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In the upcoming documentary The Last Rocketman, Dan Schlund, CEO of National Set Medics, does something few leaders would ever consider - he literally places his life in the hands of his own emergency medical team.

Long before founding National Set Medics, Dan Schlund was known around the world as "The Rocketman," performing jaw-dropping jet pack flights across international stages and major events. His high-risk performances thrilled audiences, but in 2013, a catastrophic crash changed everything.

Schlund broke his neck in a life-threatening jet pack accident - an incident that could have ended both his career and his life.

Instead, it became the turning point that reshaped his purpose.

After recovering, Schlund transitioned his focus from performing to protecting others, becoming a paramedic and eventually founding National Set Medics - a company dedicated to providing elite on-set emergency medical services for film, television, live events, and high-risk productions.

Now, more than a decade after his accident, Schlund is strapping the jet pack on one final time for this highly-anticipated documentary with his trusted medical crew by his side.

Beth:

When Dan made the decision to fly again, it wasn't lost on any of us what was at stake. This wasn't just another stunt. This was a man who had once broken his neck doing the very thing he was preparing to do again. As Director of the Reality Medic Division for National Set Medics, my job was not to hope everything would go well - it was to prepare for the exact moment it didn't.

Our preparation mirrored the standards we bring to every high-risk production: layered contingency planning, clearly defined extraction pathways, pre-staged advanced life support equipment, spinal and airway management protocols, hemorrhage control strategies, and rapid transport coordination. We ran the "what if" scenarios over and over - hard landings, loss of consciousness, spinal compromise, fuel-related burns, cardiac arrest. We positioned ourselves for immediate access without compromising the shot. Every medic on that line knew their assignment before the engines ever ignited. There is no room for ego in that environment only precision, discipline, and trust.

My years serving as a medic on multiple seasons of Naked and Afraid shaped much of how I build these teams. In remote, austere environments, you learn quickly that rescue is rarely simple and never convenient. You learn to anticipate problems before they declare themselves. You learn to operate autonomously, to improvise when necessary, and to stay clinically calm while the world around you is not. Those experiences, along with work across other reality productions and high-risk shoots, forged a team culture built on redundancy, adaptability, and quiet competence.

What made this mission different was the personal layer. Dan wasn't just a performer. He's our CEO. He's a colleague. He's a friend. Watching him trust us enough to step back into the air carried weight. But that's what National Set Medics is built on - the understanding that preparation replaces panic. When you commit to elite medical support, you commit fully.

In the end, The Last Rocketman isn't just a story about flight. It's a story about resilience, calculated risk, and trusting the unseen professionals who stand ready when courage meets consequence. Our role is simple, even when the circumstances are not: when someone puts their life on the line, we are there trained, prepared, and ready to bring them home.