Stephen Laforet (left) attends a news conference at City Hall where he was announced as the new fire chief for the Windsor Fire and Rescue Service. Photo taken October 11, 2016. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)Stephen Laforet (left) attends a news conference at City Hall where he was announced as the new fire chief for the Windsor Fire and Rescue Service. Photo taken October 11, 2016. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
Windsor

Windsor Names New Fire Chief

Windsor is set to have a new fire chief come April 1.

Current Deputy Fire Chief Stephen Laforet has been with the fire service in the city for 26 years and is being promoted to replace the retiring Bruce Montone.

The Tecumseh-native is proud to be leading the fire service in Windsor.

"It's truly an honour," says Laforet. "It's been a long time since a fire chief has come up through the ranks of Windsor Fire [and Rescue Services] without moving to another city and coming back."

Laforet is looking forward to the challenge which he says includes improving the department's ability to capture data.

"When we need to look at service levels, when we need to measure what we're doing, we're getting the most accurate, comprehensive data that we can, so that our decisions are driven by science, driven by accurate data and we're not just throwing a dart at the board," says Laforet.

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens says council fully supported the move some months ago.

"Steve has been tried and tested and proven that he has what it takes to be the next chief of this fire service," says Dilkens.

Montone isn't leaving city service entirely as administration still expects to keep the departing fire chief on in some capacity. He came to Windsor from Ottawa, agreeing to a five-year contract with the city.

Dilkens says the process to find a new deputy chief will get underway and is expected to take roughly three months.

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