Dr. Edwards is a Tennessee Licensed Professional Counselor – Mental Health Service Provider. He received his Master’s degree from Tennessee Technological University (2011) and is a Doctoral degree from Trevecca Nazarene University (2016). Derrick’s research focus surrounds the psychological impacts of being an emergency responder. He currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Tennessee Tech University and a counselor in clinical practice. Derrick joined the fire service in 2004 and is a licensed Advanced Emergency Medical Technician.

Michelle Fayed is a Firefighter/Paramedic and 16-year veteran of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue (MDFR). She has an Associate of Science Degree from Broward College.

She is an advocate for first responder mental wellness, and is especially passionate on the importance of supporting their families and caregivers. She has extensive knowledge and life experience with family/caregiver mental health issues, as she was a spouse and caregiver for her husband, an Army veteran diagnosed with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for over 15 years. Her background led to the National Council for Behavioral Health contracting her as a Content Developer and National Trainer for the Mental Health First Aid Fire/EMS specialty module. Moreover, in 2017 they called upon her to advocate for support and funding of mental health awareness education for the fire and emergency service at Congressional Staff Briefings in Washington, D.C.

Michelle currently has the honor of serving as Statewide Family/Caregiver Coordinator for the Florida Firefighter Safety and Health Collaborative (FFHSC). As the Statewide Family/Caregiver Coordinator, she is responsible for providing caregiver-based social support and services to those providing care to first responders living with the wounds, illnesses and/or injuries associated with being a first responder. This branch of the initiative provides first responder spouses, families and caregivers with the resources, training and web-based social engagement to increase their sense of connectedness, engagement, hopefulness, wellness, as well as their knowledge and skills and reduce their isolation.

Public speaking engagements include local, regional and national speaking and teaching events. Specific events and topics include: mental health and PTSD in emergency services at the National Association of State Fire Marshal’s Annual Conference, the Orlando Fire Conference, and the Louisiana Company Officer Leadership Conference, FDIC International, National Professional Development, Virginia Fire Rescue Conference, the South Florida Safety Stand Down and Behind the Shield podcast.

Dr. Richard Gist is Principal Assistant to the Director of the Kansas City, Missouri Fire Department. His responsibilities include strategic planning, organizational development, and serving as liaison between the Fire Department and a wide range of agencies with whom we interact in the provision of our services. He is widely recognized in emergency services venues for development and execution of innovative projects, programs, and service initiatives to enhance the impact of fire and rescue services for communities and their citizens in both daily missions and catastrophic events.

Dr. Gist is a public health educator trained in behavioral epidemiology, community education, and analysis/evaluation of service delivery systems. He has held teaching and research appointments at a number of colleges and universities worldwide, and has been an invited lecturer in a wide range of settings here and abroad. He has provided consultation and assistance to disaster response agencies, service organizations, and major corporations in preparing for and responding to disaster and emergency. Widely known author and speaker, he has published a wide range of refereed articles, text chapters, and edited books. He has also created a number of innovative, award winning community partnership programs to improve the health and safety of our community.

Captain Frank Leto is a 35-year veteran of the FDNY and the Deputy Director of its Counseling Service Unit (CSU). His association with the CSU began over 20 years ago as a Crisis Counselor for incidents such as line of duty deaths and mass casualty events. On September 11th, 2001 he responded to the Worl16
d Trade Center as an officer in charge of a rescue team. Since 9/11, Captain Leto has developed innovative outreach, counseling and education programs for firefighters and their families who have experienced potentially traumatic events.

In addition to his work as Deputy Director of the CSU and its staff of ninety, he has worked closely with the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) to develop behavioral health protocols and to aid departments nationwide after major incidents. Captain Leto has also traveled internationally to share his experiences with fire departments in Northern Ireland, the Netherlands and to Okinawa Japan to aid Military Fire Fighters. He has assisted the London Fire Brigade after the transit bombings in 2005, and the Urban Search and Rescue Teams following the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010. Through his work with the IAFF and NFFF, he has supported numerous departments including those on the Gulf Coast after Katrina, Charleston, SC and Aurora, Colorado after the theater shooting and more recently Boston following the Marathon Bombing. Frank was one the first graduates of the West Point – FDNY Terrorism and Counterterrorism Program and also is a Certified Employees Assistance Professional.

Chief John Oates was appointed in October 2008 to lead the East Hartford Fire Department. He is responsible for overall strategic leadership to ensure the department is well positioned to provide the best service to the citizens and visitors of the community. To accomplish this the Chief leads 130 members providing a broad range of fire and emergency services to the community.

Prior to East Hartford, Chief Oates attained a broad base of experience while working as a Battalion Chief in West Hartford, Connecticut, as the Fire Marshal in Granby, Connecticut, and as an Adjunct Instructor for the Connecticut Fire Academy. He is currently one of two Commanders for the Capital Region Incident Management. Chief Oates has spent a considerable portion of his career focused on improving health, wellness, and safety within the fire service community. Through his work with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) and First Responder Center for Excellence (FRCE), he has brought an increased focus on wellness, fitness, behavioral health, and overall safety to the department. His participation in these areas lead to the overhaul of the department’s wellness effort and the creation of a behavioral health program that includes the Peer Support Team. Chief Oates has a BS from Franklin Pierce University, a MS from Oklahoma State University, is a graduate of the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program and holds numerous professional certifications.

Vickie Taylor, LCSW, has provided behavioral health consultation to Prince William County public safety agencies since 1985. She worked in community behavioral health from 1980 to mid-2016. She is currently the Director of the Prince William Public Safety Resilience Center, a full-service counseling and training center dedicated to public safety personnel who are employed in Prince William County.

In addition, she has served the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation since its inception as a trainer, behavioral health consultant and coordinator of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend Family Day activities. She served as a key developer and trainer for the Foundation’s Taking Care of Our Own program. In addition, she served as the co-facilitator of the Everyone Goes Home® Firefighter Life Safety Initiative 13 project on behavioral health for firefighters. She is a Stress First Aid instructor and trainer of trainers for Stress First Aid for Fire and EMS professionals and Law Enforcement Professionals.

Vickie Taylor, LCSW, has provided behavioral health consultation to Prince William County public safety agencies since 1985. She worked in community behavioral health from 1980 to mid-2016. She is currently the Director of the Prince William Public Safety Resilience Center, a full-service counseling and training center dedicated to public safety personnel who are employed in Prince William County.

In addition, she has served the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation since its inception as a trainer, behavioral health consultant and coordinator of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend Family Day activities. She served as a key developer and trainer for the Foundation’s Taking Care of Our Own program. In addition, she served as the co-facilitator of the Everyone Goes Home® Firefighter Life Safety Initiative 13 project on behavioral health for firefighters. She is a Stress First Aid instructor and trainer of trainers for Stress First Aid for Fire and EMS professionals and Law Enforcement Professionals.

Dr. Patricia Watson, PhD has been a senior educational specialist for the National Center for PTSD since 1998. Prior to joining the National Center for PTSD in 1998, Dr. Watson was an active duty Navy psychologist for eight years, working with adults for four years, and children and families for four years. Her education includes a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Catholic University, and a postgraduate fellowship in pediatric psychology at Harvard Medical School.

In the course of her work at NCPTSD, Dr. Watson has:

• Collaborated with federal working groups to create publications for public and mental health interventions following terrorism, disaster, and pandemic flu. In collaboration with authors from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and National Center for PTSD, she has co-authored the Psychological First Aid (PFA) Field Guide and the Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR) Manual, designed to intervene in the immediate and intermediate phases after disasters and terrorism. She participated on a recent multi-national collaboration to create InterPar, a disaster recovery intervention, as well as a methodology to trial its effectiveness.
• Co-edited three books on disaster behavioral health interventions, and numerous articles, guidance documents, courses, and chapters on disaster mental health, combat and operational stress, military culture, early intervention, and resilience.
• Collaborated with authors from the Department of Defense and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, to co-author of the Combat Operational Stress First Aid (COSFA) peer support intervention, and Stress First Aid for Firefighters and Emergency Services Personnel and Curbside Manner (a public facing version of Stress First Aid), as well as creating versions of Stress First Aid for law enforcement professionals, forest firefighters, nurses, and rail workers.
• Served as project manager and co-author of toolkits and courses related to burnout and secondary traumatic stress, provider resilience, disaster mental health, police, chaplains, assessment of PTSD, military culture, anger management, and sleep management courses.

Dr. Watson serves as Vice President and Secretary of Mobility Without Barriers Foundation (MBWF). She is co-chair of the Early Intervention special interest group of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. She served as assistant director of terrorism and disaster programs for the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress from 2007 to 2010, and as an assistant professor of psychiatry at Dartmouth Medical School from 1999 to 2010.

Dr. Germain is a world-renowned expert in clinical sleep research and behavioral sleep medicine. During her 25+ years in academia, she directed a program of research focused on sleep and sleep treatments in the context of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and with a special emphasis on military and veterans’ health and readiness. Dr. Germain retired from her tenured position as Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh to found NOCTEM Health with the sole purpose of overcoming barriers to delivery and access to evidence-based behavioral sleep. She builds on 15+ years of executive, fundraising, and operational experience to lead a diverse, fierce, and ambitious multi-disciplinary team on a shared mission to scale delivery and access to CBTI and other behavioral sleep treatments.

Dr. Alberto Caban-Martinez is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Miami (UM), Miller School of Medicine, Deputy Director of the Firefighter Cancer Initiative at the UM Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Co-Principal Investigator of the national Fire Fighter Cancer Cohort Study.

Timothy S. Cowan joined the FRCE in 2018 as a committee member on the Fire Service Occupational Cancer Alliance. Timothy is a 25-year veteran of the fire service currently serving as Deputy Fire Chief with the City of Oneida Fire Department in New York. Cowan also serves as the City’s Fire Marshal. He began his career as a volunteer fire fighter in Central New York where he is still a member today. Through-out his time in the fire service, he has worked for the United States Air Force as a fire fighter / EMT and currently works part-time in a combination fire district as a fire fighter / EMT.

Casey Grant is Executive Director of DSRAE, LLC, an independent professional consulting firm with a focus on the design and implementation of research for the fire protection and emergency response communities.

For more than a dozen years prior to 2019, Casey managed numerous research projects with the Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF), the non-profit research affiliate for the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). He served as the FPRF Executive Director since 2015, and prior to joining the FPRF in 2007, Casey was the Secretary of the NFPA Standards Council and Assistant Chief Engineer, among other roles at NFPA since 1988.

Casey holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland and a Master of Science degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, both in Fire Protection Engineering. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in Fire Protection Engineering in the States of California and Tennessee, and is a member of both the Beta and Gamma Chapters of the Salamander Fire Protection Honorary Society.

Jeff Hughes is a retired Fire Captain with the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) with 38 years of firefighting experience.

Jeff is a third-generation firefighter whose father died of occupational cancer after serving 21 years with the Long Beach Fire Department.

Ed Mann became active as a volunteer with the FRCE in 2017 and has agreed to assist with projects as requested. Ed is currently The Director of Training and Education for Provident who has graciously given Ed the approval to volunteer for the FRCE.

Brian F. McQueen is a retired volunteer Fire Chief of the Whitesboro Fire Department, Whitesboro, NY. He is a forty-year member of the volunteer service. McQueen is a retired public school educator spending most of his time as a Principal and a District Level School Administrator. Brian’s fire service history allowed him to become training in fire service leadership as well as becoming a Fire Instructor 1, Interior Firefighter, Apparatus Driver, Safety Officer and Public Fire Educator. McQueen served Oneida County as a Deputy Fire Coordinator (Car 271) whose position allowed him to develop and carry out the training of the fire service in Oneida County.

James M. Brothers DNPc, CRNP, NRP, FAANP is a retired Assistant Chief for Howard County Fire and Rescue (HCFR). James has been with HCFR for 32 years and has served in numerous positions as a Paramedic / RN, Training Division Chief, Chief of Operations. He has received accreditation by the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) in Chief Fire Officer (CFO) and Chief Emergency Medical Services Chief (CEMSO). James completed his undergraduate and graduate degrees and is now working on his Doctorate at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. James has worked as Family and Emergency Nurse Practitioner for the University of Maryland hospital systems and taught part-time at the University of Maryland in the School of Nursing. James has served on and led several committees at the local, regional, and federal levels.

Dr. Hollerbach is an Associate Scientist and Deputy Director at the Center for Fire, Rescue & EMS Health Research, part of NDRI-USA. She has extensive experience working with the fire service on a number of federally funded studies including as the Principal Investigator (PI) on a recent FEMA-funded study examining perceptions of protective strategies for COVID-19. She has also done extensive work on the cardiovascular function and physiologic stress of firefighters. Dr. Hollerbach has an interest in firefighter health in general and female firefighter health specifically, given her background as a former firefighter.

Director and a Senior Scientist with the Center for Fire, Rescue & EMS Health Research at the National Development & Research Institutes - USA. With over a decade of research experience on firefighter health, she has been the Principal Investigator on ten national studies as well as dozens of studies as a co-investigator. Her work has focused on a range of health concerns including the health of women firefighters, behavioral health, risk of injury, cancer, cardiovascular risk factors, and substance use with funding from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant R&D Program, the National Institutes of Health and other foundations. She has more than 100 publications in the peer reviewed medical literature.

Tiffany Lipsey is the Director of the Heart Disease Prevention Program and First Responder Testing Programs in the Human Performance Clinical/Research Laboratory at Colorado State University. As an assistant professor in the Department of Health and Exercise Science, she teaches undergraduate courses encompassing health, wellness, aging, chronic disease, and exercise prescription. She is an American College of Sports Medicine - Clinical Exercise Physiologist. Her experience includes over 20 years in exercise physiology focusing on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment, prevention and treatment for CVD. She has been working with Colorado firefighters and emergency personnel for 20 years and has been involved in physiological testing for over 1,500 of them. Projects in firefighting include cardiovascular disease risk assessment, lifestyle modification, carcinogen exposure, temperature regulation, cooling mechanisms using adjunct cooling tools, novel medical devices, noise exposure and performance.

Kevin D. Quinn is in his 47th year of experience in the fire service. He recently retired as a Deputy Chief of the Union Fire District in South Kingstown, RI, and has returned to where he began in the volunteer fire service – actively responding to fires and alarms with his original Station #3 of the Union Fire District. Quinn currently serves as the National Volunteer Fire Council 1st Vice Chairman, Immediate Past Chairman of the NVFC and served briefly as the NVFC Interim CEO.

Chief Sell began his career in public service over 30 years ago while becoming a volunteer firefighter in Riverside County and serving as an explorer for the Los Angeles Fire Department. He entered in into the US Navy at 17 and served as an Admiral’s Chef.

Chief Sell went on to work for several Fire Service organizations including BLM, Cal Fire in several units, the Long Beach Fire Department, and now proudly serves as the Fire Chief/Agency Director for the Hemet Fire and Life Safety Agency. Chief Sell is honored to have created a new public safety agency that includes the fire department, building and safety, code enforcement, and fire prevention under one agency. Over his career Chief Sell has held the ranks of firefighter, firefighter/paramedic, engineer, captain, battalion chief, and fire chief.

Professor Smith's primary area of research is cardiovascular health, with a specific focus on the relationship between heat stress and cardiovascular function. A significant portion of her research focuses on the cardiovascular strain associated with firefighting activity. She has led several government-funded studies to investigate strategies to minimize the physiological strain associated with firefighting. Professor Smith has also conducted several laboratory studies designed to identify specific components of firefighting activity (work performed, heat stress, sympathetic nervous stimulation) that are responsible for specific physiological responses to the combined stress of firefighting. Professor Smith has coauthored several textbooks and has published over 60 scientific papers, primarily on firefighter cardiovascular health. She has been awarded more than 15 million dollars in research funding, with awards from FEMA-AFG, DHS S&T, NIOSH, and DoD.

Kepra Jack was an Emergency Room Nurse and Paramedic Educator for 15 years. Kepra has become an expert in the health and wellness of our Public Safety providers and has spent the last 7 years helping build our testing and education programs. Kepra works with various fire departments and law enforcement agencies, across Arizona and Massachusetts to educate members on relevant health risks specific to their jobs. Kepra works continuously to expand the scope of the HeartFit program to identify key partners in the healthcare community to help develop early detection programs that focus on Cancer and Cardiac risk. Sitting on the multiple NFPA committees gives Kepra the insight of changes to help direct the programs to keep our First Responders healthy.

Alisa Koval MD, MPH/MHSA is the Medical Director for the Center for Occupational Safety and Health at Denver Health & Hospital Authority. She is a Past President of the Rocky Mountain Academy of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, and currently a member of the American College of Occupational & Environmental Medicine House of Delegates. In addition to serving as Vice President of the Board of Directors for Building Warriors, she serves on the Annual Physicals Committee for the First Responder Center of Excellence, a subsidiary of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. She is a graduate of the Occupational & Environmental Medicine Residency program at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. She began her education at the University of Michigan, earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology with Honors, followed by a Master of Health Service Administration.

Todd J. LeDuc, MS, CFO, FIFirE is a twenty nine year veteran and currently Executive Assistant Fire Chief of the Broward County Fire Rescue service, an internationally accredited metro department of 750 members. He has served in numerous ranks and positions including Quality Manager, EMS Chief, Chief of Professional Standards, Technical Services and Operations Chief before assuming the Executive Assistant Chief role in the Office of Fire Chief. He has been an elected member of the International Association of Fire Chief’s Safety, Health & Survival Board of Directors the last 5 as Board Secretary.

Chief John F. Sullivan of the Brookline (MA) Fire Department is a 31-year veteran of the fire service, including over three decades with the Worcester (MA) Fire Department.

Master Firefighter Katie Dennison has worked for Montgomery County Fire Rescue since January 2013. Katie has a Masters in Exercise Physiology from the University of Kentucky where she published articles related to firefighter fitness in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning. Katie is a certified TSAC-f and is serving as CPAT Mentor and a member of the MCFRS Recruit PT instructor cadre. In her personal fitness journey Katie competed as a member of a tandem co-ed team in the Scott Firefighter Challenge, a Triathlete with Team in Training Kentucky. Today she enjoys Olympic lifting and working out regularly with her shift at Station 12a.

Chris is a long-standing member of the medical community in Wichita. He is a graduate of Wichita State University, with a degree in Exercise Science with an emphasis in Athletic Training.

Chris currently serves as the Executive Director of Inspire Health and Performance and specializes in Post-Concussion Rehabilitation & working with chronic pain patients. Inspire Health & Performance’s main goal is educating patients on the “why” and how they can help to quickly reduce their pain they have been living with for a long time.

Dan Kerrigan is a 36-year veteran of the fire and emergency services profession, serving in positions from firefighter through fire chief, emergency management director and fire marshal. Kerrigan is the co-author of the bestselling book Firefighter Functional Fitness, a member of the IAFC-SHS Board of Directors, & international speaker on firefighter health and wellness, strategic planning, and public safety leadership.
Chloe is the nutritionist for Boston Fire Department and helps oversee their in-house wellness program, Health and Ladders. She also serves as a nutrition consultant for O2X which provides custom wellness programs for public safety departments, military and federal agencies. Additionally, Chloe has worked with first responder departments all over the country including FDNY, Cambridge Fire Department, Boston Police Department and many more to lead a healthier lifestyle by helping them with issues such as weight loss, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. She is also a sought-after speaker and has spoken at Boston Fire’s Mullane Health and Safety Symposium, FDNY’s Uniformed Officers Association NYC Health & Safety Seminar, FDNY’s Annual Retirees Seminar, the National Firefighter Cancer Symposium in Miami, as well as the first ever Women Firefighter’s Health and Wellness Conference held in Boston. Chloe lives in Cambridge, MA with her four kids, two dogs and firefighter husband.

Fernando is the Exercise physiologist for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, where he provides subject matter expertise to the department in the areas of:

• Human performance optimization initiative
• Medical screening for firefighters
• Physical development for recruit training
• Wildland academy cadre
• P.E.E.R. support program
• Strategic planning in the human performance domain
• Injury prevention
• Return to work / rehabilitation of firefighters
• Firefighter rehab

Research currently underway:

• Occupational Physical Assessment & Testing (OPAT) of recruit classes
• Prevention of Exertional Heat Illness / Exertional Heat Stroke
• Saliva Base hydration testing
• The use of oral rehydration solutions (ORS) in the fire service
• Training loads in wildland firefighting
• Hydration protocols in the wildland environment
• Training loads in recruit training tower
• Carbohydrate drink in the wildland environment

Prior to joining the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Fernando worked as a military contractor with:

• Naval Special Warfare:

Supporting physiological and performance enhance programs during unit culmination exercises (CULEX)

• U.S. Army Special Operations Command

Human performance specialist in the THOR3 program, which is part of SOCOM’s preservation of the force and family initiative with the 10th Special Forces Group, Fort Carson CO

Additionally, Fernando is starting his 4th decades in the human performance domain, Fernando has worked at all levels of the human performance environment:

• Professional Baseball – Cleveland Indians MLB, Texas Rangers MLB
• FBI Hostage Rescue Team
• Polk County Sheriff’s Department
• U.S. Women’s and Men’s Field Hockey
• Stanford University – Football & Women’s Basketball
• 1984 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles CA
• Pasadena City College
• California State University @ Los Angeles

Publisher and CEO of CRACKYL Media Inc., 19-year Professional Firefighter, and Industry Author & Keynote Speaker who acts as a passionate mental health advocate, spreading awareness on what it takes to not only survive but thrive in the dynamic job of firefighting. CRACKYL Media Inc. was forged in an effort to help firefighters battle the pressures on and off the job. Other areas of focus and expertise include education around career longevity as well as firefighter health & wellness. CRACKYL Magazine was successfully launched in the spring of 2021 - a lifestyle and health magazine for firefighters across North America and beyond.

Ursula is the Health & Fitness Coordinator for the Anne Arundel County Fire Department. She holds a Bachelors in Exercise & Sports Science from Frostburg State University and began her career working with strength and conditioning for collegiate athletes. She also holds a Masters in Clinical Human Performance from Liberty University. After she graduated from Frostburg, she began working as a civilian health educator for military personnel, including airborne divisions, special operations and military police.

Health and Fitness Director Fl. Firefighters Safety and Health Collaborative | Lake Worth, FL
As a volunteer member of our non-profit organization, I am tasked with collaborating with fire departments across our state to promote and emphasize on the importance of nutrition and exercise. I'm also a member of our State F.A.C.E Team, (Firefighters Attacking Cancer Epidemic), where we share a great partnership with the UM Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, and work closely with the Firefighter Cancer Initiative Team.

Aaron Zamzow is a firefighter & training officer for the Madison (Wisconsin) Fire Department. He holds a bachelor's degree in health/wellness and has over 20 years of experience as a fitness trainer. He created Fire Rescue Fitness and authors programs that are aimed at getting fire rescue athletes fit for duty.

Rhonda Cohen has served 30 plus years as a Firefighter and EMT with the Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad in Montgomery County, MD. She encourages and inspires First Responders to perform optimally by providing individualized nutrition, fitness and wellness education and training. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland, where she earned a BS in Nutrition and Dietetics. She went on to become a Registered Dietitian, Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Sports Nutritionist. She is currently working on obtaining her certification as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist.

Megan Lautz is a Registered Dietitian and strength coach with a Master's in Sports Nutrition. Megan’s mission is to help firefighters perform better, recover faster, and enjoy long healthy retirements.

Prior to joining Fairfax Fire in 2021, Megan worked with Montgomery County Fire and Police from 2017-2021. While a civilian, Megan has strived to understand the challenges firefighters face when trying to stay healthy. She has trained for and passed CPAT, completed 24-hour ride-alongs, and is heavily involved in fire recruit training and nutrition. Megan provides healthy dinner demonstrations, nutrition roundtable discussions, workouts, and mobility sessions to career firefighters out in the field.
Megan is the owner of RescueRD LLC, which provides nutrition seminars and coaching for tactical athletes across the country. Check out @Rescue.RD on Facebook and Instagram. A free Firehouse Dinner Recipe Book is available on her website RescueRD.com.

Chloe Schweinshaut is a registered dietitian who owns a private practice, Riverside Nutrition in Cambridge, MA. She works with a variety of clients who are looking for ways to improve their health through diet and lifestyle with a particular focus on first responder nutrition. She created the website Healthy Response to address the unique challenges that firefighters face when it comes to eating healthy.

Chloe is the nutritionist for Boston Fire Department and helps oversee their in-house wellness program, Health and Ladders. She also serves as a nutrition consultant for O2X which provides custom wellness programs for public safety departments, military and federal agencies. Additionally, Chloe has worked with first responder departments all over the country including FDNY, Cambridge Fire Department, Boston Police Department and many more to lead a healthier lifestyle by helping them with issues such as weight loss, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. She is also a sought-after speaker and has spoken at Boston Fire’s Mullane Health and Safety Symposium, FDNY’s Uniformed Officers Association NYC Health & Safety Seminar, FDNY’s Annual Retirees Seminar, the National Firefighter Cancer Symposium in Miami, as well as the first ever Women Firefighter’s Health and Wellness Conference held in Boston. Chloe lives in Cambridge, MA with her four kids, two dogs and firefighter husband.

Jonathan Tate is a D.C. firefighter and EMT and Founder of Food on the Stove, a nonprofit that provides tools and resources to help firefighters live a healthier lifestyle through enhanced nutrition and exercise.

Aaron Zamzow is a firefighter & training officer for the Madison (Wisconsin) Fire Department. He holds a bachelor's degree in health/wellness and has over 20 years of experience as a fitness trainer. He created Fire Rescue Fitness and authors programs that are aimed at getting fire rescue athletes fit for duty.