Oak Bay’s new Fire Chief Darren Hughes was sworn in at the fire hall Jan. 31.
Hughes takes over as Chief Dave Cockle officially retires after more than 30 years of service.
The entire leadership team got a boost. Darren Lee takes over as deputy chief, Roger Stuart is named assistant chief and John Ballantyne as lieutenant.
Retiring Chief Dave Cockle conducted the appointed the new officers before getting a ceremonial lift home in a fire truck.
Cockle said the department will be left in good hands under Hughes’ leadership, although the new chief might have some infrastructure issues to sort out as the fire hall continues to age. The department is hoping to receive a new truck next year, but the hall’s bays will need to be made larger to accommodate new vehicles.
Hughes added the department has an excellent team in place. He said Cockle was a great example of someone who models many positive traits.
Retiring Fire Chief Dave Cockle got a lift home on his last day. READ MORE: https://t.co/zEWbSRvevj#OakBay @VictoriaNews pic.twitter.com/se1cZ92PFw
— Oak Bay News (@OakBayNews) January 31, 2019
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jesse.laufer@oakbaynews.com
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