PHOTOS: Chief Dennis Hoke is trading the Illinois River for the Columbia River, after announcing his departure from the Illinois Valley Fire District. The department announced he accepted a new position as Fire Chief of the Scappoose and Columbia River Fire Districts on Tuesday.
"I am seriously going to miss the people here," Hoke said. "I will miss that more than anything in the world. This community in the Illinois Valley is phenomenal."
After almost seven years as the head of IVFD, Hoke said the department is not the same as when he first joined the team.
"They're busier now and we're doing it with fewer people," Hoke said. "We've been having to run on a shoestring budget, but we make it work."