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Columbia Medical Training EMR upgrade for First Responder and OFA 3 holders in Nanaimo, with BLS, EMALB Schedule 1 and 2, and licensing support.

Upgrade to EMR (FR/OFA3/AFA)

Columbia Medical Training EMR upgrade for First Responder and OFA 3 holders in Nanaimo, with BLS, EMALB Schedule 1 and 2, and licensing support.

4.9★★★★★(14,900+ Google Reviews across BC)

Upgrade your First Responder or OFA 3 certificate to Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) in Victoria and Nanaimo with our EMR bridge course. This Columbia Medical Training program includes BLS and full EMALB Schedule 1 and 2 endorsements, with no separate Scope Update needed. Choose a class in Victoria or Nanaimo, and get support from our EMR community right through EMALB licensing.

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What students should expect

Who is it for? Firefighters, police, paramedics, and workplace responders who already hold First Responder (FR) certification or licensing, or OFA 3 (Advanced First Aid).

Plan for about 12 hours online, then 10 days (80 hours) in class. Buy the textbook, Emergency Medical Responder: A Skills Approach, 5th Canadian Edition, before class.

Licensing support

Support through licensing. After the course, you can join our community of past Alert EMR students and EMR instructors. Members share information, answer questions, and organize practice sessions to prepare for the EMALB licensing exams.

Licensing is a separate process through EMALB, with its own exams and fees. Once licensed, you can receive an OFA 3 equivalency certificate with no further training.

No FR or OFA 3 yet? Take our fullEMR course.

Why book with Alert First Aid

Vancouver Island classrooms — Victoria (Downtown, Tillicum Centre) and Nanaimo.

We come to you — private EMR upgrade courses for fire departments and industry across anywhere in BC.

Support until you're licensed

Optional access to our EMR community of past students and instructors for questions, shared tips, and practice sessions.

BC Google Reviews

4.9★★★★★Based on 14,900+ Google reviews

★★★★★

"I have taken this class several times now and I always seem to find out something new every time…"

Karen W.

Victoria Downtown

★★★★★

"…hands on drills gave me confidence and skills that will help in me in my role at work…"

Livé S.

Nanaimo Downtown

★★★★★

"…The hands on learning is so much more enjoyable than just sitting and reading from a book."

Bri

Victoria Tillicum Centre

Full Course Length 12 hours online plus 10 days (80 hours) in class Register Now

Course Details

Course Content

Our Upgrade to EMR (FR/OFA 3 Bridge) is a Columbia Medical Training program for current First Responder and OFA 3 holders. It includes BLS, full EMALB Schedule 1 and 2 endorsements, and the Scope Update, and meets the Paramedic Association of Canada competency profile for EMR.

Plan for about 12 hours online and 10 days (80 hours) in class. Students buy the required textbook, Emergency Medical Responder: A Skills Approach, 5th Canadian Edition, before the course. Topics build on your FR or OFA 3 training and include:

Patient assessment
Critical decision-making
Trauma life support
Medical emergencies
BLS & AED
Airway management
Oxygen therapy
Team-based scenarios

Who Should Take This Course?

If you already hold First Responder (FR) or OFA 3, this EMR bridge is a shorter path to Emergency Medical Responder: 80 hours in class instead of 120.

First Responder (FR) certificate holders
Licensed EMALB First Responders
OFA 3 & Advanced First Aid attendants
VIERA First Responder graduates
Firefighters upgrading to EMR
Police & law enforcement officers
Workplace emergency responders
Industrial & remote site medics
Ski patrollers
Event & sports medics
Future BC Ambulance EMRs
Future paramedics (PCP applicants)

Need EMR Upgrades for Your Team?

Alert First Aid brings the Upgrade to EMR course directly to your fire hall, workplace, or team — anywhere in BC. Private group courses come with flexible scheduling and volume pricing, and we've trained over 200,000 people across BC.

Request a Group Quote

Certification

Pass a written exam and practical exam, along with all practical skills to earn your digital Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) certificate from Columbia Medical Training. Your EMR certificate includes full EMALB Schedule 1 and 2 endorsements and the Scope Update, and it's the credential you need to apply for EMALB licensing exams. Licensing is a separate step, booked and paid for through EMALB. Once licensed, an EMR is recognized by WorkSafeBC as equivalent to Advanced First Aid (OFA 3).

Training Schedules & Locations

Victoria Victoria - Downtown Victoria Victoria - Tillicum Centre Nanaimo Nanaimo - Downtown

Materials

The required course textbook is Emergency Medical Responder: A Skills Approach, Fifth Canadian Edition by Limmer, Karen et al. Students can choose to purchase either an e-book or a hardcopy of the text. This can be done directly through the publisher here, or students are free to source this themselves. Please note that this must be purchased in advance and the school does not sell this book or keep any copies on site.

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Who should take this course?

First Responder (FR) certificate holders
Licensed EMALB First Responders
OFA 3 & Advanced First Aid attendants
VIERA First Responder graduates
Firefighters upgrading to EMR
Police & law enforcement officers
Workplace emergency responders
Industrial & remote site medics
Ski patrollers
Event & sports medics
Future BC Ambulance EMRs
Future paramedics (PCP applicants)

Looking for a group class?

If you have a group of people and would like us to come to you to teach a
Upgrade to EMR (FR/OFA3/AFA) course, we offer this course in the following locations:

Give us a call at 1.866.282.5378, or send us an email at info@alertfirstaid.com to arrange a group course.

Kendall was VERY nice & super supportive! I would recommend her to anyone.

Alex Richardson CPR, Victoria, BC More Testimonials

Fantastic. Better than I expected. Humor was a great addition - thanks!

Jen Wenberg CPR, Victoria, BC More Testimonials

Mike made this course fun and informative with his great sense of humour and clear instructions. No time to sleep in his class!

Anne Boudewyn Emergency Childcare First Aid, Victoria, BC More Testimonials

Gary used relevant examples & situations to teach us proper CPR. He is a great instructor! I like how we learned both adult and baby CPR and it was very hands on.

Kaitlyn CPR, Nanaimo, BC More Testimonials

"The instructions were provided very clearly with enough humour and activities to keep my full attention for a long day of learning. Very well done would definitely do it again."

Evan SMith Emergency First-Aid and CPR-C, Victoria, B.C. More Testimonials

I learned a lot, I feel comfortable performing first aid.

Bradley Remington Emergency First-Aid, Victoria, BC More Testimonials

Love the hands on experience as I am a tactile type learner. Informative and every question was answered.

Kacey Milligan Standard First Aid, Victoria, BC More Testimonials

Really great. Jason made the course fun & entertaining and some good acronyms to keep for memory!

Charlene Standard First Aid, Victoria, BC More Testimonials

Andrew was awesome!! Made the course exciting and interesting, which helped me retain the information better. By far the best first aid instructor I’ve had!!

Arianna Wood HCP Standard First Aid, Victoria BC More Testimonials

It was indeed a great class. It blew away my expectations. The teacher was incredible and it was worth my weekend.

Trudy-Ann Bennett Standard First Aid, Victoria, BC More Testimonials