Executive Board

Devils Lake Rural Fire Protection District

Lee has been a member of the Devils Lake Rural Fire Department since 2006. He has held the position of Captain from 2007-2010, Deputy Chief from 2010-2011, Chief from 2011-2017, and is currently the department’s Training Officer. Lee has been on the Board of Directors since 2006 and is currently serving as President.

Lee holds the certifications FFI, FFII, and Auto Extrication. He has been married to Bonnie since 1993 and owns Gessner Iron Works in Devils Lake, ND.

Jamestown Rural Fire Protection District

My name is Paul Bensch and I am excited to serve as the new NDFA 2nd Vice President. Currently serving as the Assistant Training Officer with the Jamestown Rural Fire Department. I have been in the fire service for 15 years now and with the JRFD since 2012. Before that, I was a volunteer with the Jamestown Fire Department. During my 15 years in the fire service, I have spent 12 of those helping instruct firefighters in preparing for the NDFA certification test.

State Fire School in February will mark the fifth time I have had the pleasure to be an instructor at the North Dakota State Fire School. I have my NDFA Certified Firefighter I/II, Instructor I, Auto Extrication Certification and have an Emergency Medical Responder Certification.

There are many classes that fire departments can have brought to their departments free of charge because they are grant sponsored. Please contact me with any training you would like to bring to your department. I look forward to working with all departments to secure the training they need.

Devils Lake Rural Fire Protection District

Bismarck Rural Fire Department

Allan Klein has been Secretary/Treasurer of the NDFA since 1997. He served as NDFA President in 1985.

He is Certified FF II, 2008 Standard, State Certification Tester, Fire Instructor I & II. Allan is a director to the National Volunteer Fire Council for the state of North Dakota.

He started his fire career as a volunteer on the McClusky Fire Department in 1976, joined the Mandan Rural Fire Department in 1997 and then became the first career Chief of the Bismarck Rural Fire Department in 2005. He retired from that position in 2016 and has become a full time grandfather to his 15 grandchildren.

Powers Lake Fire Department

Arlo is an active member of the Powers Lake Volunteer Fire Department and has served in many roles, including Fire Chief for ove·r 38 years. He is past president of the NDFA, member of ND Firefighter Museum board, Powers Lake City Council, Powers Lake Lil' Ranchers Day Care, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, active with the ND Firefighter Memorial, and volunteers with the Powers Lake Food Pantry. Arlo and his wife, Donna, have two dogs and three cats. In his free time, he enjoys their summer cabin in Canada and hunting.

Harvey Fire Department

David Lautt has been a member of the Harvey Fire Department (HFD) for 30+ years and is a lifetime member of NDFA. In that time, he has served the HFD as assistant chief and chief. Lautt is a past president of the NDFA and continues to serve on the executive board

David is a certified firefighter through the Firefighter 1 and 2 programs, auto extrication certification, big rig certification, grain bin certification, has completed many ICS and NIMS courses, and has been a regular at state fire school. He is a major supporter of the local junior firefighter program.

David is owner-operator of Lautt’s Rental Center in Harvey. He has raised bison for nearly 30 years. He is no stranger to associations and committees. He has served or is currently serving on the North Dakota Buffalo Association, church council, the local food pantry, Wells County Soil Conservation District, and the Dakota Territory Buffalo Association.

David is married to Diana. They have three children – Wyatt, McKenzie, and Olivia. The family enjoys traveling camping, and sporting events. A major family highlight was a mission trip to Uganda. David also enjoys BBQ and anything pertaining to guns.

Oakes Fire Protection District

Jerry Hollingsworth has been a member of the Oakes Fire Protection District since April 2000. He served as a firefighter for the first nine years, assistant chief for one year, and currently serves as chief. During this time, he has worked through many challenges and opportunities to not only improve himself but also his department.

Jerry is Firefighter 1 certified along with auto extrication, heavy rescue, confined space, grain bin, and many other classes. He is certified in ISC, NIMS, and TIMS. He also assists the local ambulance on occasion.

Jerry has been employed at Doosan Bobcat in Gwinner since 1992 and presently holds the position of full-time safety Liaison for his local union. At work, he is a trainer for first aid, CPR, AED, and Blood borne pathogen. He also trains LOTO, confined space entry, fall protection, and is the lead for their first shift emergency response team.

Jerry is married to Dusty. They have three sons and three grandkids. The two oldest sons have joined him in the fire service as volunteers for the Oakes Fire Protection District. The youngest plans on going to school to be a paramedic when he graduates in 2023.

During his free time, Jerry enjoys watching dirt track racing and spending time with his friends and family.

Dickinson Fire Department

Dustin Hofer has been in the Fire Service since 2009. He started with the Dickinson Rural Fire Department where he served as a Captain and Training Officer for 5+ years. In 2014, he started full-time with the City of Dickinson Fire Department and currently holds the rank of Lieutenant of C Shift. Dustin is Pro-board certified in Firefighter II - Fire Officer III. He is also certified in Rope Rescue, Auto-X, ISFSI NFPA 1403 Live Fire Instructor, and NREMT.

Dustin is a lead instructor for the DFD High School Fire Academy, Blue Card Command Instructor, NDFA instructor for Auto Extrication, Live Fire, EVOC, and Fire School classes.

Dustin retired from the North Dakota National Guard with 20 years of service and one tour in Iraq.

Dustin enjoys camping and hunting with his family. He resides in Dickinson with his wife Whitney and three children: Madilyn, Mason, and Milo.

Abercrombie Fire Department

Allen Berg has been a member of the Abercrombie Fire Protection District for 18 years, with ten of those years filling the shoes of the training officer for the department. He has been a certified EMR for the past 16 years. While on the department, Allen has attended numerous state fire schools, conventions, regional trainings, local trainings, and multi-agency trainings. He is certified in FFI, Auto Extrication, HazMat Operations, EVOC, Grain Bin Extrication, and NIMS/ISO.

While living in Abercrombie, Allen has been an active member in his community. He was a member of the city council for 12 years, he volunteers to help with the pavilion/museum park with numerous events and fundraisers, helps with Aber Day’s Annual Celebration, and helps with the fire department’s annual rodeo fundraiser. He is also an active member of the St. Thomas Catholic Church.

Allen is married to Anna Jo and they have twin girls, River and Dakota. They enjoy hunting, fishing, and camping in their spare time.

Minot Rural Fire Department

Rob Knuth has been in the Fire Service since 2000. He is currently an Assistant Chief with the Minot Rural Fire Department.

Rob spent 21 years in the United State Air Force. While on active duty he received his Bachelors degree from the University of Southern Illinois in Work Force Education and Training. He is currently the Training Director for the North Dakota Firefighter's Association. He is a Certified FFII, 2013 Standard, State Certification Tester, State Auto Extrication Instructor, and Fire Instructor I.

Julie Geltel has been an Office Assistant with the North Dakota Firefighter’s Association since 1999. As an honorary member of the Bismarck Rural Fire Department, Julie attends trainings and events to further her knowledge of the Fire Service.

In March of 2011, as a testament to her dedication, she successfully passed the certification test and earned her State Certification as a Firefighter I under the 2008 standard. In 2017 Julie was promoted to the position of Office Manager.

Bismarck Rural Fire Department

Christopher Demello Rice started as the Training Coordinator for the NDFA in June of 2018. He enjoys working with departments and agencies around the state to help provide training, props and equipment, and certification testing. On the instructor side, Chris teaches Grain Bin Extrication/Rescue and the Class A Burn class.

Chris was born and raised in Kenai, Alaska before he moved to Moorhead, MN for college in 2002 on a wrestling scholarship. From there, Chris moved to Fargo, then to Grand Forks, to Bismarck, and finally to Menoken where he now resides. Chris met my wife, Rachel, in Bismarck and they have four children: Kale – 10, Tenley and Easton – both 6, Reese – 2, and Kuiu (the family dog) – 8.

When life allows, Chris responds to calls as a POC firefighter for the Bismarck Rural FD. Aside from that, the rest of his time goes to his family with coaching, projects around the house, and traveling (with and without kids).

Mandan Fire Department

Jon started in the fire service while in junior high school as a Fire Explorer Scout in Washington State. In 1999 he became an active firefighter and member of the NDFA. Jon has spent time on Volunteer, Career, and Combination Fire Departments both civilian and military. Jon served eight years as a board member on the NDFA executive board and is still an instructor and certification tester in many disciplines.

Jon currently lives in Bismarck with his wife Mindy, and children McKenzie, Addyson, and Brayden.