First-Responder Course
First-Responder certification is required by anyone considering a career as a firefighter.
Next course dates:
Apr 29th 6-10pm, May 1-2, 8-9, and 15-16 8am-4pm
More Info/Sign-up
(Red Cross WEFA course)
At #10 (UBC) Firehall
Upcoming dates:
Mar 18th 8am-4:30pm
Apr 1st 8am-4:30pm
Apr 15th 8am-4:30pm
More Info/Sign-up
(Red Cross CPR Level C HCP)
Next course:
Mar 16th 6-10pm
at #18 Firehall
*You must pre-register.
Sign-up now
You can have your blood-pressure and cholesterol checked by firefighter technicians at our free monthly health screening clinics.
Next clinic:
Sunday Mar 28th 9:30am-4pm
at #18 Firehall
More Info
CPR and First-aid Courses
The Vancouver Firefighters Community CPR + First Aid program is an authorized provider of CPR and first-aid programs. Through our affiliation with The Heart & Stroke Foundation of B.C. and Canadian Red Cross, we are able to offer a wide range of CPR and first-aid training and certification.
Save Somebody's Life - 1 ¼ hours
Exclusive to our program, this is our most popular course. The Save Somebody's Life course teaches simple first-aid skills to handle just about any medical emergency in just over an hour. This course is suitable for anyone who wants to learn basic life saving skills, but does not require formal 'certification'. Training focuses on the basic skills needed in the first few minutes following an emergency and includes lots of practice scenarios.
Topics covered:
- Safety
- The Emergency Response Plan
- Emergency bleeding
- CPR
- Choking
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CPR For Life - 15-20 minutes
The CPR For Life course is designed for presentation to large groups, or in conjunction with a meeting or seminar. It provides people with simple chest-compression (CPR) skills aimed at giving life-saving CPR to their own family at home. The whole course only takes about 15-20 minutes including practice.
Topics covered:
- Recognizing a medical emergency
- CPR
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CPR Certification - 4 or 5 hours
CPR Certification is for those wishing to have certification to put on their résumé, or who need certification as a requirement for their work. The certification courses teach comprehensive medical emergency management, including how to use an 'AED' or 'Automatic External Defibrilator'. All students must complete a short written exam, and on completion of the course receive an internationally recognized certificate.
There are two levels of CPR Certification offered:
Level A which includes skills for "adults" - patients 8 years and older. The level A course takes 4 hours including a short written exam.
Topics covered:
- Safety
- The Emergency Response Plan
- Emergency bleeding
- CPR
- AED (Automatic External Defibrillator)
- Choking
Level C which includes skills for patients of all ages - infants, children, and adults. The level C course takes 5 hours including a short written exam.
Topics covered:
- All of the skills in Level A PLUS:
- CPR and First-aid for Children
- CPR and First-aid for Babies
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Professional first-aid courses
Due to their cost and the complexity of the skills, we recommend that only those seeking employment (or who are already employed) as first-aid attendants take our professional first-aid courses. If you are unsure whether these courses would be suitable for you, please contact our program coordinator.
Occupational First-Aid (OFA) Level I - 8 hours
OFA Level I is a Worksafe BC requirement at many workplaces in B.C. This is the Red Cross Workplace Emergency First-Aid (WEFA) course and is approved by Worksafe BC as OFA Level I equivalent. It is suitable for people who are designated as first-aid attendants at their workplace, or applying for employment to work-places that require Level I first-aid attendants. The Level I course is 8 hours and all successful students receive a certificate good for 3 years.Note: You must be at least 16 years of age to take this course.
Upcoming dates:
Mar 18th 8am-4:30pm Sign-up now
Apr 1st 8am-4:30pm Sign-up now
Apr 15th 8am-4:30pm Sign-up now
At #10 (UBC) Firehall
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Red Cross First-Responder - 44 hours
First-responder is the level of training required for all firefighters in B.C. and is a comprehensive course in all aspects of emergency medical treatment. This course has been approved by the B.C. Emergency Medical Attendant Licensing Board (EMALB) for First-Responder level 3 licensing.
If you are considering a career as a firefighter, First-Responder level training is a pre-requisite for application to most fire departments.
Topics covered:- The responder
- The emergency scene
- Preventing disease transmission
- Human body systems
- Assessments
- Respiratory emergencies
- Airway and ventilation
- Circulatory emergencies
- Bleeding
- Shock
- Soft tissue injuries
- Musculoskeletal injuries
- Head and spine injuries
- Chest, abdominal, and pelvic injuries
- Sudden illnesses
- Poisoning
- Heat and cold related injuries
- Special populations
- Childbirth
- Crisis intervention
- Reaching and moving people
- Multiple casualty incidents
- Communications and transportation
The course is 44 hours and is conducted over 1 weeknight and 3 weekends.
Note: 100% attendance is required to pass.
You must be at least 16 years of age to take this course.
Apr 29th 6-10pm, May 1-2, 8-9, and 15-16 8am-4pm
At #10 (UBC) Firehall
Sign-up now
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Other first-aid courses
Through our association with The Canadian Red Cross we are able to provide many other CPR and first-aid courses (for groups or organizations, by request) including:
- Marine Advanced First-Aid - A Transport Canada requirement for the marine industry.
- Workplace Standard First-Aid - A two day course that gives dual certification in OFA Level I and Standard first-aid.
- Wilderness First-Aid - A two day course in handling medical emergencies outside of a city, or for when the fire department won't be there in 3 minutes.
If you are looking for a specific course or certification for your group, we are probably able to deliver it. Please contact our program coordinator to discuss your requirements.
