Our Story

Special Tasks Group Training started by realizing that there was a need for accessible, personalized firearms training in the Pittsburgh area that focused on beginners, those looking to grow, and those needing more flexibility than large group classes or public ranges can offer.

We started our CPR/AED/BLS/First Aid Training programs upon learning that many companies offering courses in Pittsburgh are not managed in Pittsburgh, leading to inconsistent class quality, poor communication, and unreliability of service.

Currently, all of our basic firearms instruction is offered privately or for small groups. The classroom portion of our longer courses is conducted in Shadyside and the shooting portion is conducted at Trafford Sportsmen’s Club near Monroeville. We are also partnered with U.S. LawShield to provide legal protection for responsible gun owners.

WINTER SCHEDULE IN EFFECT – PUBLIC SHOOTING CLASSES SUNDAY ONLY-LE QUALS AND OTHER CLASSES BY APPOINTMENT

Those looking to become NRA Certified Instructors can now do so through Special Tasks Group Training. To become an NRA Certified Instructor, students must take and pass the basic course in the desired discipline, NRA Basic Instructor Training, and then the Instructor level course. Instructor courses require a minimum of 4 students and are held at the same locations as our basic level courses.

For our Basic Medical Training offerings, we offer public courses for those wanting to get certified, but we are also able to teach your group privately at your location, on your schedule. We are dedicated to building one of the few, truly locally owned and operated CPR and First Aid Certification schools in the Pittsburgh area.

Meet Your Instructor

Anthony DeRubeis

Owner and Instructor

Anthony is passionate and driven to provide meaningful and relevant training to students of all skill levels. Anthony found consistent, structured, training options to be lacking in Pittsburgh. After sitting through many classes that had a lot of unrelated information, repetitive stories, and understanding there is a need for more quality training options, Anthony decided to launch Special Tasks Group Training. Anthony strives to bring accessible, impactful, and focused training to his students and enjoys the opportunity to help introduce people from all walks of life to a new experience.

Anthony is currently the Director of Security at Henne Jewelers and is growing Special Tasks Group Training. Prior to his current position, Anthony worked for multiple security companies over the winter months in corporate, remote, armed school security, and as a Lieutenant for a local federal facility. During summer months Anthony owned a landscaping business for fifteen years. He was also the former Chief Operations Officer at Spare Change for 4 and a half years, helping musicians to raise over $30,000 for charities at their shows.

Outside of work, Anthony was a Reserve Deputy Sheriff where his interest in firearms instruction grew after graduating top of his academy class in 2021. He went on to become an NRA Basic Instructor with ratings in rifle, pistol, firearm safety, and further achieving Chief Range Safety Officer and Law Enforcement Handgun Instructor. Anthony is also passionate about safety and emergency response so he pursued instructor ratings for AVERT, STOP THE BLEED, and First Aid/CPR/AED. In 2024, Anthony was eligible to become an NRA Training Counselor and after completing the development workshop as honor graduate, received an appointment as one of the approximately 2300 Training Counselors that the NRA has. He is now able to train NRA Basic Instructors.

Fluent in French and having visited 48 countries, Anthony attended Point Park University where he majored in National Security Studies and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2018. During his time at university, he was also a Cadet Commander with the Civil Air Patrol, a Search and Rescue Ground Team Leader/Instructor, and an Army Reserve Officer Training Corp Cadet. Under the pen name Allan Durand, Anthony self-published a book titled Path of the Candidate: Engaging with the French Foreign Legion.

Community Focused

Anthony believes in giving back when he can and spent time volunteering at the Women in Arms shooting event at Forest Grove Sportsmen’s Association. This event was completely free for the attendees! It was a pleasure to be able to help facilitate safe rifle and pistol ranges for over 30 women who got to spend the day experiencing a variety of different firearm types, first aid skills, and other activities throughout the day. Tim Hartzell puts on an amazing event and Anthony had the added bonus of getting to work with many of the instructors who taught him throughout Basic Police Handgun a few years back.

Continued Training

Anthony uses his background as a reserve deputy to attend courses that are open to law enforcement students only. The ability to take these faster paced, more involved courses allows Anthony to help new shooters build proper habits from the outset of their training so that, as they progress, they do not need to unlearn bad habits. Anthony takes his training seriously and is constantly identifying weak points in his skill set to expand on and reinforce with both law enforcement and classes for the general public. Anthony has taken his LE courses with Phil Groff of Vigr Training and civilian classes for more seasoned shooters with Judson Ekis of Know H.O.W Dynamics.

Student Comradery

Anthony loves meeting new people and getting to learn about their specific backgrounds and interests. Fortunately, many people from different walks of life want to learn to shoot. Anthony thinks its important keep in touch with students who ask to be kept in the loop on the parts of firearms ownership that interest them. Whether that is storage solutions, firearm accessories, or different classes, Anthony loves to get out and take those classes with them! Pictured above, Anthony is with two prior students Oliver and Ismail who both wanted to get into long range shooting. Anthony found a course and the 3 gents took a road trip up to Ben Franklin Range to have a long-range shooting experience together.

Defensive Training

Our firearm courses are certified through the National Rifle Association. We have a variety of pistol, rifle, gun safety, and range operation classes. Our basic classes are typically offered privately, by appointment. NRA Basic Law Enforcement group training is available for certified Law Enforcement and Security Professionals. We also offer Pepper Spray training for the general public and security officers through Lamperd Less Lethal and Active Shooter Training for the general public through AVERT.

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Course Catalog

Basic Medical Training

Our courses are certified through Health and Safety Institute (ASHI), American Heart Association (AHA), and American Red Cross. We have a variety of First Aid/CPR/AED and Bleed Control course options. We offer public classes and are also available for private bookings for corporate, church, and other organizations that are seeking certification for their staff.

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Course Catalog

Become an NRA Certified Instructor

NRA Certified Instructors provide an invaluable service in their communities by training hundreds of thousands of individuals annually. As more Americans choose to exercise their right to own a firearm, so too grows the need for highly qualified instructors. Instructing is a great way to give back to your club, Boy Scout Council, and others while enhancing and keeping your skills sharp.

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