A new fire chief has been sworn in for Windsor-Essex.
Emergency responders from thoughout the area were on hand at West Windsor's Tilston Armoury Friday to welcome incoming Chief Stephen Laforet.
An emotional Laforet says he's humbled by the turn out.
"The afternoon went very well. There was a tremendous amount of support from our staff, from our local leaders, and partners from other emergency services. Just a tremendous day. It makes me feel very confident on where we go from here and into the future," he says.
Laforet says he'll be taking a a cue from Chief Bruce Montone's playbook in his new role.
"He'd value my opinion, he'd seek out my opinion. We could certainly converse on the issues, sometimes we'd disagree but sometimes we'd see the same path. It was a wonderful working relationship and hopefully its something I can bring to my staff." he says.
Initiatives under Montone's leadership, such as smoke alarm awareness, and a move towards more modern tools in the field to assist firefighters are items Laforet says he will continue to build on into the future.
"New initiatives for sure but certainly, I've been here for my entire career, so we want to hang on to a lot of the good traditions we have and continue to grow," Laforet says.
With Montone officially being relieved of duty today, Laforet took a moment to wish his mentor well.
He says Montone made the department better every year and its something he looks forward to being able to do well into the future.