F.O.O.L.S. International Executive Board & Regional Representatives
President - Ben Fleagle
University Fire Department, Alaska
After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Ben entered the fire service in October 1990 and
has been both paid call and a career firefighter for 27 years. His time on the job began
in Southern California but has been spent in Fairbanks, Alaska since 1996. In 2001,
just after 9/11, Ben accepted a lateral into the University Fire Department, Fairbanks,
Alaska and continues to serve there as a company officer.
Ben came to love Alaska as he learned to perform and teach technical rescue in the
rugged Alaskan landscape alongside his teammates in Tim Kelehan’s “the Rescue
Company”, formerly of Fairbanks, Alaska. Since then, Ben has served as an instructor
for the Community Technical College, University of Alaska Fairbanks, teaching Building
Construction, Technical Rescue, Rapid Intervention Company Operations, and
performed as the Senior Drill Instructor for the summer Firefighter 1 Academy from
2011- 2014. Currently, he has finished his Bachelor’s Degree, and is focused on his family
and the F.O.O.L.s. International. He is married to his wife Paula of 24 years and
together they have four children.
Ben is a past President of the Farthest North F.O.O.L.S. and recipient of the John Mickel
Award in 2007. Ben was the recipient of the F.O.O.L. of the Year Award in 2013. He
joined the International E-Board in 2015 as the International Secretary. His blog
“Leatherhead109.com” has been an avenue for him to pursue his favorite topics,
leadership in the fire service and the life of a Leatherhead. He is enrolled in the
National Fire Academy EFO program and will be finishing in 2022. He remains a
student himself, pursuing excellence in service and leadership in the constantly evolving
and ever-challenging American Fire Service.
Vice President - Jim Ogle
New York City Fire Department, New York
Jim Ogle is a third-generation firefighter with over 30 years of service in the fire service. He began his career in 1995 as a volunteer firefighter with two departments along the Jersey Shore. To this day, Jim remains committed to giving back to where he started and continues to maintain strong relationships with those departments.
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In 2002, he was hired by the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, where he was assigned to Station 25 in the Aspen Hill section of the county.
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After a short time, Jim returned to New Jersey and served with the Washington Township Fire District, now known as the Robbinsville Division of Fire. In 2006, he made his final career transition when he was sworn into the New York City Fire Department. Following probie school, he was assigned to Tower Ladder 14 in the East Harlem section of New York City, where he continues to serve today.
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Throughout his career, Jim has instructed at a variety of conferences and events, many of which were FOOLS-related. In 2018, he was part of the group that founded the What Exit FOOLS. With strong ties to the area and deep family roots there, this was a natural way for him to give back to the community where he began his career.
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During his time with the chapter, Jim has held numerous leadership roles, including Training Chair, Trustee, Vice President, and currently President. What began as a small group dedicated to giving back has grown into a 150-plus-member chapter that hosts numerous training events throughout the year and consistently supports firefighters in need.
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As Jim accepts the position of Vice President on the international executive board, he credits much of his success within FOOLS to the dedicated membership of his home chapter.
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Outside of the fire service, Jim enjoys spending time with his wife, Stefanie, and their three daughters: Regan, Kiera, and Harper. Jim and Stefanie have been married for 10 years. Stefanie works as an ER nurse, which makes for unique dinner conversations in the Ogle household.
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Regan, from Jim’s first marriage, is graduating high school this year and plans to pursue higher education in college. Kiera, a first-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, competes nationally and also plays basketball and field hockey. Harper will be testing for her first-degree black belt in the coming months and also competes nationally in Tae Kwon Do; in addition, she plays softball and lacrosse.
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As a family, they enjoy camping, traveling, and spending time together.
Secretary - Dave Dubowski
Spanish Lake Fire District, Missouri
Dave began his journey in the fire service as a volunteer firefighter in 1984 with the Riverview Fire District. After graduating the St. Louis County Fire Academy in 1985 Dave was hired as a paid career firefighter. Dave has been with the Spanish Lake Fire District in north St. Louis County since 1988 and has been an engine company captain since 2004. He holds an associate degree in Fire Protection Technology. Dave is also an accomplished fireground
photographer and the recipient of the I.A.F.F. 1st Place Award for an outstanding fire service photo.
Brother Dubowski is a charter member of The Muddy River F.OO.L.S. which was founded in 2006. Dave has served as President of Muddy River since 2009.
Dave has been married to his wife Peggy since 1995. He is the proud father of 4 sons, Michael, Matthew, Daniel, and Joseph.
Treasurer - Dana Larkin
Camano Island Fire and Rescue, Washington
Dana is currently a Battalion Chief for Camano Island Fire and Rescue and works C-Shift as well as running the training division. Dana started with Camano Fire in 2001 as a volunteer and was hired as Camano Fire’s first part-time firefighter in 2004. In 2006 he was hired full time. He was involved with the training division from early on and assisted as a company officer, assistant Drill Master, and Drill Master in about a dozen department run fire academies. Over the last five years he has been the lead instructor for training all of Camano’s new part-time and full-time firefighters.
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Dana has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Western Washington University and a bachelor’s Degree in Fire Science Administration from Eastern Oregon University. He is also an ISFSI certified live fire instructor and has conducted live fire training for multiple departments, but search, along with Firefighter safety and survival, are his favorite training topics. In addition to training firefighters, he also been the lead instructor for the Stanwood High School Cadet program the past 7 years.
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In 2019 Dana started a new chapter of F.O.O.L.S. International, The Cascade F.O.O.L.S., and spent 4 years as chapter President. Dana joined F.O.O.L.S. International as Treasurer in early 2022. Joining the F.O.O.L.S. has changed the trajectory of his career and how he views the fire service. He lives on Camano Island with Michele, his wife of 31 years, and has 3 sons – Maverick, Jax, and Chase.
Public Information & Technology (PIT) Chair - Kevin Fields
Poudre Fire Authority, Colorado
Kevin is a 22-year veteran of the fire service. He currently serves as a Captain with the Poudre Fire Authority (PFA) in Fort Collins, CO. He is assigned to Engine 5 on the SouthSide. Kevin started his career as a volunteer with the Eaton Fire Protection District before being hired by PFA in 2006. Having served on both engine and truck companies, Kevin has developed a passion for high-rise firefighting and elevator rescue. He teaches both disciplines at his department as well as in the surrounding region. Kevin has been a member of Colorado Task Force-1 since 2013 serving as a rescue specialist.
Kevin is a charter member, and first president, of the NoCo F.O.O.L.S. He was drawn to the F.O.O.L.S. by their embodiment of the Duty, Pride, Tradition mantra. Kevin was humbled to receive the 2014 International FOOL of the Year Award.
Kevin has been married to the love of his life (Angela) for 20 years and has 2 beautiful daughters (Raegan:18 & Reese:16) who keep him on his toes.
F.O.O.L.S. International Regional Representatives
Region 1 Representative - Steve Walsh
South Snohomish County Fire & Rescue, Washington
My fire service career spans 32 years. I started as a volunteer in Seabeck, WA, with Fire District #1 in October of 1994. I was 20 years old and later became a resident in Silverdale, WA, for Fire District #1 in April of 1995. I served as an instructor for our county fire academy from 1995–1996 and then attended the State Fire Academy in North Bend for Class 97-2. I worked for Fire District #1 as a resident until 2000, when I moved to Mukilteo, WA, where I served as a volunteer firefighter until 2008, when I was hired full time.
In 2010, I had the opportunity to become a FOOL with the Puget Sound FOOLs after being sponsored by Darby Hepper. Since then, I have been a charter member in good standing. In 2017, I became the Merchandise Trustee, a role in which I continue to serve. There is nothing that makes me happier than being a FOOL—knowing that anywhere in the nation I am, I can call on the FOOLs and they will be there.
In 2017, I made the difficult decision to start over and lateraled to the Lynnwood Fire Department, a neighboring agency. In 2019, the Lynnwood Fire Department and Fire District #1 merged to become South Snohomish County Fire & Rescue, where I currently serve as a promoted Driver/Operator and Acting Captain.
In 2025, I was selected to serve as a Company Officer in the county fire academy’s 2025-1 class. This was a tremendous opportunity for me. As a student of the “old school” fire service, it allowed me to deepen my understanding of what we do, why we do it, and why we teach it to new recruits. This experience has made me stronger and more confident in my role.
I am now in my final five years of service and am honored and excited to serve as the West Coast Representative for the International FOOLs. I cannot imagine doing anything else but serving the fire service and the Brotherhood of the FOOLs.
I am 52 years old and have been married for 12 years. We are a blended family with three boys. My oldest is following in my footsteps and currently works part time for two local fire departments. My middle son has worked for Ford as a mechanic for the past two years and is exploring a career in fire apparatus mechanics. My youngest is still in school and says he wants to be a firefighter as well. If we can get all three boys into the trades, I think my wife and I are doing something right.
Region 2 Representative - Jeff Frost
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Jeff has been been a firefighter with the Baton Rouge Fire Dept since 2004. He is currently serving as Captain on Ladder 1 at station 12 "The Big House" in the heart of downtown Baton Rouge. He is also a member of LATF-2 USAR team. Jeff has been a member of the Bon Temps F.O.O.L.S since 2013 and currently serves as the chapter president. He is married to his wife Brittany and has two children.
Region 3 Representative - Mike Buhrow
Cedar Falls, Iowa
Mike retired after 38 years as an engine company Captain. He is the co-founder of the Cedar Valley F.O.O.L.S. (2010) and served as the chapter's president until January 2022. Mike currently lives in Cedar Falls, Iowa with his wife of 42 years Rozanne. He has two adult daughters and six grandchildren. In his spare time, he enjoys golfing, fishing, and travel.
Region 4 Representative - Rusty Ricker
Georgetown, Massachusetts
Rusty Ricker is a 3rd generation firefighter with over 35 years in the fire service. Having begun his career as a call firefighter in his hometown, he is currently employed as a career Fire Lieutenant/Paramedic in Metro Boston. A certified fire officer and fire instructor, Rusty has organized and instructed for conferences throughout New England. He has also instructed for FOOLS weekends and other events in New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana and FDIC HOT. He is also the President and a Founder of the New England Chapter of FOOLS International.
Region 5 Representative - Anthony Gillan
Ocala, Florida
Anthony is an 18-year veteran of the Marion County Fire Rescue in Florida, where he is currently a Lieutenant assigned to Ladder 1. He is a member of the department's training division cadre and co-lead of their truck company operations program. Anthony is a member of the Orlando Fire Conference's heavy rescue training cadre and is a member of National Rescue Consultants and Build Your Culture training cadre. Anthony has been married to his beautiful wife Cheryl for over 10 years and has 2 sons Aidan 22 and Ethan 20. In addition to all this, Anthony served our country as a U.S. Marine, where he was affectionately known as “the wee Scot”. He is a member of McFOOLS (Marion County, FL) where he was president for 10 years.