From Casco Township in southern Michigan to East Tennessee and places in between, Andy Hahn found his home, a new life, a new wife and a new career. And today, he is being honored as an “Our Town Hero” for heroism in that new career.
His new career began in 2023 when, at the age of 41, he was hired by the Scott County Sheriff’s Office as a patrol deputy. After a year there, he was hired by Sheriff Russell Barker as a patrol deputy with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) on October 6, 2024.
In late August Sheriff Barker, during ceremonies announcing awards and promotions, presented Hahn with the ACSO Lifesaver Award along with the Deputy of the Quarter award after only two years in law enforcement.
First, the Lifesaver Award details. At approximately 4 a.m. on the morning of July 8, 2025, Hahn responded to a reported house fire with flames visible on Old Lake City Highway near Rocky Top, Tennessee. He was the first emergency responder to arrive. “The lady who lived there was standing in the driveway talking on her cell phone. She was OK but said there was a man in the back bedroom.”
Hahn ran to the back of the home and found the right room and its window. The man was on the floor, partially under the bed. He smashed and broke the window with his right forearm, hand and elbow – suffering a few lacerations. The house was burning inside and filled with smoke. He quickly realized he would not be able to get the man to the window and through it. He ran back to the front and through the front door to find the bedroom. Keep in mind he had no fire helmet, coat or oxygen tank and mask. And smoke inhalation is serious business. Law enforcement officers are not trained as firefighters.
He headed inside, negotiating the smoke and flames, and found that back bedroom. “It looked as though he was trying to get under the bed and protect himself, but didn’t quite make it all the way. He was in and out of consciousness and barely breathing from the smoke,” Hahn said. “I dragged him out and finally put him into a combination carry and drag position and I got him out.” As he and the man, 60, reached the front yard, the EMS Ambulance team arrived and began working on him.
“I hope he’s doing OK. All I know is that he survived but had a bad case of smoke inhalation,” Hahn said. “I think they transferred him to Vanderbilt pretty quickly to work on the smoke damage to his lungs.”
Deputy Andy Hahn
Saving this man’s life coupled with his normal patrol work on C Shift – commanded by Sgt. Jonathan Acker and Cpl. Robert Collins – is why Hahn was selected as Deputy of the Quarter.
Sheriff Barker hired Hahn, and following these awards, he shared his thoughts on the deputy: “… All law enforcement officers know the risks and dangers of the job. We go to work every day fully aware of them. On that day, Deputy Hahn put his own safety aside and risked his own life to save another. We’re proud he’s in our Sheriff’s Office family.”
After graduating high school in 2001, Hahn had several jobs – helping his father drill wells and working for a small concrete/ block/ brick company, among them. He married his first wife in 2009 and they divorced in 2015. In 2017, he relocated to East Tennessee, found construction work, and eventually joined a pest control company where he worked for five years.
He was ready for a change, and a workout buddy convinced him to consider law enforcement. “You know, it’s interesting how things can turn out in your life. I had always thought about being a cop and thought it would be a neat job and a good fit for me,” he explained. “Something pulled me into it.”
He was still living in Michigan when he and his future wife, Amanda Lay, met online on March 6, 2016. Hahn hit the road for Tennessee. They were married on March 29, 2019. Today, they enjoy the quiet life in Huntsville, Tennessee, and have one grandchild with a second on the way. Amanda is a speech language pathologist with a master’s degree from the University of Tennessee and works for a home health company.
Her son and Hahn’s stepson is Jadrien, 25, who lives in Winfield. He and his wife are expecting their first child soon. Hahn has a son from his first marriage, Aiden, 16, who lives in South Carolina with his mother.
Hahn has a knack for construction work. He’s recently remodeled five or six homes owned by family members, and that helps keep him busy. It sounds a bit like he has to go to work to relax a little. He enjoys hunting and fishing. But he has little time for either of late. His other passion is mixed martial arts.
When he talks about his job, it sounds like it’s not a job. “The way my brain works, I hate doing repetitive things at work. The human element is never the same day to day and call to call,” he explained. “It’s always different, and every call is challenging – you have to use your life skills for decision making and how you handle the calls and the people. One reason I really love it here is the top-notch guys I work with every day on C Shift. They’re teaching me a lot, and their guidance is a blessing.”
There is one “piece” of leftover business from that July morning he saved a life. Each time he uses his right hand to squeeze a hammer or another tool, he feels it and thinks back to that morning. “I’ve still got a piece of glass in my right hand lodged in the pinkie knuckle from when I broke the window, and I need to get it cut out. But I have to find the time to get it done.”
Tom King has been the editor of newspapers in Texas and California and also worked in Tennessee and Georgia. If you have someone you think we should consider featuring, please email him at the link with his name or text him at 865-659-3562.
Our Town Hero is sponsored by Aubrey’s Restaurants.
