CPR / First Aid

Aqua Clara Dive Schools of Florida, Inc.
	Email: training@aquaclaradive.com Mail: P.O. Box 4309, Clearwater, FL 33758 Primary phone: 1.727.510.7138 Alternate phone: 1.727.535.6902 Fax: 1.727.535.8190	Lead Instructor: Robert W. Murphy: Master Scuba Diver Trainer: PADI #26314:

EFR Training

Click here for Aqua Clara Dive's 1st Response PowerPoint presentation.

Are You a Commercial or Recreational Boat Captain?

Regardless of other CPR training requirements, such as basic safety training required by STCW-95 for certain mariners, the Coast Guard strongly recommends that all vessel owners and operators ensure each crew member is properly trained in CPR. Important changes to CPR procedures have taken place in late 2010.

If you, as the vessel's captain, go down, who else onboard has the primary care skills to render assistance to you? What about multiple casualties? If conditions warrant that you continue on the bridge or at the helm, who will be the caregiver?

Is everybody up to date with all the training procedures that might be required? If there is an AED onboard, does the crew know how to use it? If you are a dive charter, O2 administration skills are absolutely critical and they are highly suggested for all other vessels carrying passengers.

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Some CPR Related Facts

* Sudden cardiac arrest is most often caused by an abnormal heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation (VF). Cardiac arrest can also occur after the onset of a heart attack or as a result of electrocution or near drowning. When sudden cardiac arrest occurs, the victim collapses, becomes unresponsive to gentle shaking, stops normal breathing and after two rescue breaths, still isn't breathing normally, coughing or moving.

* Effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest, can double or triple a victim's chance of survival.

* Effective bystander CPR helps maintain vital blood flow to the heart and brain and increases the amount of time that an electric shock from a defibrillator can be effective.

* Brain death starts to occur four to six minutes after someone experiences sudden cardiac arrest if no CPR or defibrillation occurs during that time.

* If bystander CPR is not provided, a sudden cardiac arrest victim's chances of survival fall 7 percent to 10 percent for every minute of delay until defibrillation.

* Few attempts at resuscitation are successful if CPR and defibrillation are not provided within minutes of collapse.

More on O2

Oxygen Administration is covered in the EFR Primary Care and Secondary Care courses. However, it is not the primary focus of the training and does not receive an exhuastive treatment.

Conversely, the extenisive PADI Emergency Oxygen Provider specialty course can also be taught side by side with the EFR course for any person who might be called upon to directly administer or assist in the provision of O2 in the event of an emergency. Some examples are

All boat divers
All charter dive boat captains
All personal dive boat operators
All divemasters
All dive instructors
All pool administrators
All lifeguards
All resort/aquarium divers
All resort/aquarium support personnel
All persons involved in swim or dive training
All persons diving in remote areas with delayed 911 response times
Spouse/child/friend who might be called on to assist a person with O2 administration
Workplaces where O2 is available as part of a first aid response station.
Public places where customer demographics might indicate a higher than normal incidence of heart related incidents.

Note: you don't have to be a diver to benefit from taking this course. It is general enough in terms of principles, equipment knowledge and skill requirements for virtually anybody to receive value.

Please click here to be linked to the Emergency Oxygen Provider course information on the Aqua Clara Dive Schools of Florida, Inc. web site.

As always, please click here if you have any questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have been around PADI for some time you will remember Medic First Aid and possibly some of the Rescue course training that preceded that. Emergency First Response Corporation has followed on those building blocks and, by accessing the best emergency care specialists in the field worldwide, has developed a combined clinical/teaching protocol which goes far beyond what most people have become accustomed when it comes to CPR and/or first aid training.

Let's get this one out of the way! Does EFR compete with American Red Cross, American Heart Association and/or DAN? It would be disingenuous to answer any way but a collegially oriented "yes." In many ways the clinical protocols will appear to be the same. However, the educational delivery and support protocols established by EFR are substantially different... both in terms of breadth and depth. Additionally, using a multimedia approach, students either own or have long-term access to training/reference resources in DVD, hard copy and web formats... before and after completing their EFR course. For cost reasons, many of the not-for-profit training agencies provide no post-course owned or accessible resources (n.b., not even a manual). Going out the door with nothing more than a flimsy paper completion card, some used latex gloves and a handful of crumpled training bandages is actually more common than not.

As with all PADI-related training regimens, mid-course and final knowledge assessments must be completed at passing levels and skill mastery must be clearly demonstrated to the EFR instructor. EFR's definition of "skill mastery" is the same as what PADI employs in its diving courses and might be substantially different than what you might have been exposed in other more passive training courses. Just filling a seat for a few hours and signing on to the "something is better than nothing" training philosophy espoused by some agencies will not get a student an EFR course completion card!

As an international organization, the EFR clinical protocols can also be tailored to correspond with regional differences in protocols wherever they might exist. If you are a business owner doing business in multiple countries, you clearly want your local protocols to match local standards. Anything less might expose your business to liability regardless of the efficacy of the protocols actually utilized. Overall, EFR is a superior training delivery system to most when it comes to addressing this need by a single organization.

You may also be asking yourself why is it important to take CPR and/or first aid training. The answer depends on your motivation. Candidly, most people take this training to fulfill work related or licensing requirements. Others take it as a requirement for participation in fraternal or young adult organizations. Some take it for more personal and altruistic reasons, most often pertaining to changes in family status. In addition to the above, many people find it just easier to take a full course rather than an abbreviated refresher course if prior training has become rusty.

All the above motivations are laudable. However, from PADI's perspective EFR is a required stepping stone on its professional development track starting with the Rescue Diver course. At that level EFR per se is not required. Combined primary (CPR/AED) and secondary (first aid) training are. Whereas many people have been only minimally trained, and many with only the primary component, EFR can fulfill that requirement in total and in a more substantive way. In addition, EFR training has certain crossover credits that fulfill some Rescue Diver course requirements which third party training does not.

As a person progresses further up the professional training ladder to an IDC course, Instructor certification, and above, EFR training requirements go from optional to required. Becoming an EFR Instructor and/or EFR Instructor Trainer are required to move to the highest levels. Bottom line: if you have plans to stay on a professional track with PADI, your best best is to start and continue your primary/secondary care training with EFR.

Because EFR courses employ a high degree of self-study, and the skill requirements can be accomplished in a timely way, Aqua Clara Dive Schools of Florida, Inc. is willing to accept groups as small as three students. Locations can vary for these small groups from a person's living room to a workplace break or conference room. The upper limit for students is virtually unlimited other than by space, training resources (i.e., CPR mannequins, etc.) and assistants. If you have a large group for training, or if you have a multi-location situation, please contact us and discuss with us your needs.

Just click on the below logo to initiate an EFR related email inquiry to us at Aqua Clara Dive Schools of Florida, Inc. We would be happy to discuss with you how we might assist in fulfilling your training needs.

Click below logo for email.

Q: What is Emergency First Response?

A: Emergency First Response ("EFR") is an emergency care program developed by Emergency First Response Corp., a corporate affiliate of Professional Association of Diving Instructors ("PADI"). Composed of the Primary Care (CPR) and Secondary Care (first aid) courses, the Emergency First Response program provides extensive CPR and first aid instruction, as well as a recommended Automated External Defibrillator (AED) component, conscious choking adult skill and emergency oxygen use orientation. Note: EFR is not a diving course nor does it require prior diving experience. It has been developed in conjunction with medical professionals worldwide using the most up to date protocols. Its teaching scenarios encompass the most common accident/illness situations an emergency care giver might face, at home, on the job, or in a public place. Instruction is available for adult care as well as care for children and infants.

Q: Who can take an Emergency First Response provider course?

A: Anyone interested in acquiring or updating CPR and first aid skills.

Q. Why Choose Emergency First Response?

A: You will know that you are learning state of the art skills, based on the consensus view of the Basic Life Support (BLS) Working Group of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR). In addition, the program is based on established instructional design and educational protocols to render an educationally valid and credible product. Emergency First Response courses also meet CPR and First Aid requirements for participants seeking certification through various other organizations (e.g, OSHA, NOAA, US Coast Guard, etc.). If you have questions about whether your organization recognizes EFR accreditation, please click here and drop us an email with details. EFR is flexible - you can learn background knowledge on your own time then conduct a practical, hands-on training sessions with a qualified Aqua Clara Dive Schools of Florida, Inc. EFR instructor.

Q. Are the standards the same as American Red Cross or the American Heart Association?

A. The clinical standards are very similar. However, the teaching methods and materials are distinctly different. EFR has attempted to elevate the overall primary care and secondary care course experiences, as well as the retained knowledge, skills and on-going resources, beyond what you may have experienced previously from certain not-for-profit agencies. Strategically, EFR means to provide a higher quality educational deliverable at a comparable cost.

Q: What is the recommended AED training component?

A: Because early defibrillation is so important to the chain of survival, AEDs are becoming more common. The recommended AED component gives participants practical experience in AED use. Your Aqua Clara Dive Schools of Florida, Inc. EFR instructor will decide if this training will be included in your course.

Q: What does the Emergency First Response program include?

A: Emergency First Response Primary Care (CPR)

This course covers emergency care for most life threatening emergencies. Participants focus on primary care through knowledge development, skills development and realistic scenario practice. The major skills learned in this course are:

Scene Assessment
Barrier Use
Primary Assessment
Rescue Breathing
One Rescuer, Adult Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
Serious Bleeding Management
Shock Management
Spinal Injury Management
Optional:Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Orientation
Optional:Orientation to emergency oxygen use.

Emergency First Response Secondary Care (first aid)

This course covers injuries or illnesses that are not immediately life threatening or when local EMS is unavailable or delayed. Participants focus on secondary assessments and the appropriate first aid through knowledge development, skills development and realistic scenario practice. Skills include:

Injury Assessment
Illness Assessment
Bandaging
Splinting for Dislocations and Fractures

Q: How long is the course?

A: For the academic component, we attempt to use only self-study methods coupled with classroom reviews. Self-study can be done by reading the EFR manual materials and/or viewing a comparable DVD and completing written knowledge assessments prior to class. Classroom time is determined by the degree of knowlege review required, the number of participants, whether recommended skills are included, the number of training devices available and how quickly participants master the skills practice sessions. We recommend on planning for a 4-6 hour day minimum for a combined Primary & Secondary Adult Only w/AED and O2 Course using self-study.

Q: What are the required course materials?

A: Emergency First Response is supported by a full contingent of educational materials. Minimum course materials include:

Emergency First Response Primary and Secondary Care Manual (with independent study section, skill workbook and reference guide)
First Aid Pack. Includes rolls, bandages, gauze, gloves and mouth barrier
Highly recommended to supplement manual or mandatory in lieu of manual: EFR Primary & Secondary Care DVD [Note: Aqua Clara Dive EFR Instructors, at their discretion, do not conduct courses without student-owned and student-retained manuals.]

EFR can tailor various training packages for larger organizations above and beyond the minimums. If you have a training requirement, or just a thought about how you might want to provide training materials to those in your group, please click here and provide us some details. We will see how EFR might be able to assist.

Training Florida Divers Since 1987