Dean had a special place in his heart for helping anyone and everyone who wanted to further their education in public service. His passion led him to work with other providers within Prisma Health System to secure a 4 year grant from the 'Healthy Greenville Initiative 2036' that allows Greenville County firefighters to enroll in and complete their EMT certifications.  On average, the program certifies approximately 100 EMTs each year. The grant is currently slated to continue through 2021. The goal of the grant was to help facilitate Greenville County Fire Departments in becoming DHEC certified as first responders. 

Although Dean was very excited to have the opportunity to teach as the lead instructor of the first grant class, he passed away before the completion of the course. The students in the class collected funds and were able to donate more than $600 to the scholarship fund. This inaugural class has been memorialized as the "H. Dean Douglas Honorary EMT Grant Class".