NUTRITION TRAINING FOR FIRE & EMS DEPARTMENTS
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.
Start with short videos throughout the year, bring us in for live training, or use both.
Live nutrition talks for departments, conferences, and events. Focus on a topic that matters to your members, with practical examples and time for questions.
Typically 60–120 minutes, with practical examples and time for questions.
The same live virtual training for every shift. Members join from their stations, ask questions, and get advice that fits their work. A recording is included.
Repeat sessions across your shift schedule. Multiple stations can join together.
Longer, hands-on sessions with time for discussion and activities. Help members work through how to use the advice in their own lives.
Interactive activities, discussion, and practical ways to put nutrition advice to work.
COMING SOON • FIRE ENGINEERING BOOKS
Healthy-ish Recipes for First Responders
Practical nutrition for station meals, long shifts,
and the days that don’t go to plan.
Expected release: mid-December 2026
Wellness advice often jumps from vague reminders to eat better straight to supplements and complicated routines. That misses the challenge: firefighters and EMS personnel need ways to make the basics work when meals are interrupted, the shift runs late, and the only open restaurant is a drive-through. We teach practical nutrition strategies around those realities so members can build habits that support their energy, workouts, and life off duty.
Hover over a challenge or select it to see how we address it.
Long shifts need practical food plans that hold up when the day changes. We help members plan station meals, pack useful snacks, and keep food available through busy stretches and overtime.
Calls do not wait for dinner. We cover meals that reheat well, quick options before heading out, and backup snacks so an interrupted meal does not become a missed meal.
A meal break is not always predictable, and the EMS room might be the closest thing to a dining room. We cover portable meals, cooler-friendly foods, go-bag snacks, and realistic choices when a drive-through is the available option.
Overnight calls can disrupt both sleep and eating routines. We help members think through food, hydration, and caffeine around changing schedules while recognizing that nutrition cannot replace the sleep they need.
Fireground operations, physical training, and EMS shifts place different demands on members. We teach practical ways to adjust meals, snacks, and hydration to the work ahead and make recovery part of the plan.
There is no “suck it up” or “you signed up for this” here. When members feel stuck or overwhelmed, we meet them where they are. We listen to what is getting in the way and help them find manageable steps, without shame or an expectation of perfect eating.
The goal is more usable energy during a shift and more bandwidth for family when it ends. It can mean arriving at a workout fueled, keeping food available during a busy shift, hydrating more consistently, or getting home without feeling so hungry that dinner turns into a free-for-all.
We focus on changes members can repeat, then build from there. We help members turn these basics into habits they can put into action on the next shift.
Knowing what to eat is one thing. Making it happen on shift is another. We focus on the how, with practical strategies grounded in nutrition science and the realities of Fire & EMS.
24–48-hour shifts
Broken sleep
Stress and trauma
Unpredictable activity
Heat and changing weather
Firehouse culture
Station meals. Meals between calls. Hydration on and off the fireground. Advice that speaks your members’ language.
Just wanted to let you know I have been trying out the applesauce before my runs and I have been posting my best time since I younger. It has helped me improve dramatically in one month. Thank you again for your talk in Ohio.
For what it's worth, this is the best dietician for first responders I've ever heard. It's very obvious she actually works in fire-houses and know "us".
Megan Lautz
MS, RD, CSCS, TSAC-F
Founder & Registered Dietitian
Megan works with first responders to turn nutrition science into practical habits for the station, on scene, and life off shift. Her training helps members work around long hours, missed meals, and broken sleep so eating well feels realistic and doable.
She focuses on building a strong nutrition foundation that supports energy, performance, and long-term health. Megan received the 2025 ASPDA Trailblazer Award for advancing nutrition in the first responder space.
Michelle Bugbee
MS, RDN, CPT
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
Michelle has worked with departments to help first responders fuel for the physical and mental demands of the job. As a sports dietitian and firefighter’s spouse, she understands how long hours, disrupted sleep, and unpredictable schedules can make even the basics challenging.
She helps members build sustainable nutrition habits that support energy, performance, and long-term health without expecting perfection. Michelle holds a master’s degree in Nutrition and Health Promotion with a sports nutrition focus from Simmons University and is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer.
Get a practical resource for your next shift or see how RescueRD makes nutrition training fit the job.
Healthy, delicious, affordable recipes for meal prep or feeding your shift.
Get the Free Recipe BookWatch a sample and see how short, relevant nutrition videos can fit into your department’s training routine.
Watch a Free Sample
