Appleton’s new fire chief is now on the job.
The department hosted a swearing in ceremony Monday afternoon for Chief Jeremy Hansen.
Hansen was at Fox Valley Technical College, where he was the associate dean of public safety. He was also the director of the Public Safety Training Center.
Hansen says being a fire chief has been a career goal for 25 years. He says Appleton is an amazing community, and he’s fortunate that he was picked for the job.
Hansen says because he’s an outsider, he wants to spend the next six months getting to know firefighters and city leaders. He also spent 13 years as a lieutenant and paramedic for the Grand Chute fire department.
Hansen is the department’s 12th chief, and he’s taking over for retired chief Len VanderWyst. VanderWyst left in March and Deputy Chief Darrel Baker stepped in as the interim leader.
