What is First Aid?
First aid is the immediate care you give to an ill or injured person until more advanced care can be obtained. The First Aider’s role includes three basic steps:
- Recognize the emergency and act accordingly.
- Call EMS/911
- Act according to your skills, knowledge, and comfort level.
A first aid class will teach you skills to handle accidents, and injuries such as bleeding, bone, muscle and joint injuries, head and neck injuries, medical conditions, and environmental emergencies.
What is CPR?
CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The term cardio refers to the heart, and pulmonary refers to the lungs. CPR is the same as Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS). CPR is a combination of breathing and chest compressions. CPR increases a cardiac arrest casualty’s chances of survival by keeping the brain supplied with oxygen until the person receives advanced medical care. CPR alone is not enough to help someone survive cardiac arrest. Advanced medical care is needed immediately, and includes the use of medications or a defibrillator.
A defibrillator is a device that sends an electric shock through the chest to the heart to start the heart beating effectively again. Defibrillation given as soon as possible is the key to helping some people survive cardiac arrest.
A CPR class will teach you skills to handle conditions such as choking situations, respiratory distress, respiratory arrest (when breathing stops), and cardiac arrest. All of our CPR classes also include AED (Automated External Defibrillator) certification.
Is learning First Aid or CPR difficult?
The goal of the Canadian Red Cross is to provide first aid training to every person in Canada. Vital CPR – First Aid Training strives for the same goal. Our courses teach basic steps that can be applied to any emergency situation. We make learning the skills easier by reinforcing the key concepts and by providing lots of class time for hands-on practice. We want you to succeed!
What course should I take?
You can take a CPR class by itself, or you can take a class that combines CPR with First Aid training. Here are some simple guidelines to follow:
- CPR Level A: CPR for adult casualties. This course is required if you are taking the course because you need to know how to assist with respiratory or cardiac emergencies affecting a person older than eight years of age. The course is intended for lay person (general public) rescuers, or workplace rescuers.
- CPR Level C: CPR for adult, child, and baby casualties. This is required if you need to know how to assist with respiratory or cardiac emergencies affecting persons in different age groups. The course is intended for lay person rescuers, workplace safety teams, lifeguards, police, firefighters, and other first responders.
- CPR Level HCP: CPR adult, child, and baby casualties at a Health Care Provider level. This course includes Level C plus additional skills such as advanced circulation check, rescue breathing, and use of a bag valve mask (BVM). The course is intended for lay person rescuers, workplace safety teams, lifeguards, police, firefighters, and other first responders.
When do I receive my CPR certification card?
You will receive your certificate at the end of your successful completion of the course. The certificate is provided in class and you will not have to wait for it to be mailed.
All of our first aid and CPR courses include certification from the Canadian Red Cross Society. The certificates meet Canada Occupational Safety and Health regulations, Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board requirements, and are recognized by employers, schools, and safety councils throughout Canada.
First aid and CPR certificates are valid for three years. However, the Canadian Red Cross Society recommends retraining every year. You should also note that some employers require you to retrain every year.
Is there an Emergency First Response/Responder workbook?
There will be a revised EFR workbook coming out in 2012, however, until that time, here is the 2008 version