Spiked Out
Welcome to the Spiked Out Podcast - your go-to for real stories, real people, and real insight from the wildland fire world. Brought to you by The Journeyman, we interview seasoned pros, share education, tips on getting certified, landing jobs, and making the most of the season. Whether you're already on the line or just getting started, we've got you covered. Tune in and get Spiked Out with us.
Spiked Out
Managing 150+ Firefighters with Magnets and Paper?
What happens when two former Marines turned EMS business owners get frustrated with managing wildland fire resources using paper shift tickets and magnets on a whiteboard? They build a solution.
Tyler and Brennan share the origin story of The Journeyman app - a platform born from the real challenges they faced running Minuteman EMS, their wildland fire medical services company. From struggling to find Colorado-licensed paramedics while goose hunting in Canada to losing entire day's worth of pay due to missing paperwork, the problems they encountered became the blueprint for a technology solution that's now used by nearly 100 companies and over 2,500 wildland firefighters.
"We go to these fires with 500+ people picking up 30-page IAPs and everyone's filling out four carbon copy shift tickets. What are we doing? It's 2025." Their platform now offers digital shift tickets, certification tracking, resource management, and communication tools specifically designed for the unique needs of the wildland fire community.
Beyond just creating a "LinkedIn for wildland fire," The Journeyman addresses deeper industry challenges: helping companies track which employees worked in which states for workman's comp purposes, providing firefighters proof of their assignments for payment disputes, and offering data-driven insights that help both businesses and individuals make better decisions.
Whether you're a wildland firefighter looking to advance your career or a company struggling to organize your resources, this conversation offers a fascinating look at how technology is finally catching up to an industry that's been managing 21st century fires with 20th century administrative tools.
Find The Journeyman App here:
Google Play Store: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.livetjm.thejourneyman&pli=1
Apple App Store:
apps.apple.com/us/app/tjm-the-journeyman/id6503902863
[00:00:00] Introduction to Minuteman EMS
[00:06:48] Marine Corps Background and EMS Origins
[00:17:58] Creation of Minuteman EMS
[00:27:21] The Journeyman App Concept
[00:35:44] Features for Wildland Firefighters
[00:43:35] Business Management Solutions
[00:54:16] Digital Documentation and Future Plans
[01:00:10] Subscription Model and Episode Closing