A 49-year-old U.S. Coast Guard retiree has been selected as the new director of the Flathead Emergency Communications Center.

Roger Laferriere will leave his current home of Burbank, Calif., where he has been employed as global crisis manager for the Walt Disney Co.

During his time with the Coast Guard, he was involved in managing major emergency incidents from the BP and Exxon Valdez oil spills to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Laferriere was chosen from about 20 initial candidates, later narrowed down to four finalists, by a subcommittee of the Flathead County Office of Emergency Services.

“I think that the selection is a great choice,” Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry said. “We had some extremely qualified applicants this go-round, but it certainly was the decision of the board that Mr. Laferriere brought the most to the table.”

Curry led the subcommittee as part of his responsibilities as chairman of the OES administrative board. He said what made Laferriere stand out most was his experience with high-profile national incident management paired with the fact that he is “very down to earth.”

Interim center director Calvin Beringer said Laferriere is well qualified for the position and said he would be an asset as the new director.

“I’m going to try to call him tomorrow, congratulate him and try to start the transition,” Beringer said. “I’ll just be bringing him up to speed on all the activities going on up there, arrange meetings with the department heads, then get with him and plan some sort of transition on paperwork and other things so he can hit the ground running.”

Laferriere is expected to begin work sometime in early October. His starting salary will be $72,000 per year, with a $2,000 raise after he completes his first year.

Reporter Jesse Davis may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at jdavis@dailyinterlake.com.