VIDEO/PHOTOS: All across the state, firefighters are ready at a moments notice.
You call, they come.
“When you don’t have enough man power you’re starting to look at slower response times, lack of service to the community,” started April Hammond, Section Chief for the Fire Prevention Safety & Health Program with the Department of Safety Professional Services (DSPS). “You have to start relying on mutual aid partners to come help and assist on calls.”
There are more than 800 fire departments in Wisconsin. Of those, nearly 80% are volunteer-run; but their ranks are dwindling.
“We have to be more proactive,” Hammond stated. In addition to her work with DSPS, Hammond is also a 23-year member of the Cottage Grove Volunteer Fire Department and the third generation of her family to serve in the village.