Rick Swain is a retired Army combat veteran with a background in specialized military and emergency response roles. With over two decades of experience as a Special Operations Combat Medic and Paramedic/HAZMAT Technician, he has demonstrated exceptional expertise in technical and tactical units. Even after retiring from the military, Rick continued his service as a government contractor and consultant, offering mentorship, training, and evaluation for units within the National Guard's Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Response Enterprise for a decade. His operational experience spans diverse environments, including deserts, mountains, and jungles in locations such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Panama, and Ecuador. Notably, Rick's deep passion for wilderness preparedness has been cultivated over 30 years, as he remains dedicated to continuous learning and practical skill development. This dedication has allowed him to distill invaluable life-sustaining lessons from his experiences, which have proven instrumental in real-life scenarios. As the founder and owner of The SCROLL LLC, Rick shares his extensive expertise in critical readiness skills for the outdoors, as well as life-sustaining lessons. His qualifications include being a Registered Outdoor Guide, holding a Bachelor of Arts in Homeland Security, completing specialized military courses such as U.S. Army Ranger School and USASOC SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) High-Risk Course - Level C, and obtaining certifications from Jack Mountain Bushcraft School exemplify his commitment to excellence and preparedness. Rick's deployments with the 75th Ranger Regiment and his involvement in the review committee for the Tactical Ranger Medic Handbook underscore the depth of his practical knowledge and leadership within high-stakes environments.
Andres ‘Oz’ Ospina was born in Colombia, South America and moved with his family to the US when he was young. Since then, life has been quite the adventure. Oz always brings passion and humor to everything he does so there is never a dull moment in class or around the fire.
Andres “Oz” Ospina was born in Colombia, South America and moved to the United States at an early age where he quickly discovered his affinity for the woods. He spent much of his youth exploring nature and developed an early appreciation for outdoor environments. Motivated by this passion, Oz chose to join the Marine Corps, aiming to maintain his connection to the wilderness. While his duties did not always allow for time outdoors, he distinguished himself by earning a place at the prestigious Scout Sniper School and graduating successfully. Oz advanced to the position of Team Leader and completed two combat deployments, subsequently serving as an Instructor at the High-Risk Personnel School in Quantico, VA, recognized as the leading defensive shooting institution in the Department of Defense at that time.
After eight years of dedicated service, Oz transitioned from the Marine Corps to working with several private contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan. Recognizing the unsustainable pace of deployment life, he relocated to Northern Arizona and lived entirely off grid for a decade. This period provided valuable personal growth and reinforced his passion for land exploration and skill development.
Oz’s commitment to outdoor education led him to join Jack Mountain Bushcraft and Guide School, where he now serves as an Instructor for long-term semester courses and is a guest instructor at The SCROLL. He brings enthusiasm, expertise, and a dedication to continuous learning and student development, striving to inspire a similar passion for the outdoors among participants.
Podcasts
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Podcasts 〰️
Testimonials
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"If you are looking for quality training from someone with years of real world application of survival and field medicine craft, Rick Swain is your guy. He has practiced in the most of austere and hazardous environments in the world." ----- FB Post
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"My son and I had a great day of training with The SCROLL today! The course was "Introduction to Bushcraft and Outdoor Survival." We learned about the essentials for surviving in the woods. We were taught plant and tree identification. Foraged for medicinal plants for our tea. Purified water from a local stream. Started fires with ferro rods and birch bark. Practiced knot tying, created wooden stakes, and prepared a survival shelter. It was an amazing bonding experience with my son, and we are looking forward to taking the Emergency Remain Over Nite (ERON) course next year!!" ----- FB Post
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"All of my hiking, solo camping, Winter Campers and any outdoor enthusiasts head over to check this out! Ranger Buddy Rick Swain <2> has made a dream come true for himself. I can assure you it's more than just Band Aids, Neosporin and some medical tape! Congrats, Bud! 🇺🇸" ------ FB Post
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“I attended a 2-day Wilderness First Aid class with The SCROLL. It was packed with great, relevant information on how to handle a situation involving injury or medical emergency out in the wilderness. In addition to classroom time there was plenty of hands-on training which certainly made me feel more confident that I could utilize the information. I especially appreciated the lesson on tourniquet use as someone with an arterial bleed has a very short time to have their life saved. Also useful were the ideas on who to keep your head together and how to assess a scene of an injury before you dive into help. Obtaining as much information as you can about what happened and the medical situation of the patient before you do anything so that you help in the most effective way possible. Plus, lots more! I will be going over my notes and the course materials to get a better imprint of all of this on my brain for retention. I always like gear and there was plenty of info on what to carry and how to carry it. I would recommend this to anyone as you just never know what will happen. Better to be prepared.” ----- Google Review
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“Just wanted to say Thank You to The SCROLL for an amazing weekend of great training! This past weekend, my son and I survived the Emergency Remain Over Night (ERON) course. The premise of the course is that you are out for a hike and for some reason, you are unable to continue and must survive the night with only the equipment in your pack. This weekend threw some very realistic challenges at us with the Rain, Snow, Wind, and freezing temperatures! We learned how to build shelters from a tarp and trash bags. Started our fires with ferro rods in very wet conditions. Gathered our water from a nearby stream, filtered and boiled it with the fire. Used passive and active signaling to try and draw attention for possible rescue. Learned how to splint a twisted ankle with a sleeping mat and cordage. Lots of knife work, knot tying and some compass/map training. Even though the conditions were pretty miserable, we made it through the night. This course definitely opened my eyes to what we should be carrying with us into the backcountry. Even on a well-marked, well-traveled path, things can turn bad very quick! We are now both confident that if we ever find ourselves in a real-world situation, we could use our newly acquired Bushcraft skills and survive until rescued. Rick is a great instructor and if you ever spend time in the backcountry, this course is definitely worth it!” ----- Google Review
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"I have had a few days to digest the events of the weekend, and I wanted to express my gratitude for both of your efforts to make this past weekend so successful and fun. This course was truly more than just a typical class, and you both went above and beyond to set us all up for success. The lessons and skills taught will be the foundation for many more adventures in the future, and the confidence gained from this experience is hard to put into words. So I will keep it simple for once, thank you again for everything! You guys are awesome :D"--Email