Certified Wilderness First Responder Certification (WFR)

Sovereignty Ranch is thrilled to partner with former Green Beret Medic and expert herbalist Sam Coffman and RN Suchil Coffman from Herbal Medics to welcome an advanced medical training open to the public ~ Register now to become a Wilderness First Responder!

DATES: November 3 - 9, 2025

COST: $895 (food and accommodations are additional)

Accommodation options can be found in the ticketing area, or you can view all our available accommodations on our website here.

(Yes, you can stay off-site and still buy a ticket to attend the training. Food will be available to purchase on a meal-to-meal basis at our farm-to-table restaurant during the course, as well as a discounted food option for all meals is available at check-out.)

WFR COURSE INCLUDES:

• WFR Certification (valid for 2 years)

• Adult, Child & Infant CPR Certification, Choking & AED/BLS training (ECSI Valid for 2 years)

• 7 Days of hands-on in-the-field medical training (including Western Pathophysiology & Herbal First Aid)

• Stop the Bleed Certification

• First Aid & Herbal First Aid Certification (Herbal Medics)

• Active Shooter & Mass Casualty training (TECC Certificate)

  
  

Class Schedule (subject to change)

8:30 am - 5:30 pm Daily

Including 1-hour breaks for lunch and dinner.

Course Description:

Our Wilderness Herbal First Responder is a certification combined with remote and post-disaster herbalism. The WFR (and Wilderness Herbal First Responder WHFR) also includes CPR/AED/BLS certification, Stop The Bleed Certification, W-EMT certification for EMT-B providers with a current license,  and TECC (Tactical Emergency Critical Care certification) and a Wilderness First Responder certification card through The Human Path. Certification is valid for 2 years.

This is the merging of the worlds of remote or post-disaster medicine (“ditch medicine”) with the world of herbalism and includes a practical foundation in the use of allopathic first aid in addition to herbal medicine for acute and critical care situations in the field. PLUS, this course includes a full Wilderness First Responder curriculum that allows the student to be a competent first aid provider in the field, right from the get-go in the case of illness, injury or even a chronic health issue. 

Sam and Suchil Coffman draw from decades of experience in the field including extensive medical backgrounds and Search and Rescue medic and training units.

This course is geared toward different types of students:

•The outdoor enthusiast, camp counselor, or outdoor recreational employee who wants in-depth training on injury and illness management in the field.

• The camper, hiker, or rock-climber who wants much more intensive learning geared toward outdoor environments than a standard first aid course.

• The prepper (disaster preparedness) who wants to be self-sufficient medically and not even necessarily reliant on orthodox pharmaceuticals.

• The herbalist who wants higher intensity training across the board, from wilderness first aid to herbal medicine in a remote environment.

• The emergency medicine professional who wants to expand his/her horizons into indefinite medical care that includes botanical medicines (field herbalism).

• Anyone who wants to deepen their knowledge and skillset to be able to respond effectively in an unexpected situation or emergency.

WFR CURRICULUM:

A Wilderness First Responder (WFR) class is an intensive training program designed to equip students with the skills necessary to provide emergency medical care in remote wilderness environments. This challenging course spans over seven days, during which students are exposed to a wide range of topics and techniques that they will need to master to become effective WFRs. 

• Legal definitions and introduction to wilderness medicine

• Patient assessment skills (primary & secondary survey, physical exam)

• Vital signs and homeostasis

• Introduction to human anatomy and physiology

• Medication administration assistance

• Airway adjunct indication and use overview

• Recognizing and treating soft tissue injuries

• Wound and infection management

• Alternative wound closure techniques

• Chronic vs. acute disasters

• One, two, and three-person carries and stretcher carries, improvisation with limited equipment

• Ankle and knee assessment and taping

• Shock assessment and treatment

• Head injuries (lecture and hands-on)

• Bleeding control and shock management techniques (Stop the Bleed certification)

• Tourniquets and hemostatic agents

• Wound closure methods

• Herbal first aid & first aid kits (certification)

• Bandaging and taping techniques

• Herbal preparations and administrations in the field

• Herbs for head, ears, eyes, nose, throat ailments in the field

• Herbs to help support recovery from various types of shock

• Percolation tincturing in the field

• Open vs. closed fractures

• Slings, strains, and sprains

• Dislocation reduction techniques

• Field management of pelvic injuries

• Extrication, carries, and stretchers

• Wound and infection management

• CPR/AED/BLS certification

• Secondary survey practical exercises

• Environmental hazards: heat, cold, altitude, lightning strikes

• Burns and thermal injuries

• Bites and stings

• Venom and venomous bites

• Poisonous plants in the field

• Head and spinal injuries

• Spine management in the field (including clearing the spine)

• Medical and environmental emergencies in the field (e.g., drowning, hypoglycemia)

• Radio and communications

• Group scenarios: post-disaster response

• Establishing an incident command center

• Bioregional medicinal and edible plant identification walks

• Mini scenarios

• Psychological first aid

• Helicopter Landing Zone setup

  
  

Learn more about Sam and Suchil Coffman & Herbal Medics:

Sam Coffman, L AC, W-EMT, Founder of Herbal Medics Academy

Sam Coffman began his medical education in the US Army as a Green Beret Medic

(18D) in 1989.  Over the years that followed, he dedicated himself to being able to work

with botanical medicine as a successful method to provide sustainable health care in

remote and post-disaster regions for chronic, acute, and physical trauma care. Since

that time, Sam has taught herbalism for over 30 years and has worked as a clinical

herbalist for over 15 years. His herbal and acupuncture clinic/apothecary is now

located in Taos, NM along with his school.  

In 2007, Sam founded Herbal Medics Academy (AKA The Human Path), which offers

Five primary herbalism programs – Clinical Herbalism, Austere Medicine, Advanced

Medicine Making, Community Herbalism, and Family Herbalism. He teaches the

integration of herbal medicine with both functional medicine and austere medicine

together with two medical doctors who also specialize in those areas. 

Sam and his wife Suchil also co-founded Herbal Medics in 2011, which is an outreach

organization that gives their students and interns an opportunity to work in the field

while providing free health care and education to underserved communities. They have

worked in Nicaragua, Mexico, and all over the USA both to provide post-disaster relief as

well as provide free herbal clinics, education and sustainable medicine/food projects for

underserved communities. 

Sam is currently the training director for Taos Search and Rescue (TSAR) and is also

part of the canine search and rescue team together with his canine companion, Lucy.

His book “Herbal Medic” has been in the top 3 best-selling books for Storey Publishing

for the past 3 years. 

Suchil Coffma-Guerra, RN, Co-Director

Suchil is the Co-Director for The Human Path and Herbal Medics Academy. With a

passion for wilderness medicine, she developed the Female Medic program, completed

EMT-B and WEMT trainings before moving on to secure a dual nursing degree license.

Suchil has completed Swift Water Training Level 1, PADI Advanced Open Water and

Rescue Diver Certification and also holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree as

an RN.

Suchil teaches Wilderness First Aid certifications for the school, as well as sustainability

and clinical set-up for both field teams, apothecary set-up, and end-of-life geriatric care.

She has also developed The Apothecarist program, an intermediate medicine-making

course that she helps to instruct. In 2019, she released the Female Medic program for

specialized health care in the field environment.