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Heather Berge, an outdoors enthusiast, joins Defenders-USA with over 30 years of experience as an instructor/coach, primarily in the discipline of alpine skiing and racing. Heather’s coaching experience has made her well-suited to becoming an instructor in the firearms world, where attention to detail, body movements and the proper execution of fundamental skills are of the utmost importance for the lawfully armed citizen.
Her years of training as a coach enables Heather to get the best out of her students with her successful experience in teaching and coaching, the need for clear communication and positive encouragement.
Heather’s interest in firearms began as a young person when her grandfather and other family members took her shooting. Having personal experience with potentially deadly encounters with attackers over many years of traveling and living abroad, Heather decided to obtain a concealed carry permit. Having the desire to achieve proficiency in everything she does, she learned about Defenders-USA and began taking the many courses offered. Her interest kept increasing in defensive shooting and the shooting sports in general, so Heather became a Range Safety Officer through the NRA for her local gun range.
She soon found many of her friends, especially women, were seeking firearms instruction from her. Having many hours of training with Defenders USA, sensing the calling to help others also learn, along with the encouragement from a local gun shop owner, Heather became a certified USCCA instructor in Defensive Shooting Fundamentals.
Soon after, Adam Winch (founder/owner of Defenders USA, and AG&AG National Conference instructor) invited Heather to attend an NRA instructor certification course, where she became certified in pistol and in Concealed Carry Weapons. Since then, Heather has been instructing in Colorado and in her current state, Arizona.
She has taught both women and men with no previous handgun experience, to include students who’ve had no interest in touching a gun but were encouraged to do so by a significant other. Heather’s calm, kind, patient spirit, and her natural ability to help nervous students relax, causes her to have great success in helping deal with and soon remove a nervous student’s fear of handling firearms.
Heather’s calling and skill both with firearms and with people helps her empower others who want to responsibly and efficiently learn to be their own bodyguard and of those they love.
Please join us at AG&AG Mohave County!
Training and Certifications:
Defenders-USA training courses: “Defenders Series” (several times), Handgun Fundamentals (multiple times), Defensive Fighting Handgun 1 & 2 (multiple times), Advanced Fighting Handgun, Handgun Speed & Accuracy, Fighting Rifle Applications 2 times, Fighting Handgun Concepts, all with Defenders USA’s Adam Winch and other Defenders USA Instructors. Decisional Defender with Brent Hickmon of Defenders USA.
-Certified USCCA Defensive Shooting Fundamentals Instructor
-Certified USCCA Concealed Carry and Home Defense Instructor
-Certified NRA Range Safety Officer
-Certified NRA Basic Pistol Instructor through Dynamic Combative Solutions, Dave Laird
-Certified NRA CCW Instructor through Dynamic Combative Solutions, Dave Laird
-Certified Handgun Instructor through The Complete Combatant’s “Deliberate Coaching” with Brian Hill
-Certified NRA Basic Rifle Instructor through Alpha One Firearms Training, Alex Nikolov
-AZ CCW Permit and Instructor Certification
-Basic pistol, Colorado Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP), multiple times
-US Law Shield: Gun Shot Wound/Stop the Bleed
-Stop The Bleed Bleeding control basics
-Citizens Safety Academy Assistant Instructor course
-National Registry-Emergency Medical Technician
-STB Stop The Bleed Instructor
-AG&AG Certified Trainer
-Certified OC (pepper spray) instructor, through Agile Training and Consulting, Chuck Haggard
-Recipient, Jeff Cooper Legacy Foundation scholarship: 5 day, Gunsite 250 defensive pistol course
-Massad Ayoob 40 hour course Armed Citizens’ Rules of Engagement, legal and ethical parameters of the use of lethal force and deadly weapons
-Tactical Emergency Casualty Care TECC certified
-LEOSA certification instructor
-Arizona Ranger
-Additional excellent training at AGAG national conference with Chuck Haggard, Chris Cypert, Dan Brady, Ed Monk, Riley Bowman, Tyler Tharp, LouKa Tactical to name a few.
