Noon Meal at Greensburg

Emergency responders pick up sack lunches at the tornado base camp in Greensburg, Kansas. Two hot meals are typically served to emergency responders working forest fires and similar incidents. An enhanced sack lunch is passed out for the noon meal.

Under the 2007 national mobile food services contract, caterers are required to provide the following menu items in each sack lunch:

• Meat sandwich or vegetarian substitute


• A second entree, such as a pizza pocket or burrito


• Fresh fruit or dried fruit package -- dried fruit can only be served once in three days


• Packaged cookies, brownie or granola bar


• Two canned fruit juices totaling 11 ounces


• Packaged snack, such as candy, trail mix, fresh vegetables, pretzels, jerky, shelled nuts or dried/cured meats and cheeses


• Appropriate condiments


• Two paper napkins and pre-moistened towelettes

This is a pretty hefty meal that's been formulated for emergency response workers, like wildland firefighters, who exert large amounts of energy on the job. The contractors are required to serve variety, which can be difficult when you consider the limited supply of non-perishable items that can be placed in a sack lunch.

Typically the crews pick up there lunches from a central point after breakfast. Each responder carries his lunch in a day pack until released for lunch. Except for crews located a spike camp, breakfast and dinner are served from the catering trailer in camp.

Photo credit: Mike Ferris of the U.S. Forest Service.