Topsham’s new fire chief is ready to get to work.

Chris McLaughlin, who started in Topsham on April 2, has always had a passion for fire service, taking an EMT course while earning a public management degree from the University of Maine. And he’s continued that educational drive since he entered the field, saying he’s taken just about every course and training that has been available to him.

“I liked my job in Augusta. I wasn’t desperate to leave,” he said. “I did a lot of research and everything I found about Topsham, everybody said great things.”

McLaughlin served as West Gardiner fire chief from 2010-15, while also working as a member of the Augusta Fire Department. He later stepped down to West Gardiner deputy chief, as he had two young children at the time. McLaughlin, 34, now has three children — ages 4, 3 and 1 — and said the Topsham job was the right fit for him.

“If I was going to leave Augusta it was going to have to be close to home and the right fit for my family,” he said. “Topsham seemed to have everything I was looking for.”

Having served as chief of a volunteer department, as well as firefighting in Augusta’s larger, full-time outfit, McLaughlin said he has the experience needed to handle a diverse department. He sees the challenges facing Topsham as ones that face any department: Recruitment and retention. He said that maintaining the department’s dedicated crew of volunteers and recruiting para- medics will be key to its success.

“It’s a small pool with a lot of options. In order to recruit licensed medics you have to stand out,” McLaughlin said. “I think that’s a big goal of mine to make sure I do that.

“Volunteers is always a hard thing. Topsham still uses a call-crew,” he added. “We’ve got a lot of dedicated people down here. I want to make sure that continues.”

McLaughlin enjoys people, and plans to run the department with strong communication where all members feel they have a voice.

His experience is mostly in central Maine, which means McLaughlin has already been hard at work building relationships with other mutual aid departments as well.

“I know just about all the firefighters and chiefs in central Maine but not the Midcoast. I’ve had to learn the new people down here and meet as many people as I can,” he said. “I had a lot of respect from the people I worked with in the Augusta, Gardiner area, but I’m not really well known down here. You can’t demand respect, you have to earn it.”

The new chief was selected following a lengthy search to find the right person after Brian Stockdale left the position in July. Deputy Chief Mike Labbe filled the role in the interim while the search continued.

McLaughlin and his family will continue to live in West Gardiner. He’s still currently the deputy chief in West Gardiner, but said he may let someone else handle that role.

chris@timesrecord.com