First Aid & CPR Instructor
Full 5-day Canadian Red Cross First Aid & CPR Instructor course, covering Steps 1 to 3 of the instructor pathway.
Become a Red Cross First Aid & CPR Instructor in BC with our full 5-day instructor course. It covers Steps 1 to 3 of the Red Cross instructor pathway in one week: skills evaluation, Fundamentals of Instruction, and the First Aid & CPR discipline-specific classroom. Then you teach your first course with a Teaching Experience Supervisor and get certified.
Red labels = included in this course. Grey = completed before or after.
Evaluate skills & check prerequisitesDay 1
We confirm your prerequisites and evaluate your first aid and CPR skills. Come ready with a valid Standard First Aid (Intermediate First Aid) certificate.
Fundamentals of Instruction~8 hrs online + Days 2–3
Complete the online module before class, then learn adult teaching skills in class: understanding the learner, your teaching toolkit, and bringing a course to life.
First Aid & CPR discipline-specificDays 4–5
Learn to teach Red Cross Emergency, Standard, Marine Basic, and Child Care First Aid and CPR. You'll get microteach assignments ahead of time.
Teaching ExperienceAfter the course
Finish a 30–45 minute online module, then teach a course with a Teaching Experience Supervisor. You can do this with us or on your own.
Certification3 years
Valid for 3 years. You can only certify participants when you teach through a Canadian Red Cross Training Partner.
Before you register
Prerequisites: 18 years or older, with a valid Standard First Aid participant certificate. Plan for about 8 hours online and 40 hours in class.
Each step must be completed before the next. Already a Red Cross Wilderness, Professional Responder, or Water Safety Instructor? You may be able to skip a step. Call us before you book.
Certification & renewal
Once certified, you can teach Emergency First Aid, Standard First Aid, Marine Basic First Aid, Emergency and Standard Child Care First Aid, and CPR courses.
Important: instructor certification alone doesn't let you issue Red Cross certificates. You must teach through a Canadian Red Cross Training Partner.
Recertification is 1 day. You need a current Red Cross instructor certificate and must have taught at least 3 Red Cross courses in your 3-year certification, including one at the highest level you teach. See instructor recertification.
Why train with Alert First Aid
Red Cross Instructor Development Centre — we guide you through each step and help you skip any you already have credit for.
Teaching Experience — complete it with one of our instructors or on your own.
Red Cross Instructor Development Centre
A Top 3 Red Cross Provincial Training Provider in 2025, training new Red Cross instructors in BC.
Course Details
FAQs
How do I become a First Aid trainer?
All you need to get started is to have Red Cross certification in first aid at the level you want to teach! The pathway to becoming a Red Cross First Aid Instructor is a flexible one that takes into account existing qualifications and previous experience if you have it. The instructor training process has several components (both online and classroom based, for a total of about 40 hours) and finally you must successfully teach a course with another experienced instructor. Alert First Aid is a designated Red Cross Instructor Development Centre. We offer Instructor Training for First Aid, Wilderness First Aid and Professional Responder Candidates. Please give our office a call if you are interested in becoming an instructor, and we will help you navigate the Instructor Training process, and perhaps bypass some components of the process if you have any applicable qualifications.
How much does it cost to become a CPR instructor?
The cost of our Canadian Red Cross First Aid and CPR Instructor course is $900, tax included. You can also arrange to do your final teaching experience with one of our CPR Instructors for an additional charge or you can arrange this on your own. Also if you currently teach Canadian Red Cross Water Safety courses or CPR for another agency then you may be eligible to bypass some parts of the process, and reduce the cost of your Instructor Course. Please give our office a call if you have any questions about any part of the instructor training process.
Training Schedules & Locations
There are no certification classes at this time. Please check back.Materials
The First Aid & CPR Discipline-Specific course includes the following materials:
- First Aid & CPR Instructor Manual (hard copy)
Who should take this course?
- Workplace safety & OHS coordinators
- HR & training managers
- Current first aid attendants
- Lifeguards & Water Safety Instructors
- Teachers & coaches
- Child care & ECE trainers
- Healthcare workers
- Firefighters & paramedics
- Marine & boating trainers
- Fitness instructors
- Community educators
- Anyone who wants to teach first aid
Looking for a group class?
If you have a group of people and would like us to come to you to teach a
First Aid & CPR Instructor course, we offer this course in the following locations:
Victoria | Langford | Esquimalt | Sooke | Cobble Hill | Mill Bay | Duncan | Lake Cowichan | Cedar | Ladysmith | Nanaimo | Parksville | Qualicum Beach | Port Alberni | Coombs | Parksville | Campbell River | Saltspring Island | Pender Island | Powell River | Gabriola Isand | Burnaby | Coquitlam | Delta | Langley | Maple Ridge | New Westminster | North Vancouver | Pitt Meadows | Port Moody | Richmond | Surrey | Vancouver | West Vancouver | White Rock | Langley |
Give us a call at 1.866.282.5378, or send us an email at info@alertfirstaid.com to arrange a group course.