BUDDY: My name's Buddy Dougherty. I work for the city of Alpharetta Fire Department. My role as a lieutenant is I operate the station on a daily basis.

During an emergency call, we're given 60 seconds to get into the truck and leave the station. Our job can be very dangerous. It depends on what happens during the day and what types of calls we run.

We work on a 24 hour basis with each other, so it's a little different than an 8-hour office job. We sleep in the same building. We eat together. When we go shopping one of the trucks usually will go out on one run and pick up everything.

We have three square meals a day. We have eggs, bacon, biscuits, and pancakes almost every shift. Lunches vary from hot dogs and hamburgers to chicken salad. We do fry stuff on occasion.

It is a lot of food. Too much in my book sometimes. Talking about calories and fat grams and all that, I don't think that's a daily conversation.

The studies with heart disease and firefighters, we're constantly bombarded with that//the line of duty deaths.

It would be kind of nice to have some ideas and come up with some stuff that would be better for us to eat.

In the firehouse, it's always been that way so you'd definitely have to break through some barriers with some folks.

CAROLYN: I was actually really excited to come to the firehouse today

The studies showing that they're at risk for heart attacks means they've got to do something, just like you'd want to prevent a fire in your home, you want to prevent those early signs of heart disease.

Hi, I'm Carolyn O'Neil I'm a registered dietitian and I'm here to see what you're having for lunch. And I brought a few things. Great!"

BUDDY: We were fixing some lunch today when Carolyn knocked on the door. I think everybody's excited about a dietitian coming in.

Her enthusiasm's very catchy.

We're not asking the firefighters to eat tofu and bean sprouts.

CAROLYN:
I see you got some tortilla chips here. You know, it's funny I brought some chips too. They're pita chips and they're crunchy. But they're whole grain. And whole grain's important because the fiber and nutrients in there actually help with heart disease prevention.

I decided to bring some groceries that really were healthier alternatives to foods they're already eating.

I know that you like to cook out and make some hamburgers and hot dogs. So I went and looked for a healthier alternative to hot dogs and these are turkey franks. Now turkey franks are actually 1/3 less fat than regular franks and they come in many many brands.

I wanted to teach them today how they can feel full, be satisfied with tasty foods, but cut back on the fat and then still enjoy the flavors.
"What are these, donuts? Ding ding, sound the alarm. Are those not good for us?"

There are ways that they can cut back on the bad fats, the saturated fats and also adding certain foods to their diet like whole grains can actually improve their health in the long run.

Oats. You know studies came out several years ago showing how oat bran reduced cholesterol levels. Ok. The reason it does that is kind of interesting. The kind of fiber that's in it is like a glue kind of thing, it's kind of cool. It's like a magnet and it actually pulls cholesterol out of your body.

I'm here to shine a light on them. Just like they might come to my house and say this is not safe or that is not safe and point out things to me, I'm pointing out things to them they may not have noticed before.
So we're going to make today save the firehouse chili, and make it a little heart healthy. And I'd love to have you guys do a little taste test to see if you like it.

What makes this chili healthier is because it's made with turkey meat, which is leaner than ground beef. It has a lot of beans in it. They're high in fiber and really can help lower your cholesterol.

Tomatoes. Tomatoes are full of antioxidants. And I threw in some green pepper for vitamin C.

You know variety, nutrition is variety, balance and moderation.

BUDDY: I think absolutely she had some great ideas.

Whatever you bring into work and fill the cabinet with is what you have a choice of eating. If I only bring in things that are good for me in the cabinet then that's all I have a choice of.

I think this would serve 6 or 7 hungry firefighters, don't you? I would think so. Yeah.

A huge blazing fire starts with a spark. And if we can keep an eye on the day to day small things in their diet then perhaps we can prevent the emergency of a heart attack on down the line.

It's a nice change of pace to be rescued. Carolyn's welcome to come back and cook for us anytime she wants to.

Mm, that's really good. Really? You like it? Mmm hmm.