New Salem Fire Chief To Be Sworn In At Public Ceremony July 19

SALEM, MA — A public swearing-in ceremony for Salem's newest full-time fire chief will be July 19 at the Hawthorne Hotel.

Alan Dionne, who has been a member of the Salem Fire Department for 28 years and has been acting chief since early this year, was named the new full-time chief on May 27. He had been acting chief since the retirement of Gerry Giunta.

Dionne joined the department in 1993 and was promoted to lieutenant for Engine 1 and Ladder 2 in 2000. He became captain on Ladder 2 in 2004. In 2016, he was named deputy chief.

"When I joined the Salem Fire Department in 1993, I had no idea what it meant to be a firefighter," Dionne said in a statement on May 27. "Soon after, I learned that I was part of something very special.

"It's humbling to think 28 years later I now have the opportunity to serve as chief of the department that has meant so much to me in a city I love."

The ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. at the hotel located at 18 Washington Square West.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)