Theses and Dissertations Collection

Wildland firefighters (WLFFs) often participate in sustained, mental and physical efforts throughout the work shift. (Cuddy et al., 2015) This shift is typically upwards of 12 hours or more and includes working in heat, smoke, and uneven terrain. As fire seasons increase in length and intensity greater strain is placed upon the wildland firefighter who is being asked to perform at a higher level, for longer. It is becoming increasingly important to ensure the WLFF is offered adequate quantity as well and quality of nourishment while working. It is also evident the nutrition education of the WLFF should be emphasized to support the workforce in making health promoting choices during the fire season, and beyond.The purpose of this study is to identify specific nutrition education needs and guide future nutrition education development for the wildland firefighter. This research aimed to describe the current state of wildland firefighter nutrition education, identify topics of importance for future nutrition education, and describe implementation strategies for tailored nutrition education. This qualitative research gathered focus group interview sessions as well as demographic data on participants like resource type and seasons of fire. Recruitment represented the diversity in resource types and wildland firefighter experience levels. The Constant Comparative Strategy was used to generate themes from the transcriptions of focus group interviews. Results indicate interest in early introduced, multimodal, and specific nutrition education tailored to the demands of the wildland firefighter. The findings from this project provide ways to structure education regarding nutrition for wildland firefighters on fire assignment and may be used to develop educational materials for future fire seasons.