Daviess County recently named Eric Coleman as its new fire chief, promoting a long-serving department leader who brings nearly two decades of experience to the top post.
Coleman joined the Daviess County Fire Department in January 2006 and has served as assistant chief in recent years. He said being named chief is both an honor and an exciting opportunity to build on the department’s momentum.
“It’s an honor for sure and exciting at the same time,” Coleman said. “We’re headed in a great direction from our previous administration, and I’m looking forward to carrying that on and excited about where we’re headed.”
Coleman has served the Daviess County Fire Department since 2006 and recently held the position of assistant chief. He officially takes the reins following the promotion of former Chief Jeremy Smith, who now serves as Public Safety Director and EMA Director for the county.
County Judge/Executive Charlie Castlen said Coleman stood out in a competitive internal selection process.
“He’s been with us pretty much his whole career,” Castlen said. “He’s pretty young but has been an assistant chief for a while and has the respect of the folks. We feel very fortunate to have had strong candidates to choose from.”
One of Coleman’s top goals is expanding the department’s capabilities for structural collapse rescues — a need that he said has become more pressing due to recent severe weather events. Currently, the county relies on mutual aid from the Owensboro Fire Department for those operations.
“That’s my big push right now — to start getting self-sufficient in that area,” Coleman said. “We have a phenomenal department, and our guys are excellent at what they do. But I want to make sure we can handle these situations ourselves if a tornado or major incident affects both the city and the county.”
The department operates two full-time stations and works closely with 10 volunteer fire departments throughout the county. Coleman said those partnerships — along with coordination with the Owensboro Fire Department — remain essential to the county’s safety infrastructure.
“We depend on our volunteers, and our relationship with the Owensboro Fire Department will continue to grow,” he said. “The department itself will continue to progressively move forward. I’m excited to keep the energy going that Chief Smith instilled and keep us moving in the right direction.”
