Les Kokanos doesn't do white shirts.
Maybe on a special occasion, but if he's in the field you won't find Kokanos in one.
"I am not a believer in white shirts," said Kokanos, who's retiring at the West Pend Oreille Fire District chief after nearly 40 years of service. "I am a working person and this is what I wear when we are working on equipment," Kokanos said, pointing to his well-worn, dark-colored tee shirt.
Kokanos said white shirts don't pair well with repairing fire engines or pumper trucks.
"We’re the mechanics when we can get it done, where we don’t need to hire anybody," said Kokanos.
Kokanos was one of the department's first recruits, when it was started with help from Buck and Wayne Merritt, who provided a building and a pickup truck to operate with.