Dave Salmon was appointed Assistant Chief Fire Officer and Director of Risk Reduction in September 2008.

In his role Dave will have responsibility for Community Safety, Technical Fire Safety, Risk Planning and Civil Contingencies, Integrated Risk Management Policy (IRMP), Equalities and the Service Delivery Administrative Units.

ACFO Salmon joined AF&RS at the start of 2006 as a Senior Divisional Officer and Head of Service Delivery (Operational Response). He temporarily took on the ACFO role later that year as Director of Service Support and then as Director of Risk Reduction until February 2008. Before his promotion last week, ACFO Salmon was the Area Manager heading the Risk Reduction Directorate.

In 1988 at the age of 18, Dave joined the fire and rescue service in Durham, serving as a firefighter at a variety of stations.

Five years later, Dave moved to Gwent Fire Brigade where he worked as a Leading Firefighter and Sub Officer before being promoted to Station Manager working in a variety of functions including Training, Staff, Fire Safety and Operations.

From 1996, Dave worked for South Wales Fire & Rescue Service following the amalgamation of the brigades in Wales.

Dave then returned to County Durham and Darlington Fire & Rescue Service in 1999 where he was appointed District Commander (Assistant Divisional Officer) for a group of fire stations before moving into Performance Review.

Upon promotion to Divisional Officer in 2002 he became the Technical Support Manager and then the Learning and Development Manager in 2006. It was during this period that Dave gained a Masters degree in Business Administration.

Dave is also a Member of the Institution of Fire Engineers and a Member of the Chartered Management Institute.