In this episode of The Forward Firefighter, I talk with April Hammond, Assistant Chief of the Cottage Grove Fire Department and DSPS Integrated Section Chief. April shares an inside look at Cottage Grove’s training culture, call volume, and what it takes to lead a modern volunteer fire department.

She also breaks down her work at the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, including how fire departments are audited and why SPS 330 compliance matters to every firefighter’s health and safety.

April talks about her passion for teaching the next generation of firefighters as an instructor at Madison College, and she reflects on her commitment to peer support and her work with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation’s Everyone Goes Home initiative.

From the fireground to the classroom, April’s story is a reminder that the fire service is one big team—and together, we’re a force to be reckoned with.

April Hammond is the DSPS Integrated Section Chief for the Fire Prevention/Safety and Health Program. She previously served as a DSPS Fire Prevention Coordinator and Occupational Safety Inspector from 2008 to 2023, working on several SPS code updates. April is an Assistant Fire Chief, works part-time as a Madison College Instructor, and volunteers as an Investigator in Dane County. She is also an advocate for Everyone Goes Home, founded by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. April has worked as a Municipal Judge, wildland firefighter, emergency dispatcher, EMT, and in law enforcement. She has degrees in criminal justice and holds several additional fire science credentials. April and her family also manage a Dane County farm