Food on The Stove will be partnering with Giant Food and Washington DC Area Restaurants to provide an interactive cooking/nutrition class for firefighters titled AthlEAT. The brave men and women of the fire service are first responders who eliminate fire related hazards and help keep our local communities safe. Often-times, firefighters handle threats caused by food left on the stove—the leading cause of U.S. home fires and fire injuries, as well as the third leading cause of fire deaths. In addition to extinguishing frequent cooking equipment fires, these heroic public servants must also educate the public about safe cooking practices to prevent future incidents.
With the life expectancy of firefighter being 10-15 years less than every other employee in America and the risk of cancer being much greater for firefighter, we hope that our program can help bring awareness to the challenges that firefighters face regarding their health. Firefighting is the only occupation that requires employees to cook all 3 meals while at work. This can result in cooking a lot of quick, highly processed meals, which can lead to hypertension and ultimately a heart attack. We want firefighters to “control the controllable”; Firefighters can’t control sleep deprivation, hazardous environments, or the stress of the job; but the 2 things they can control are diet and exercise. We believe that by educating our local heroes about nutrition and exposing them to healthier alternatives, we will be able to lower the number of firefighters who die from heart disease, while impacting the health of their families as well.
Who We Are:
Food on the Stove is a firefighter founded 501c3 nonprofit organization that provides firefighters with tools and resources to help them live a healthier lifestyle through enhanced nutrition and exercise.
While Firefighters are committed to the meaningful work of protecting life, property, and the environment in the districts they serve, Food on the Stove is dedicated to giving back to these expert rescuers by addressing the leading cause of death among firefighters–heart disease.
The Objective:
The purpose of the AthlEAT initiative is to address the leading cause of firefighter deaths, heart disease. In 2018, 82 firefighters died in the line of duty. 33 of those firefighters died from a heart attack. While heart disease isn’t the only killer of firefighters, we realize the role that a healthy nutritious diet plays in overall health. The goal of the program is to educate firefighters on the benefits of nutrition and the application of healthy cooking practices in accordance to NFPA 1500 (5.1.1 and 12.2.1).
- Teach firefighters how to prepare healthier meals by providing chef-led cooking demonstrations
- Teach firefighters about heart healthy eating practices through presentations led by a certified nutritionist from Giant Food
The Process:
The classes will take place at various DC Firehouses.
- AthlEAT cooking and nutrition classes will take place at Kenilworth-Parkside Recreation Center’s Demonstration Kitchen in NE Washington DC
- Classes will be held monthly from 11am – 1pm (Date TBD)
- The sponsoring restaurants are asked to provide lunch for the members of DC Fire & EMS firefighters who attend the sessions (max 12) as well as food to demo.
Program Goals:
We will track the number of members that participate in the demos and host follow up campaigns to encourage them to use the skills they gain through the demos.
- Give nutrition-based quizzes to be taken as part of the DC Fire & EMS Target Safety program, which is a requirement for every member
- Facilitate healthy cooking competitions based on the meals that are prepared during classes
- Track 12 members over a 90-day period to engage in weekly meal planning with our Nutritionist
- We will collect vitals from each member to compare, blood pressure, weight, before and after the 90 days
Conclusion:
We look forward to working with you on this initiative to serve those who have committed their lives to serving us. We believe that healthier firefighters equate to healthier communities.
If you are interested in being a participating restaurant sponsor or have questions on this proposal, feel free to contact us at your convenience by email at info@foodonthestove.org or by phone at 240-375-8134.
Jonathan Tate
DC Firefighter/EMT & Founder
240.375.8134
