What are the Benefits of Private First Aid Training?

There are several benefits of Private First Aid Training:

1. It saves time because everyone can take the course together, instead of taking time off separately.
2. Everyone is simultaneously prepared to face any emergencies.
3. Coast2Coast has fantastic offers and discounts for private training groups.
4. Convenience of having an instructor come to you for the training on the day, time, and place that suits the whole group.
5. Booking the private training is a simple process. Just fill in the form, providing the number of participants, type of course, and level, and one of our customer service representatives will contact you within 24 hours.
6. All participants will receive a WSIB-approved certificate through the Canadian Red Cross.

Contact us at Coast2Coast by phone or email if you have any questions regarding Private First Aid & CPR/AED training courses.

How to Register for Private Training

Register for Private First Aid Training today and ensure your fellow colleagues, family and friends get the confidence required to save others. The knowledge from the training is invaluable to everyone, helping you become aware of better assessing your surroundings and any situations that may arise. The training gives you the required confidence to help save and rescue any person who needs immediate help.

The Private Group Request Form is the quickest way to register for Private First Aid Training with Coast2Coast. Once the details are submitted, someone from our office will contact you within 24 hours. Together you can organize the training at a convenient day, time, and place for your private group training. Private training is available in Western Ontario, Eastern Ontario, and the Greater Toronto Area.

We hope you now understand all of the benefits of Private First Aid training!

Healthcare professionals learn CPR, First Aid, and Basic Life Support training to help save people in health and other emergencies. However, CPR and First Aid training courses are also compulsory in different places of employment. Many citizens also learn these skills in their private capacity to offer their assistance whenever and wherever required.

Once you have completed your training in any of these lifesaving disciplines, you receive a certificate that proves your skills. Depending on the training, the certificate’s validity has an expiration date, and it is essential to keep the certificate up-to-date by taking the recertification training.

All these first response disciplines, whether to assist someone with a cut, bruise, cardiac arrest, anaphylaxis, choking, drowning, etc., are based on having the skills required to apply the techniques to help the person until professional help arrives.

We are an aging society, and the generation of Baby Boomers is now increasingly reaching the age where they may require medical assistance. The risk of exposure to viruses, infections, and environmental illnesses has also increased in recent years. First Aid and CPR are essential for helping an unconscious person or someone with an injury.

Using the proper techniques can save a life and improve the person’s chances of recovery. CPR and First Aid training is inexpensive and requires just a few hours, ensuring that you have the skills to help in any situation.

However, once you complete the training, you must consider that retraining and recertification are essential to keeping your skills refreshed. Workplaces and school programs often require employees and students to maintain valid certificates. Regular certificate updates benefit you because you retain the confidence to practice your lifesaving skills while also learning any new developments and techniques to save lives.

Workplace Requirements and First Aid

According to WSIB Ontario, First Aid training requirements differ in the workplace. These requirements include the number of people and type of First Aid training required and depend on several conditions. These include the number of shifts, people per shift, and the kind of business activity.

If a company does not use dangerous equipment or chemicals, the required number of employees usually take only Emergency First Aid training. Other companies must provide Standard First Aid training to the prescribed number of employees per shift if they work under more dangerous conditions.

Generally, if less than five employees work per shift, one employee per shift requires valid Emergency First Aid & CPR/AED Level C training and certification. For companies with more than five employees per shift, at least one employee must have a valid Standard First Aid & CPR/AED Level C certificate. 

At some workplaces, the requirements are annual recertification, even if the certificate is valid for three years. 

Anyone faced with an emergency situation can benefit from First Aid and CPR training because they may be able to save someone’s life. According to statistics, CPR can better the chances of survival from an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest if administered immediately as most cases of cardiac arrest happen in the home.

If you’re wondering, “do I need first aid and CPR training?”, we will discuss the benefits, requirements and how to complete a training course.

Benefits of First Aid Training

First Aid training has several benefits because you acquire the knowledge and skills to provide the appropriate care in most emergency situations calmly and confidently.

The skills learned during First Aid training include detecting a stroke, heart attack, anaphylaxis, dealing with injuries, cardiac arrest and more. It also teaches you how to correctly perform CPR when needed. During the training, you will practice treating wounds, burns, choking, drowning, and suffocation in victims.

The skills learned are essential for parents, caregivers, and job seekers in almost all fields. Research also shows that children as young as nine years old can learn the correct administration of CPR. It may be beneficial for you to enroll your children in a Babysitting or Stay Safe training course!

There are two levels of First Aid: Emergency and Standard. We recommend that students complete Standard First Aid because it provides more information and skills compared to Emergency First Aid.

Who Needs First Aid Training?

Most commonly, medical professionals are the ones who require First Aid & CPR training. This group includes doctors, nurses, medical assistants, paramedics, and other rescue workers like lifeguards and ski patrols.

In addition to medical professionals, all childcare providers, law enforcement, firefighters, sports coaches, construction workers, correctional services staff, flight attendants, security guards, electricians and more require first aid & CPR training.

All businesses must also ensure that the required number of workers have First Aid Certification, whether they are shop assistants, factory workers, secretaries, servers, managers, and volunteers. According to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, businesses covered by their fund must have trained personnel and first aid equipment on their premises.

The training must come from a WSIB-approved First Aid provider, and the appropriate number of staff must complete the First Aid course and receive certification according to the guidelines.

The professions of a security guard and private investigator might sound similar, but there are some differences between the two occupations. Anyone wanting to work either one of the two in Canada requires a valid license. It’s important to learn the difference between these before deciding which training suits the career path you want to follow. Let’s discuss the difference between security guards and private investigators.

The Role of Security Guards

The primary responsibilities of security guards entail area observations for security breaches, managing any issues, reporting dangerous situations or suspicious behaviour and more. Security guards perform these duties to protect private property and the public. Security guards work in airports, condos, stores and shopping malls. Some also work as bodyguards.

Proper training is required to ensure security guards can recognize and handle situations until the appropriate authorities arrive to take over. Unlike private investigators who often work undercover, security guards work in the open, visibly showing their presence.

The Role of Private Investigators

Private investigators are typically employed by citizens, companies and attorneys to investigate the whereabouts or actions of people, issues regarding workplace health and safety, environmental incidents and more. There are various reasons why someone would want to hire a private investigator, including investigating fraud, theft, infidelity, disputes over child custody, and finding missing assets or a person.

To investigate, private investigators need to learn several investigative techniques and conduct research. These include internet searches, public databases, background checks, etc. Private investigators also use audio and video surveillance, take photographs and conduct personal observations.

The work that private investigators do still requires them to work within the law. As a private investigator, you must have a good understanding of the laws, be ethical and have great communication and listening skills.

Facing an emergency without First Aid training is daunting and leaves people feeling helpless. Many people in Kitchener put off First Aid training for various reasons, mainly that they don’t have time or don’t know where to take a course. Others believe that they don’t need training but don’t realize that some techniques, especially CPR, require specific training.

The level of First Aid training someone needs will depend on their personal circumstances and career. Someone looking after children or a sick relative may need a higher level of training than someone who wants to prepare for general emergencies.

People who work in educational facilities, community settings, sports training centers, and healthcare professionals typically require advanced levels of training. Standard First Aid prepares participants for common medical emergencies needed for these careers, including environmental crises.

First Aid is not mandatory in Canada, but everyone is encouraged to help others in everyday emergencies. Helping each other is a moral obligation, and knowledge gives you confidence. Ready to find the best first aid and CPR training in Kitchener? Look no further!

New Training Facility in Kitchener

Coast2Coast has opened up a new training facility in Kitchener, making First Aid and CPR training more accessible than ever before. Several levels of First Aid and CPR training courses are available, including Emergency First Aid, Standard First Aid and Basic Life Support (BLS-HCP). Coast2Coast recommends everyone complete first aid and CPR training even if you do not require it for work or school programs.

Teaching times for First Aid and CPR training in Kitchener depend on the course level you choose. Our Online Blended training format is the most popular for Emergency First Aid and Standard First Aid because it saves time, allowing participants to complete the 4-8 hours of online learning (in their own time). The practical segment of the course has 5.5-8 hours of in-class training.

In-class training is an integral part of a first aid course because you learn the correct techniques firsthand from our experienced, Canadian Red Cross instructors. During this portion of your course, students will practice these techniques. Instructors are there to help you if you are struggling with any section of the course.

The in-class portion of our First Aid and CPR training in Kitchener starts at 9 AM. Once you complete the course and pass the multiple-choice exam, you will receive a WSIB-approved Canadian Red Cross certificate. All First Aid certification is valid for three years, after which you can recertify.

The in-class sections of First Aid & CPR require 100% attendance and a score of 75% or higher on the multiple-choice test.

Importance of First Aid & CPR

Since no one ever knows when an emergency will occur, First Aid training provides the confidence required to help save a life. Emergencies don’t always happen where first responders are available, so you might need to assist a loved one at home, a stranger on the road, or a colleague at work.

First aid training is not only for dealing with accidents. Depending on your course level, training may help you recognize illnesses, poisoning, cardiac arrest, and anaphylaxis. You also learn to call for emergency services, offering the correct assistance and comfort until professionals arrive.

Basic Life Support Certification is proof of completing the foundational BLS training. Participants of the BLS course learn the theoretical and hands-on skills required to ensure the best possible patient outcomes in breathing emergencies and cardiac arrest, particularly in fast-paced environments like hospitals and during emergencies. Healthcare professionals, first responders, rescuers, sports doctors, and dentists need BLS certification.

There are several ways Basic Life Support training can impact your career. Besides providing you with the latest life-saving protocols for breathing emergencies, advanced CPR training increases your confidence levels.

For those that are confused, there is a slight difference between BLS and HCP. Basic Life Support training was previously known as CPR-HCP. Certifications expired every three years. In April 2019, the Canadian government required healthcare professionals to update their training on an annual basis. Due to this change, the course is now called Basic Life Support and it provides students more information and skills required for their profession.

Continue reading to find out why healthcare professionals need BLS certification!

What is BLS?

Basic Life Support training provides healthcare professionals and first responders with the skills required to help unresponsive people during breathing emergencies, trauma, etc. The course includes CPR/AED training for all age groups and various other skills.

One of the most common conditions where BLS is required is cardiac arrest. Other cases where the patient is deprived of their vital oxygen supply include choking or drowning. Within a few minutes, a patient can suffer permanent brain damage from a lack of oxygen. In the absence of advanced equipment, BLS training allows healthcare professionals to maximize the chance of a possible outcome for the patient by administering resuscitation and chest compressions as a team.

During the training, participants learn the correct order of CPR and the cycles of CPR.

Expect to learn the following skills in BLS:

• Advanced CPR algorithms (adults, children, and babies)
• Use of an automated external defibrillator (AED)
• Removing airway obstructions in children and adults
• Single and multi rescuer resuscitation
• Use of ventilation devices
• Anaphylaxis
• Trauma
• Opioid emergencies
• Six rights of medication and more!

BLS requires the correct sequence of chest compressions, airway, and breathing, in adults, children, and infants. These components contribute to blood flow and oxygen in life-threatening situations. During training, you learn about the chest compression rate, chest compression depth, chest recoil, and ventilation. You also learn how to perform this in the proper cycles.

Exposure to the cold and extreme heat are the most common elements that cause environmental illnesses. In addition to these, there are also environmental poisons. The symptoms of environmental illnesses vary, depending on the chemical, pollution, allergen, toxin, virus, or climatic condition the victim is exposed to. Preventing environmental illnesses is not easy, but the faster people are removed from the danger and treated, the better.

Environmental hazards typically occur outdoors when people are exposed to extreme climatic conditions or poisons. Now, let’s learn how to prevent environmental illnesses!

What are environmental illnesses?

Hypothermia, heatstroke, frostbite, heat exhaustion, and poisoning are some of the most commonly seen environmental illnesses seen by first responders.

Cold-Related Illnesses

Hypothermia – When the body is exposed to frigid temperatures, it can’t produce heat as fast as it is lost. The result is that the body uses up all its stored energy, reaching an abnormally low body temperature. This is known as hypothermia. Hypothermia is very dangerous because the person’s ability to think clearly and move is dangerously reduced.

Preventing hypothermia requires that people heed the early warning signs and take the appropriate action. Know the early warning signs of hypothermia which include shivering, fatigue, loss of coordination, and disorientation or confusion. They should call for assistance if they cannot find a warmer place or shelter.

First Aid measures include moving the person to a warm space, removing wet clothing, and warming their body from the center outward. In the absence of an electric blanket, the best way to heat a person is with skin-to-skin contact under layers of dry clothing. You must only give the person a high calorie food or drink if they are conscious, alert and shivering, avoiding alcoholic beverages. If the person has no pulse, give CPR immediately.

Frostbite – Some body areas are more susceptible to freezing temperatures than others. These include the ears, nose, chin, cheeks, fingers, and toes. Frostbite is caused when these body parts freeze because of extremely low temperatures. The body tissue in that part of the body could become permanently damaged, often leading to amputation. Frostbite is prominent in people with poor blood circulation, but also among people working in the cold who haven’t dressed appropriately.

Wearing protective coverings on all extremities when spending time in freezing outdoor temperatures is critical. The symptoms of frostbite include numbness, tingling, and hardened skin. The skin may also turn pale or blue with a waxy appearance.

First Aid measures include going to a warmer area, immersing the affected area in warm water (never hot water) or body heat. Keep the skin protected with loose dressings, elevate thawed extremities, stay hydrated and get medical attention.

Heat-Related Illnesses

Heat Exhaustion – Excessive sweating during heat exposure causes the body to lose fluids. Because of this, the body’s blood flows to the skin to eliminate heat. This causes a lack of blood flow to vital organs.The warning signs include sweating, dizziness, weakness, headaches, vomiting and more.

The best way to prevent heat exhaustion is to ensure your body remains cool. Stay hydrated and avoid exertive work during the hottest times of the day.

First Aid measures include placing the person into a cool area and giving them lots of liquids, especially water, clear liquids, or a sports drink to replenish the body’s lost minerals. Loosen clothing as much as possible and pour cool water on their torso. You can also cool them down by applying a cool cloth or ice to the neck, head, and face.

Heatstroke – Heatstroke is a severe environmental illness. The signs of heatstroke are an extremely high body temperature of 104F (40°C) and higher and loss of consciousness (partial or complete). Not all heatstroke victims sweat, so it is not a good indication. Other signs include severe headache, altered behaviour, rapid breathing, seizures, and dry/hot skin.

Precautions to prevent heatstroke include protecting against sunburn, wearing loose clothing, drinking plenty of fluids on hot days, and staying indoors during the hottest part of the day.

Treat heatstroke by removing the person from the heat. Loosen tight clothing and immerse them in cool water. Ensure their forearms and hands are in cool water. You may also place ice packs in the person’s armpits and chest. Fan them as a way to increase evaporation. If they are conscious, let them sip on a cool sports drink, coconut water, milk or water.

First Aid and Environmental Illness

First Aid training prepares you to treat victims of these and other environmental illnesses. At Coast2Coast, our Emergency and Standard First Aid courses are ideal, depending on the level of First Aid training you desire. This training is offered in a blended method to save you time and money. Pick your preferred location in the Greater Toronto Area, Western or Eastern Ontario, and register today.

The Canadian Red Cross and its partners offer a comprehensive program for candidates wanting to become First Aid instructors. Their Instructor Development Program follows a clear pathway that enables you to advance through the course, ultimately reaching the level of instructor. Get ready to learn how to become a First Aid Instructor today!

Instructor Programs

Whether you want to be a CPR, First Aid, or instructor for professional responder programs, you are assured that your training will allow you to teach people around you to help others in their work or social environment.

First Aid is an important skill to have as it teaches members of our communities how to provide skills to help save a life. Your work as a First Aid Instructor is extremely beneficial to make our world a safer place.

5 Steps to First Aid Instruction Certification

Candidates wanting to become First Aid instructors must meet certain prerequisites and complete one step before advancing to the next one. Once you receive an instructor certification, it is only valid for three years. Before your certificate expires, you will need to complete an Instructor Recertification course.

Instructor Pathway

• Checking prerequisites and evaluating skills
• Learning the fundamentals of instruction
• Focusing on specific skills of the program
• Gaining teaching experience
• Issuing of instructor certification

Course Prerequisites: To become a first aid instructor, you must meet the following prerequisites:

• You must be 18 years old or more
• You must have a Standard First Aid Certificate with CPR/AED Level C certificate
  • This is a 16-hour training which must be completed through an approved training partner. This course may be completed in one of the following formats: Traditional All In-Class or Online Blended.
  • To earn your Standard First Aid & CPR/AED Level C certificate, you need to pass a multiple choice exam and successfully demonstrate the complete range of skills you have learned. This Canadian Red Cross Program prepares you with the following topics:

• The Red Cross
• Preparing to respond to emergencies
• Understanding the EMS system
• Check, Call, Care
• Dealing with airway, breathing, and circulation emergencies
• First aid care for respiratory and cardiac arrest
• Wound care
• Head and spine injuries
• Bone, muscle, and joint injuries
• Sudden medical emergencies
• Environmental emergencies
• Dealing with poisons
• And more!

• Complete a separate skills assessment
  • Students must show they are able to complete the skills they’ve learned in their SFA training course to ensure they feel confident enough to teach.

Instructor course and teaching experience: the instructor course is divided into four sections including both online and in-class training:

1. Fundamentals of Instruction Online – complete an 8-hour online training in your own time.
2. Classroom Component – 14.5 hours of in-class training focused on the application of fundamentals in First Aid & CPR.
3. First Aid & CPR Discipline-Specific Component – 14.5 hours of in-class training focused on the specific skills of the program.
4. Teaching Experience – There are two modules to the teaching experience component. The first module is online, taking between 30-45 minutes to complete. The classroom component of the course includes instruction from a Teaching Experience Supervisor and co-teaching alongside a certified instructor.

People often put off First Aid training until they are faced with an emergency where they feel helpless. Others put it off until they must get the training for their school or work. Several reasons cause people to keep putting it off, saying that they don’t have the time, they don’t know where to go for their training, they don’t think they will ever face an emergency, or that they already have all the knowledge required.

Currently, First Aid Training is only mandatory for people in specific careers or school programs. These are typically people who work in healthcare, rescue services, schools, as sports trainers, etc. Also, depending on the workplace environment and the number of employees, the law requires a specific amount of people per shift who must be First Aid certified.

In workplaces with five or fewer workers per shift, at least one requires an Emergency First Aid First Aid certificate. In workplaces with six people or more on any shift, at least one worker requires a Standard First Aid certificate.

So is First Aid training mandatory? No, First Aid training is not mandatory for everyone, but it is mandatory for many professions.

Why First Aid is Important

There are several reasons why First Aid is important:

Undoubtedly, the most critical reason for First Aid training is to assist someone during an emergency or accident confidently, whether that is a relative, friend, colleague, or even a stranger.

Besides helping save a life, First Aid enables you to offer someone in pain emotional support and comfort as you assist or until emergency services arrive.

Emergencies happen on a daily basis which is why you need to be prepared. With your knowledge, you can assist an injured person as well as help prevent a situation from becoming worse.

First Aid training gives you the ability to help out in any situation, expanding your confidence to share your skills wherever they are needed. Finally, the training makes you more aware of how important it is to practice keeping yourself safe and healthy.