Spiked Out

Advancing the paramedic profession requires a shift toward higher education. Learn why degree requirements are the key to future growth. This discussion addresses the unique dual identity of emergency medical services providers who often feel caught between public safety and healthcare sectors. We examine the current professional landscape and the specific challenges that prevent paramedics from b...

Chaos does not automatically break people. Sometimes it reveals who they are. We sit down with Malinda Whipple, program director of the Utah Tech University EMS program, to unpack what makes a great medic when the scene is loud, the patient is crashing, and the “right answer” is not sitting on a slide. We talk candidly about critical thinking in EMS, why judgment matters more than trivia, and how...

The fire line doesn't care what you trained for. In wildland fire EMS and wilderness medicine, paramedics work hours from a hospital — and standard ER thinking breaks fast. In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Miguel Pineda — emergency physician and wilderness medicine fellowship-trained doc — to break down what wildland fire EMS, wilderness medicine, and prehospital care actually look like...

Two hours from the nearest hospital, “standard ER thinking” breaks fast. We’re joined by Dr. Miguel Pineda, an emergency physician and wilderness medicine fellowship trained doc, to talk about what actually matters when you’re doing EMS in austere environments like wildland fires, remote rescues, and rural transport corridors. We get into the decision skill that drives everything else: telling sic...

You can tell who looks tough. You can't tell who will endure — and that gap is where fire crews break. In Part 2 of our conversation with John Hennessey — retired Air Force officer, former Booz Allen Hamilton program manager, and one of the architects of Dammeron Valley Fire Rescue — we follow the thread from special operations selection culture straight into the unforgiving reality of wildfi...

Building a REMS team isn't optional anymore — it's how you keep your wildland firefighters alive when extraction goes sideways. And most departments wait until it's too late. In this episode, John Hennessey — retired Air Force officer, former Booz Allen Hamilton program manager, and one of the architects of Dammeron Valley Fire Rescue — breaks down how to actually launch a Rapid Ext...

Wildland fire admin is still way too hard. Between scattered job boards, paper CTRs, certs in three folders, and a new login for every crew you've ever rostered with — there's no reason it should still feel this messy. In this rapid-fire FAQ, we sit down to clear up exactly what The Journeyman is, what you get with a free wildland firefighter profile, and why we refuse to charge people j...

Training rope rescue in the Utah desert sounds extreme — until you realize it's the best way to actually learn. No trees, limited anchors, and unforgiving terrain force you to build clean, redundant systems and understand why they work. That's exactly why we keep coming back to Hanksville for our annual REMS training with Prevail Rescue Solutions. In this episode, we break down what a fu...

That sinking feeling when a state letter says you owe tens of thousands of dollars is not rare, it is the hidden tax on running a small business across state lines. We sit down with the Caputo Group to unpack why wildfire contractors and mobile EMS teams get hit so hard by multi-state payroll compliance, workers’ compensation requirements, HR law changes, and safety regulations. When the work is d...

John of Backcountry Medics gets specific about capability, not just labels. What’s the real operational difference between Type 1 ALS and Type 2 ALS? Why does vehicle extrication keep coming up when we talk about firefighter fatality risk from auto accidents and cardiac events? We also dig into why assumptions like “the local structure department can handle it” can fall apart in remote wildland se...

A firefighter gets crushed by a falling tree miles from a road. A medic knows exactly how to control the pain and protect the patient’s body from spiraling stress, but the medication that makes it possible can’t legally cross the next state line. That’s not a hypothetical, it’s the operational problem we’re staring at after a new DEA interstate rule tightened how controlled substances can travel w...

College costs $200K+ and 4 years. Here's what you can build instead for less money and more capability. Part 2 with Maxim Smith diving into practical cycles from The Preparation: no-code fluency that lets you ship real products, Muay Thai training in Thailand that builds discipline and fight composure, and real-world readiness skills that make you harder to break. What we cover: The "Hac...

What if the most valuable four years of your life weren't spent in a classroom, but stacking skills, shipping value, and building real businesses? We break down The Preparation - a structured framework that replaces drift with momentum through 16 focused cycles. Each cycle delivers a hard skill, body of knowledge, and layer of confidence you can bank on. No debt required. What we cover: The F...

Ever wonder why some contractor medics get looped into the crew's plan while others end up alone on a ridge? It's all about trust. We break down the real mechanics of earning credibility on the fireline—and how quiet competence, not loud swagger, sets you up for the right role when it counts. What we cover: Making the Jump: City Fire to Contractor Admin fears, check-in, and demob mysteri...

What happens when 80% of fire calls are EMS—and it starts breaking you? We sit down with a structure firefighter Matt Emrich who chased the dream of real fire, got buried in nonstop EMS and critical calls, and eventually hit a breaking point that led to PTSD treatment, a career pivot, and a new path through wildland REMS. What we cover: The Structure Fire Reality Growing up around fire, early trai...

Think passing the pack test means you're ready? It's just the floor, not the ceiling. Austin Womack from Rugged Athlete breaks down why three miles in 45 minutes only proves minimum fitness—and what it actually takes to handle steep climbs, heavy tools, altitude, smoke, and back-to-back shifts without getting destroyed. What we cover: Why the Pack Test is Just the Baseline Built on aerob...

The line doesn't care how much you can bench if your back seizes on a ridge. Austin Womack—founder of Rugged Athlete, former pro sports strength coach, and wildland firefighter—shares how to build a body that actually holds up under load, heat, and chaos. What we cover: 3-Step Preventative Maintenance Routine Soft tissue prep → Mobilize → Reinforce Low-back and hip strategies with field-frien...

A single rifle round through the bubble, an offshore turn-back with voices urging "come on in," a midnight medevac launched from a Marine Corps ball—this is how real judgment is forged. Nick shows how to resist tunnel vision, choose safety over pressure, and turn raw experience into a framework you can actually use. From Afghanistan combat flights to EMS in Pine Ridge, offshore weather c...

A young Ranger falls in love with aviation while planning HLZs and talking to Little Birds—then bets his future on a last-minute pivot to flight school after the VA pulls funding. From shaky first hovers to that unforgettable first solo, Nick unpacks the learning curve that turns fear into focus, why instructing students sharpened his own skills more than any book, and how high-density-altitude fl...

A quiet afternoon on a slow-moving fire turned into a life-altering moment when a teammate spotted Tyler having a seizure under a tree. That fast call and a helicopter ride set off a chain of decisions where a six-hour surgery removed most of a surprise brain tumor. What followed wasn't a collapse—it was a deliberate rebuild. What we cover: The Day Everything Changed Seizure recognized by a t...

Two phones on the table. One urgent request. Fifteen minutes to say yes—or watch tens of thousands slip away. We used to juggle spreadsheets, Slack threads, text chains, and guesswork to fill resource requests. So we built one platform to replace it all. Then we prove it works by filling a live resource request on-air in minutes. What we cover: The Chaos We Fixed Why "I think they're cur...

The door to the buggy slides shut and the air turns thick with sweat, dust, and gallows humor—welcome to hotshot life. Adam Thomas—Marine infantry vet turned city firefighter, paramedic, and two-season Springville Hotshot—breaks down what it really takes to earn a spot on a Type 1 hand crew and why the only way out is through. What we cover: What Hotshots Actually Do Why Type 1 hand crews get sent...

What if you could skip $100K in debt and build a life of real skills, income, and freedom instead? Maxim took the road less traveled—and it's paying off.  In this episode, we break down The Preparation: a 16-cycle, 4-year alternative to college that replaces lectures with action. EMT certification, wildland fire seasons, sailing across the Falklands, flight training, heavy equipment operation...

Miles from pavement, the rules change. Field trauma care isn't optional—it's the difference between a recovery and a rescue. We sat down with Brennen—Army 68W combat medic turned paramedic, REMS lead to unpack how combat medicine principles make wildland firefighting safer, faster, and more self-sufficient when evacuation is uncertain. What we cover: Austere Care Fundamentals Why supragl...

Heavy REMS caches slow you down. Lightweight systems save lives. We sat down with Brian from Prevail Rescue Solutions to break down what actually makes REMS teams effective on wildland fires: minimalist rope systems, anchorcraft under pressure, and prolonged field care that holds up through a cold, sleepless night. Why train in anchor-poor Utah canyons? No trees. No bolts. You learn to ghost canyo...