Dave has eye on quieter life after 30 years in fire service

Dave Young, divisional officer with Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service, is retiring after 30 years of service.

Having grown up with his father in the fire service, it is perhaps no surprise that Dave Young followed in his footsteps.

However, it was only after trying his hand at teaching for a few years that Mr Young decided to follow his heart and realise his life-long ambition.

The young PE teacher gave up his career and joined the fire service in 1980 at the age of 26.

But instead of joining Lothian and Borders, he entered the service in Northampton to avoid "being known as my father's son".

Mr Young made a name for himself during his seven-and-a-half-year stint there, being promoted first to lead firefighter, then to sub-officer.

He then left Northampton to join the service in Fife in 1988 on a promotion to station officer.

After three years in Fife, he finally moved to Lothian and Borders, safe in the knowledge he had earned his place there and would not be in his father's shadow.

He became head of the training department based at the Lauriston Place headquarters, where he once lived as a boy when his father was based there.

Mr Young said: "I had always wanted to join the fire service. I had only ever lived in fire stations until I was 16 because my father was in the fire service."

After two years in the training department, he moved into health and safety, where he was promoted to assistant divisional officer.

In 1998 he became station commander for Leith

.

In 2001 Mr Young was promoted one again and worked in training as divisional officer, where he has remained ever since.

His most memorable incident was the Cowgate fire back in 2003.

Mr Young has two sons, Laurie, 28, and Alasdair, 24, who have decided not to follow in their father's footsteps, but join the police force instead.

But his grandson Evan, three, looks set to keep the family tradition going.

Mr Young said: "He is a fire brigade fanatic. If he keeps this enthusiasm up then that will be great."

Mr Young will be spending his retirement enjoying his hobbies of painting and sculpting, going on holiday to America and sailing on his boat in Argyll.

He said: "I have mixed emotions really.

"I've been looking forward to retiring because there's lots and lots of things I want to do and I'm fortunate that I can retire younger than most people. However, I will miss the good laughs and the camaraderie."