Nutrition Education Built for Public Safety
Since 2017, direct experience with firefighters and police officers has shaped our approach. RescueRD helps fire, EMS, and law enforcement departments bring practical, evidence-based nutrition education to their personnel.
In 2017, Megan Lautz began working as an embedded civilian dietitian with Montgomery County Fire and Police in Maryland. Through individual coaching, station visits, and recruit academy training, she quickly realized that many first responders knew what they should be eating but struggled to make it happen with their schedules.
To better understand the job, Megan spent time in fire stations, completed 24-hour ride-alongs, observed training burns, and trained for and passed the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT). Those experiences helped her adapt traditional nutrition recommendations to the realities of shift work, overtime, interrupted sleep, and family responsibilities.
In October 2020, Megan founded RescueRD to bring this approach to more public safety departments. The company was built around a simple goal: helping first responders make realistic nutrition changes that support their health and performance.
Firefighters, police officers, and EMS professionals are responsible for taking care of their health, but the demands of their jobs can make that difficult. Departments can play an important role by providing education that reflects those challenges and gives personnel practical ways to make improvements.
RescueRD focuses on nutrition education that people can understand and put to use, whether they're eating between calls, working overnight, or trying to feed their families after a long shift. We want people to leave a training session with a few realistic changes they can make right away.
Megan continued working inside public safety departments, including Fairfax County Fire and Police from 2021 through 2025, while gradually growing RescueRD. In late 2025, she transitioned to running the business full-time, expanding its ability to provide nutrition education to departments across the country.
Today, RescueRD offers presentations, workshops, recruit academy education, live virtual training, and Quick Bites, our short, on-demand nutrition videos. Departments can choose training that works with their schedules, staffing, and budgets.
With Michelle joining Megan, RescueRD is growing into a team of registered dietitians united by the same purpose: making credible nutrition science practical for first responders. Our next chapter is about expanding access, challenging one-size-fits-all advice, and building new ways to put realistic nutrition strategies into practice on the job.
M.S. Sports Nutrition
Logan University
B.S. Dietetics
James Madison University
Dietetic Internship
University of Maryland College Park
Registered Dietitian (RD)
Licensed Dietitian / Nutritionist (MD)
Certified Strength and
Conditioning Coach (CSCS)
Tactical Strength and
Conditioning Facilitator (TSAC-F)
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist
CPR / AED and First Aid Certified
Megan Lautz, MS, RD, CSCS, TSAC-F
Founder, RescueRD
Megan Lautz is a registered dietitian and strength and conditioning specialist who has worked with first responders since 2017. Her experience includes embedded nutrition programs, thousands of coaching sessions, recruit academy education, and presentations at public safety conferences across the country.
She received the ASPDA Trailblazer Award in 2025 and also serves as a contract performance dietitian for the Baltimore Orioles. Her background in public safety and professional sports continues to shape RescueRD's approach to nutrition, performance, and recovery.
Get to know me on a personal level:
I married my high school sweetheart (he's an IT guy)
We welcomed our daughter Olive in May 2024
I am obsessed with ice cream and eat a little every night if I am honest
My drink of choice is prosecco (if I drink, which isn't often)
I HATE cardio (who runs on purpose?)
I have a hard bedtime of 9:00 pm (you don't want to see me cranky, or hangry for that matter)
Short videos throughout the year, live training, or both. Start with the challenge you want to solve.
Quick Bites keeps nutrition part of ongoing education in the training system you already use.
An easy place to start
Short videos that answer the nutrition questions firefighters actually ask. Add them to your department’s training system (ex. Vector Solutions) so each shift can watch when it works for them.
Explore Quick Bites12, 10-minute videos on nutrition, wellness, and performance topics specific to shift work.
Conferences & events
Nutrition education built around the real demands of first responder work. RescueRD translates nutrition science into realistic strategies for station meals, hydration, and long shifts, so members can take that first step the next shift.
Explore PresentationsTypically 60-120 minutes, with practical examples and time for questions. Choose a nutrition topic that fits your event.
Reach every shift
The same live virtual training for every shift. Members join from their stations, ask questions, and get advice that fits the job.
Explore All-ShiftRepeat sessions across your shift schedule, live questions and discussion, and recording access for up to one year. Multiple stations can join together.
In-depth learning
In-depth training starts with putting nutrition foundations into action on shift, then builds toward performance optimization with supplements and specific protocols. Members leave with practical steps to use on the next shift.
Explore WorkshopsIn-depth education on nutrition foundations, how to apply them around shift demands, and how to build on them with supplements and specific performance protocols. Topics and discussion are tailored to your department’s goals.
From academy to the firehouse
Help recruits understand how to fuel and hydrate for the fireground, with practical strategies to help reduce the risk of injuries related to dehydration and poor fueling.
Explore Academy TrainingAcademy-specific nutrition education and recruit guides, with program options covering academy preparation, nutrition basics, hydration, sleep, and the transition to firehouse meals.
I had the pleasure of attending Megan Lautz’s "Healthy-ish" presentation, and it was fantastic...
Read moreThis is not your run-of-the-mill nutrition course. Megan understands the first responder lifestyle...
Read moreMegan is fantastic. She makes nutrition feel simple, realistic, and doable—no complicated plans...
Read moreMegan was an outstanding speaker at NVBIA’s Women in the Building Industry Kickoff event...
Read moreA powerful and practical session. The information was easy to understand and immediately useful...
Read more
Nutrition strategies designed around shift work, limited time, and real-life schedules.
Credible nutrition science explained clearly, without unnecessary complexity.
Education developed from years of working directly with fire, EMS, and law enforcement personnel.