter,
Christian described some of the many
challenges. “For training the newer recruits, I
would say the newer generations didn’t grow
up quite like we did, so having to adapt to the
way the generations are now when it comes
to training is a big challenge,” said Christian.
“This is a very hands-on job but there is a lot
of book knowledge that’s required to be a
firefighter.”
Christian says he works about 40 hours per
week and said those long hours over the years
have taken away some time from his family,
which he said was difficult. “I have to give it
up to my wife and kids because as a firefighter,
we’re gone a third of their lives because of our
work schedule,” said Christian. “I put my wife
through a lot of challenges having raised the
kids.”
Christian points to the devastation of
Hurricane Katrina in his home state of
Louisiana as one of the toughest situations he had to be a part
of. “I’ve had the opportunity through the GSAR program to go to
different areas as far as natural disasters. I was in New Orleans for
21 days for Hurricane Katrina. The rescue responses we did for
Hurricane Katrina were because it was in New Orleans. It was in my
backyard in Baton Rouge. That was rough seeing the devastation the
people had to go through.”
Christian then dove into his desire to do what he does. “Every day
there’s something new,” added Christian. “Not everybody can do this
job. We don’t make a lot of money but you have to do it for the love
of the job and the love of helping people.”
Thank You First Responders for
Keeping Our Homes Safe
Amanda Fiebig
Realtor
Associate Broker
C: 478-952-2499
O: 478-929-4444
526 S Houston Lake Rd
Warner Robins, GA
amanda@affrealty.com
www.amandafiebigrealtor.com
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