Standard First Aid & CPR-C

Registrants/Standard First Aid & CPR-C

Five national certifying organizations named in CMTBC Bylaws

RMTs maintain current certification in Standard First Aid (SFA) and CPR-C in accordance with CMTBC’s Bylaws, Section 63.3(1).

The five national certifying organizations named in the Bylaws are:

Canadian Red Cross
Canadian Ski Patrol
Heart and Stroke Foundation
Lifesaving Society
St. John Ambulance

These organizations offer training nationally in certificate programs that are substantially equivalent and meet published standards in first aid and CPR.

Note: CPR-C includes training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation for adults, children, and infants, and use of an automated external defibrillator (AED).

Current certification in SFA and CPR-C from one of the five national organizations named in CMTBC’s Bylaws ensures RMTs receive effective first aid and resuscitation training that is based on current best practices.

When proof of current certification in SFA and CPR-C is required

RMTs are required to submit proof of current certification in SFA and CPR-C when:

registering for the first time, in the Applicant Portal; and
when their previous certification has expired, in the Registrant Portal.

If an RMT’s certification has expired and they have not yet uploaded proof of current certification in SFA and CPR-C, they will be prompted to do so as part of the renewal process.

Follow instructions in the Portal for uploading a certificate of completion from a national certifying organization.

Certificate for SFA and CPR-C must be from one of five national certifying organizations

While many independent service providers offer training in Standard First Aid (SFA) and CPR-C, the certificate received upon successful completion must comply with CMTBC Bylaws. RMTs are advised to confirm prior to enrollment that successful completion will result in a certificate from one of five national certifying organizations listed in the Bylaws and on this page: Canadian Red Cross, Canadian Ski Patrol, Heart and Stroke Foundation, Lifesaving Society, or St. John Ambulance. A certificate that does not bear the name of one of these organizations does not meet CMTBC requirements.

Equivalency policy for EMR and EMA licenses

RMTs who hold a current Emergency Medical Assistant First Responder (EMA FR) license or Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) license issued by the EMA Licensing Board can submit their license certificate to CMTBC to meet the SFA and CPR-C requirement. These RMTs will not be required to submit proof of equivalency to the College. CMTBC acknowledges that these license certifications are substantially equivalent or higher than the SFA and CPR-C requirement listed in the Bylaws.

RMTs are asked to send their EMA FR or EMR license certificates to CMTBC via email at [email protected]. CMTBC staff will manually upload the certificate to the Registrant Portal.

Other levels of first aid

RMTs who are required to hold other levels of first aid to meet requirements in their preferred areas of practice may submit alternate certification on the following conditions:

The certificate is current,
It is issued by one of the five national organizations named in the bylaw: Canadian Red Cross, Canadian Ski Patrol, Heart and Stroke Foundation, Lifesaving Society, and St. John Ambulance, and
The issuing organization has provided the RMT with a letter to verify that the level of first aid held by the RMT includes all content in the SFA/CPR-C curriculum.

Canadian Consensus Guidelines on First Aid and CPR

In 2015, the five national organizations established the Canadian Guidelines Consensus Task Force to review the consensus on science completed by international bodies that study first aid and resuscitation training. In 2016, the Task Force published Canadian Consensus Guidelines on First Aid and CPR (PDF), which describes updated protocols for first aid and resuscitation.

The Canadian Consensus Guidelines reflect current research, collaborative discussion, and updates to previous first aid and CPR standards. Please see the guidelines to learn more about the rationale for updates and changes to first aid and CPR practices.