FOOLS International

01/25/2025

Join Magic Valley FOOLS in June for “Fundamentals of the First Due Nozzleman” in Twin Falls, ID.

Registration link below 👇

Get tickets online for 25 - Fundamentals of the First Due Nozzleman here.

01/22/2025

Early bird pricing is still available through January!

Don’t miss out on the .o.o.l.s.international Convention & Leadership Summit 🔥 held in June in sunny SoFla

Sign up link in comments below

01/22/2025

Congratulations to Puget Sound F.O.O.L. Of the Year Eric Reygers. Brother Reygers epitomizes what the FOOLS are all about 🔥🤘👊🔥

**2024 PUGET SOUND F.O.O.L. OF THE YEAR - ERIC REYGERS**

HUGE congratulations to chapter Training Trustee and SRFR Fireman Eric Reygers, who was selected by his peers at today's quarterly meeting as the 2024 Puget Sound "F.O.O.L. of the Year".

Eric has been a loyal contributing member of the chapter for several years after being actively recruited for numerous demonstrable qualities:

He is a good fireman with a love for the job. He is passionate about the history of the fire service and has a large following on Twitter for his showcase of iconic vintage fire service photos.

He commits a considerable amount of time on his scheduled off days to train recruits and probationary members, and has been witnessed many times coaching, sharing tips and mentoring probationary firefighters late into the night on the culture and expectations of the job.

He is the lynchpin behind the chapter organizing and delivering hands on training for the first time in many years this past November at the Getchell house and did a fantastic job, with plans for more HOT training later this year.

Most importantly, he is a genuinely kind and good human being, who treats others with respect and is a committed family man. He and his wife Suhaila are expecting their first child in March.

He truly embodies what it means to be a F.O.O.L. and we are proud to see him recognized for his efforts. Congratulations brother, we love you!

PICTURED: Brother Reygers with has father at a training burn conducted in his hometown near Vancouver.

01/21/2025

If you've been around us for any length of time, you know how important Mental Health is to use here at the New England FOOLS.

We are excited to announce one of the speakers for the Northeastern Fire Summit 2025.

Matty Johnson will be presenting "6 Feet Over/ IDLH : IN Death Life Happened".

This story shares his journey of recovery from active addiction to a terminal diagnosis and eventually hospice, all while being crushed riding tailboard on a Downtown Engine. From Rehab, to laughs, to stories of su***de and redemption, this is uncensored look into the life of a Hometown zero. Relatable and honest he hopes to highlight mistakes that have no business being repeated, as well as the truths he learned along the way of living a life of purpose.

Matty was born and raised in Miami, Florida. He has been a passionate student of the Fire Service for over 17 years. Currently assigned to the Operations Division of Ft. Lauderdale Fire Department attached to the 2nd Battalion, Engine Co. 2 in the confines of Downtown Ft Lauderdale. Instructor with Fire Service training Consulting LLC. Instructor with The Mayday Mindset LLC. Owner of 6 Feet Over LLC, and travels nationally as guest instructor, speaker, and Keynote at various Fire Conferences. Matty holds the rank of Fireman/ Paramedic, and currently a shift training Dude.

01/20/2025

01/15/2025

🚨🔥REMINDER🔥🚨

Get signed up for the 2025 FOOLS International Convention by the end of the month to secure the early-bird pricing!

For those having issues booking a hotel for Convention, the link has been updated.

Information and registration for the 2023 F.O.O.L.S. International Convention.

01/15/2025

Continue to keep the the members of Montgomery County Fire & Rescue and the friends and family of Master FF Chris Higgins in your thoughts and prayers.

CLICK FOR DIRECTIONS Funeral Home Church Glen Haven Memorial Park Earleigh Heights VFD

01/12/2025

L-E-G-E-N-D-S

FOOLS we are!! Last Tues @ the Hollins FDC basement bar. Mike Gilbert (FOOLS International founding member), Leigh Hollins (Suncoast FOOLS founding member/past Pres, 575 FOOLS GA member) & Anthony Avillo (What Exit? FOOLS NJ member). Cheers!!

01/12/2025

RFB

January 11, 2025 - LODD
Master Firefighter Christopher J. Higgins, 47 - T715
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, MD
At 4:52 pm, units from Prince George’s County, Montgomery County, and Howard County were dispatched to the 15600 block of Bradford Drive, Laurel. Units arrived on the scene to find a confirmed fire in a carport which extended to the single family home. During the initial minutes of the incident, Firefighter Higgins suffered a critical medical emergency while throwing ladders to the house while operating on scene. The firefighter was quickly treated by paramedics, and transported to a White Oak Medical Center. Firefighter Higgins was a 23 year veteran of the department.

01/12/2025

Go over and give the Mississippi Mayhem F.O.O.L.S. a like and warm welcome!

01/12/2025

One of our key missions here at the New England FOOLS is furthering and bettering the Fire Service in New England. We bring all y'all quality opportunities throughout the year to learn from the best in the business at various events throughout our region.

We try and utilize the Northeastern Fire Summit as an opportunity to help better our own members as well. Many of our instructors and friends have gotten their start speaking for us, and we seek to help our members take their career to that next level when we can.

There are many New England FOOLS and FOOLS International members speaking this year. But we are taking it one step further.

New England FOOLS member Michael Goldstein recently kicked off a podcast called The CAN Report, and we are pleased to announce that he will be joining us for the Northeastern Fire Summit 2025 to interview both instructors and attendees and create some killer content on a FOOLish level all weekend long.

"The C.A.N. Report is a mission to bring the fire service and first responder community of New Hampshire to the masses. NH has such a rich history in the fire service, and so many talented individuals within the state. My mission is to bring those departments and people to light. Of course, the fire service community spreads nationwide and we are all family. So along with speaking with my fellow brothers and sisters within NH, I am inviting all of my brothers and sisters from around the Nation to tell their stories, share their knowledge and passion to all of us."

01/09/2025

A heartfelt tribute from our brother FOOL Brandon Roark about former Michiana F.O.O.L.S. VP and Elkhart Captain Adam “Pugsley” Kuspa. Take the time to read and be more like Pugs. The fire service needs more Pugs…the world needs more Pugs.

RFB

“Bro, we've got a lot of brothers and sisters hurting right now, and it’s no surprise—Adam was one of a kind. He was our FOOLS VP back when I was president, and he played a huge role in the Lake Effect Fire Nuggets with Stretch Martin and me. EVERYONE knew Puggs!

Adam grew up on the west side of the South Bend, where the streets were all too familiar with trauma and fires…that was his backyard and his stomping grounds as a kid. I am not too sure how he got hooked up with the fire service, but I know he practically lived at the firehouses, soaking it all in like it was his oxygen. By the time he was old enough to be a cadet at Portage Fire, he was already bitten by the bug.
After graduating from Washington High, he joined Portage Fire and eventually transitioned to Center Township when they merged (Later Southwest Central Fire). As a part-timer he pulled shifts wherever he could—Southwest, Notre Dame, Clay Fire—you name it. He hustled harder than a probie on coffee duty, juggling part-time gigs while chasing his passion for the job.
When Elkhart City Fire hired him 19 years ago, he won the lottery. Funny story: South Bend called him with a full-time offer two days after Elkhart did. But Adam, in true Pugsley fashion, stayed loyal to Elkhart because they chose him first, and loyalty matters. The joke, though, was on all of us. His loyalty wasn’t to a patch or a city—it was to the job and the brotherhood, and his brothers and sisters at Elkhart not only fostered that brotherhood fire burning in him, but they poured gasoline on it…something that Pugsley would do for everyone he met.
Adam bled that sooty, smelly runoff from a good job. Whether it was with Elkhart, South Bend, Clay, Center Township, Notre Dame, the FOOLS, Lake Effect Fire Nuggets, or through O’Byrne Fire Training, Adam didn’t just show up; he owned it. He didn’t give a damn whose name was on the rigs—he cared about the mission, the craft, and the brothers and sisters standing alongside him.
He was the kind of guy who could make you laugh until you cried but would also stand shoulder to shoulder with you in the sh*ttiest of moments (or in the darkest alleys). Loyal to the job. Loyal to Michiana and Loyal to the citizens. That’s just who he was.
You may not have met Pugsley, but trust me, you knew him. Just close your eyes and think of that guy—like Norm from Cheers. When he walked into the room (or the bar), the whole place stopped, and everyone called out his name, “Pugs!” The mood instantly lifted, and for that moment on, everything felt right. That was Adam.
Joy is the only emotion that comes to mind when I think of him, and that joy will stick with us forever.”

01/08/2025

Rest easy Brother Fiala.

RFB

01/07/2025

The fire service lost a good one today.

Rest easy Captain Adam “Pugsley” Kuspa. The brothers & sisters of Elkhart Firefighters Local 338, the Michiana F.O.O.L.S. and all those that Pugsley had impacted over the years are in our thoughts and prayers.

RFB