Dave is a specialist in Emergency and Crisis Management, Incident Command, Crisis Training, and Business Continuity Planning. Having served over 31 years in the UK Fire and Rescue Service, retiring as an Assistant Chief Fire Officer in October 2014, Dave has extensive skills, knowledge, and experience in many different roles as a professional fire practitioner, senior commander and search and recovery specialist.

During his career, Dave served in many different roles, including Operations, Emergency Response Support, Training, Community and Fire Safety and the Emergency Fire Control Room.

Dave served as a Senior and Principal Officer operating at Tactical (Silver) and Strategic (Gold) levels for over 10 years, in both day-to-day management of the Service as well as operationally at multiple types of emergency incidents. These roles included command of the Operational Response Function for the Service with responsibility for all the Emergency Fire Stations in the County and the Emergency Fire Control Call Handling Centre with over 500 operational personnel, equipment, and assets. In 2010 he was seconded to undertake a project to introduce Civil Resilience Planning and a Fire Special Operations Team into the Service, capable of operating alongside the Police and other first responders, following the 9/11 and 7/7 terrorist attacks.

Dave has deployed around the world to multiple mass fatality incidents, including air crashes, natural disasters, large building fires, and building collapses. Dave has led large teams as an Incident Director and Team Leader, managing search and recovery, logistics, family and government liaison, personal effects, and family assistance.

Dave is a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management and has attended the Warwickshire University Executive Leadership and Gold Commander Programme.