Emergency First Response (EFR) is a first aid course that emphasises on giving students confidence and increasing their willingness to respond to a medical emergency. Essential procedures are broken down into small steps, and students are guided through applying these skills in a stress-free environment.
You will receive a comprehensive manual and watch a video alongside receiving direct help and directions from your instructor. Your instructor will also demonstrate the procedures for you.
This course meets the First Aid and CPR requirements for the Rescue Diver course and all professional levels. It is based on internationally recognised guidelines for emergency care.
This course normally takes just a single day during which you will study:
Primary Care (CPR)
This part of the course will teach you how to properly perform and look after a patient who has a life-threatening emergency. You will learn how to deal with a patient who isn’t breathing, has no heartbeat, has a spinal injury, is in shock, or seriously bleeding. You will learn how to perform CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, also known as Rescue Breathing) and how to monitor a patient so that they have the best possible chance of survival. You will also learn what records you should keep to hand over to the emergency services when they arrive to ensure they can continue to give the best care to the patient.
Secondary Care (First Aid)
Not all injuries are life-threatening, and emergency services can sometimes be delayed. In this section of the course you will learn how to provide basic first aid to prevent any further harm to the patient and provide some pain relief. You will learn how to assess the injury and will get to practice splinting and bandaging.
Your instructor may also include a session on the use of an AED (automated external defibrillator). This will be at your instructor’s discretion and is not a mandatory part of the course. There is a short final exam at the end of the course, but you will find all the topics have been well covered by your instructor.
It is recommended that once you have your EFR certification you attend a refresher course every two years.
Although you are attending this course in a diving environment, you will find it to be extremely useful in your day-to-day life as the first aid skills you learn are applicable to a wide variety of circumstances. This could well be the most useful course you will ever take.
