Fire Lieutenant Dennis Maxwell wasn’t on duty on the evening of July 7. He and his wife own Daphne’s 525 Boutique on Cherry Street. They were at the shop and heard a commotion. Dennis didn’t think twice before springing into action. That’s why he’s this week’s Staff Spotlight.

Dennis has been with the Macon-Bibb Fire Department for 22 years next month. He knew he wanted to be a firefighter since he was a child. In fact, there’s a specific moment burned in his mind which made us laugh, but definitely gets the point across. “When I was little, we went to Fire Headquarters for a tour. We got to see the trucks and lights, and a turnout demonstration, and I got so excited – that I peed my pants!”

Dennis still shares the same level of excitement for his career, just without the pants-wetting now. He tells us he loves helping people, and that’s at the core of what he does. That’s why he didn’t hesitate about running to help when a Macon Transit Authority bus and a vehicle got into a collision on Broadway near his shop.

“I was in the back of the boutique when my wife said she heard the crash. I came outside and ran to the scene. The bus was on top of the vehicle and people were trying to open the car doors to get the driver and passenger out, but they weren’t able to. It was very unstable since the bus was perched at the top,” Dennis tells us. “I cleared debris at the back of the vehicle, helped calm the two people down, and step by step, help pull each person out of the back of the vehicle. Then I went to help the people on the bus, but the first responders had arrived by that point and they were able to get everyone else to safety.”

We asked Dennis how it makes him feel when people call him a hero. “It’s nice, but I don’t see myself as a hero! I’m not doing anything special, just doing what I’m called to do to serve my community and help people. That’s what my mom taught me to do.”

Dennis is an Army National Guard Veteran, a family man, a business owner, a Fire Lieutenant, and one of our local heroes. Thank you for your passion and dedication, Lieutenant Maxwell! We’re proud you’re part of #teammaconbibb.