Not many would be willing to uproot their lives in the sunny state of Florida in exchange for the often rainy climate of Washington.

Jason Laughren would. He’s South Whidbey Fire/EMS’s new deputy chief. He officially started his position Jan. 1 and replaces Assistant Chief Paul Busch, who served 35 years with the district.

The 44-year-old, originally from Saskatchewan, Canada, is in charge of operations, the marine division, technical rescue and daily response. His salary will be $82,000.

Laughren, in his first official week on the job, said it’s been a smooth transition thus far. He’s already learned a great deal about the history and culture of the department from Busch, who will continue to help the department, despite his retirement, as a volunteer consultant.

Laughren has over 20 years of experience as a volunteer and paid firefighter, paramedic, emergency medical technician and administrator. He spent the past 10 years with the Palm Coast Fire Department.

“It was time to progress for me personally in my career and I felt this was a great opportunity for me to progress and hopefully bring some different views to South Whidbey,” Laughren said.

Fire Chief Rusty Palmer said Laughren’s friendly personality stood out during the testing phase, where candidates for the position were put through a four-hour assessment which included a tactical session, command tests, resolving personnel issues, public speaking and a board interview.

“When we tested him, it was clear that he was a very solid person,” Palmer said. “During the meet and greets, he just rose up really quickly.”

Palmer said the department eased Laughren into the position in his first week, which has mostly consisted of learning further details about his job, the culture and history of the department and meeting co-workers. Palmer said it will be overwhelming during the initiation process, though Laughren, a firefighting veteran, knows the feeling.

Palm Coast had responded to 8,500 calls in 2015 by the time Laughren left late in the year. By comparison, South Whidbey Fire/EMS responded to an all-time high 2,391 calls this past year. Laughren’s experience at the Florida fire department, which was a combination of volunteer and paid firefighters, will prove invaluable for future innovations of South Whidbey Fire/EMS. Laughren also has a master’s degree in public administration.

“He comes with a skill set that is really necessary for the position,” Palmer said. “Just that fresh blood sometimes brings in new ideas and gives us a chance to look at who we are and makes it better.”

Laughren’s fascination with fighting fire began at an early age. Growing up in Dalmeny, Canada, a small town of roughly 300 citizens, Laughren remembered hearing the town siren that called firefighters to assemble. He doesn’t come from a firefighting family, but the idea rooted itself in Laughren all the same.

“I always wanted to be a firefighter, even as a little kid,” Laughren said. “It was kind of one of those kid dreams.”

Laughren’s career in emergency medical services began in 1991 with his work as a diver and emergency responder on cruise lines which operated out of Cape Canavaral and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

In 1995, he worked for a private ambulance company in the suburbs of Detroit, Mich. Laughren said he was often overloaded with calls as the company served as the primary 9-1-1 backup for the city. He eventually obtained a full-time position just outside of Detroit in the Farmington Hill Department. Laughren spent the next several years with the agency, that was until one “miserably” cold January night. Laughren had worked a 20-hour shift and remembered coming home with a sheet of ice over his clothes and said to his wife, “Why are we in this cold?”

Laughren and his wife moved to Florida in 2004. He started working at Palm Coast in 2005. He was promoted to lieutenant within a year and a half, hence becoming something he never quite envisioned for himself as a young man.

“I never wanted to be a ‘white shirt’ as they call it,” Laughren said. “I just wanted to be a guy on the road. That’s still where my passion is, I still love being out there and helping people and doing that. Here, I can still do that, which is wonderful.”

Laughren’s goals for his position include helping the department progress and becoming the best that it can be.

“I don’t think that’s going to be too hard for me from what I’ve seen — they seem like a great group,” Laughren said. “They seem pretty on the ball.”