- How is Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. associated with the Canadian Red Cross?
- Does Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. ever cancel courses?
- What are the differences between the various levels of CPR according to the new CPR guidelines?
- If I have a current Standard First Aid Course does this meet employment standards for daycare and dayhome workers or those becoming nannies?
- Why does the Canadian Red Cross CPR program have a 3 year expiry period but the Heart & Stroke Foundation CPR program has a 1 year expiry period?
- Why does Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. begin teaching at 0800 AM while other companies start teaching at 0900 AM?
- I have taken a first aid course but my ticket has expired, do I qualify for a recertification course?
- What are the backgrounds of the Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. instructors?
- If I have a complaint about a Canadian Red Cross provider who should I contact?
- Would Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. hire me as an instructor?
1. How is Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. associated with the Canadian Red Cross?
Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. is an independently owned company. Based on a decision made by the Canadian Red Cross a number of years ago, Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. became a direct delivery partner of the Canadian Red Cross. This means that Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. is independently owned and operated but privileged to offer the Canadian Red Cross program using the Canadian Red Cross manuals. As the Canadian Red Cross no longer offers these courses to the public they refer customers to independent companies such as Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc.
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2. Does Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. ever cancel courses?
Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. honors the commitments it makes to the public. Once a course date has been advertised it is confirmed. We acknowledge that individuals require courses for employment purposes and we work with you to ensure that the course date is right for you.
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3. What are the differences between the various levels of CPR according to new 2005 guidelines?
According to the Emergency Cardiac Care Coalition members (ECC) which includes: The Canadian Red Cross, St. John's Ambulance, Canadian Ski Patrol, and Lifesaving Society the new CPR 2005 levels are as follows:
- CPR Level A (Workplace and General Public); covers adult skills and AED.
- CPR B (Childcare Professionals); covers adult, child, baby skills and AED.
- CPR C (Lifeguards, Police, Fire Professionals, General Public, Workplace First Aid Teams, Teachers, Industry, Pharmacy); covers adult, child, baby, two-rescuer CPR, AED, and perhaps rescue breathing.
- CPR HCP (Health Care Providers; such as Nurses, Paramedics, EMTs, Physicians, Dental Professionals, etc...); covers adult, child, baby, two-rescuer skills, AED, and BVMs (bag-valve-masks).
These above courses can be combined with either Emergency or Standard First Aid. They are recognized by Workplace Health and Safety and can be recertified every 3 years. Some professions need to recertify every year; which can be accommodated.
According to the Heart & Stroke Foundation who has now aligned with the American Heart Association the new CPR 2005 levels are as follows:
- HeartSaver (A)(General Public and First Responders); covers adult skills, child and infant skills are optional, and AED is only mentioned.
- HeartSaver AED (C) (General Public and First Responders); covers adult, child, infant, and AED skills.
- Health Care Provider (C) (First Responders and Health Care Providers); covers adult, child, infant, two-rescuer, AED skills, rescue breathing, and BVMs (bag-valve-masks).
These above courses are only certifiable for 1 year; with a 3 month grace period.
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4. If I have a current Standard First Aid and CPR course, does this meet employment standards for daycare and dayhome workers or those becoming nannies?
The Standard First Aid course is not recognized by Alberta Social Services for daycare and dayhome workers or those becoming nannies. Alberta Social Services recognizes the Standard Childcare First Aid course for these groups. This course covers some of the same topics as the Standard First Aid course but it has 2 additional chapters which are specific to caring for children in the childcare setting.
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5. Why does the Canadian Red Cross CPR course have a 3 year expiry period but the Heart & Stroke Foundation CPR course has a 1 year expiry period?
In 2001, the Canadian Red Cross decided to streamline the expiry period for all its courses to three years. The three year expiry date meets Occupational Health and Safety guidelines. The Heart and Stroke Foundation has always had a 1 year expiry period and this has not changed. Many professionals in the community are required to recertify every year and this can be achieved by recertifying with either program option.
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6. Why does Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. begin teaching at 0800 AM while other companies start teaching at 0900 AM?
Based on feedback provided by students over the years it has been recognized that a start time of 0800 AM better meets the life commitments of most participants. Starting early allows the class to end earlier freeing up your day.
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7. If I have taken a first aid course but my ticket has expired, do I qualify for a recertification course?
A reasonable amount of grace time is acceptable. Each case will be looked at individually based on the date of your certification card. It is recommended that you keep your ticket current as Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. will not guarantee recertification if skill performance is limited during a recertification course. As courses are held every weekend, we work with you to ensure that your ticket remains current. As an extra service to you, a Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. representative will call you a month in advance to remind you that your ticket is up for renewal. We therefore encourage all customers to remind us of address and telephone number changes.
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8. What are the backgrounds of Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. instructors?
- Dominique and Alfred Graf are both registered nurses and have been teaching first aid/CPR and safety courses for over 13 years. Dominique also teaches the leadership program and has been an Instructor Trainer for the past 6-1/2 years. Dominique is also qualified to teach the Heart and Stroke CPR program. Alfred is qualified to teach the ITLS (formerly BTLS) both at basic and advanced levels.
- Allison has been with Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. for over 7 years. She has an early childhood development background and has recently completed her education degree at the University of Alberta.
- Karmjit has been with Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. for about 5 years. He has a degree in science and works as a Hindi, Urdu, and Punjabi translator.
- Kamarbir has been with Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. for about 2-1/2 years. He has a degree in science and has over 5 years experience working in a childcare setting. He is currently completing his education as a respiratory therapist.
- Lynda has been with Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. for about 3-1/2 years. She has a background in early childhood education and has extensive experience as a daycare director. Lynda is the Instructor Quality Assurance Coordinator for Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. She is not only responsible for training new instructors but also ensuring there is consistent, current, quality instruction given by all Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. instructors. Lynda has recently completed her EMR and her EMR Instructor and will be assisting Paul in the delivery of this nationally recognized Red Cross program. She recently made 3 trips to Nunavut to teach several courses for Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. Visit the picture gallery to see her experience.
- Richard has been with Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. for about 1-1/2 years. but has been teaching for the Red Cross in Quebec for over 2 years. He has experience as a teachers' aid and a daycare director. He is able to run French First Aid and Respect Ed programs.
- Dave has been with Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. for about 1/2 a year. Dave has an EMR background and volunteers as a fire fighter. He is an active member of Scouts Canada and enjoys the outdoors.
- Kevin has been with Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. for about 1/2 a year. Kevin has 12 years experience teaching. As a Canadian Military Veteran and has taught various programs, including first aid, in many other countries. Kevin is currently teaching first aid to staff and vocational programs to offenders in a correctional facility.
- Beth has been with Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. for about 1/2 a year. She has 5 years experience working as a swimming instructor and lifeguard. She is currently working as an LPN at the Grey Nuns Hospital.
- Ryan has been with Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. for about 1/2 a year. Ryan's background is in the environmental field. He is an indoor environmentalist and manages an environmental consulting and remediation company. Previously, Ryan spent four years living and working as an English teacher in Taiwan. Ryan, while there met his wife and was blessed with two daughters. Ryan's industrial and teaching background is an asset in teaching first aid various levels of first aid.
- Jason has recently been hired by Breath For Life (First Aid Education) Inc.
He has an elementary education degree and has 10 years experience working
as a teacher, teacher assistant, early childhood educator and summer camp
co-ordinator.
- Nicohl has recently been hired by Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. Nicohl works as an EMR and a Peace Officer for the U of A Campus. She is also certified to teach the Heart and Stroke CPR program. Nicohl is currently completing her Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Alberta.
- Paul has recently been hired by Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. Paul has been working for the ambulance service for over 5 years. For the past 3 years Paul has been a proctor for the Alberta College of Paramedics exams in addition to working as a Paramedic/Manager and fire fighter for Edson EMS. Although Paul can teach any first aid program his experience and background makes him the best candidate for teaching the Red Cross nationally recognized EMR program.
- Brian has recenty been hired by Breath for Life(First Aid Education) Inc. Brian has been working as an EMT with a large rural/suburban ambulance service for the past 5 years; he also brings experience from 22 years as a firefighter. He has been teaching firefighting courses for 4 years, and first aid for half a year. Brian is also capable of teaching first aid program in French.
- Arlene has recently been hired by Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. Arlene's background includes 25 years working with EMS services as an EMR/Firefighter. Currently Arlene works as a Dispatcher for Corps of Commissionaires-Northern Alberta Division. Arlene's background and experiences brings many life-like scenarios to her first aid courses.
- Jennifer has recently been hired by Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. Jennifer is currently working and has been for the past 3 years, as an instructor at NAIT in the Instrumentation Engineering Technology Department. She is an EMR, has worked in emergency response and has a strong industral background. With this experience she will add flavor and realism to her first aid courses.
- Melanie has recently been hired by Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. Melanie is currently running her own dayhome and has over 10 years experience fostering children and working with children with special needs. Melanie is also bilingual (French/English). With her background and experience Melanie will bring understanding and realism to her first aid courses; especially the Standard Childcare first aid program.
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9. If I have a complaint about a Canadian Red Cross provider who should I contact?
If your complaint is about a provider of the Canadian Red Cross but not an instructor of Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. you should call the Canadian Red Cross contact center (1-888-307-7997). If your concern is about a Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. instructor please forward your concern to our office. Your constructive feedback is always appreciated.
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10. Would Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. hire me as an instructor?
Breath for Life (First Aid Education) Inc. is competitive within the community and continues to expand. We are open to hiring those who have experience in teaching, childcare, and have an interest in public speaking and service. If you feel that you have qualifications to be an instructor of first aid courses please send your resume to the e-mail address provided below.
If you would like to submit your resume or have any other questions please feel free to e-mail us at breathforlifeinc@shaw.ca
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