Our Available First Aid Courses at Blu Water Scuba
Emergency First Response
Emergency First Response also offers comprehensive First Aid at Work courses, specifically designed to meet compliance standards for workplace safety courses internationally.
Emergency First Response courses are flexible in design to accommodate scheduling and training needs. They can be taught together or alone in any combination.
Blu Water Scuba offers the following classes:
Emergency First Response Primary Care (CPR) teaches participants how to respond to life-threatening emergencies. The course focuses on primary care through a combination of knowledge development, skill development and realistic scenario practice to make sure participants have the confidence in their ability to provide care when emergency situations arise.
Primary Care (CPR) skills taught in this course:
- Scene Assessment, Barrier Use, Primary Assessment, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Serious Bleeding Management, Shock Management, Spinal Injury Management, Conscious and Unconscious Choking Management.
- Recommended Skills
– Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Use
– Emergency Oxygen Use.
Emergency First Response Secondary Care (first aid) covers injuries or illnesses that are not immediately life threatening. Participants focus on secondary assessment and first aid through knowledge development, skill development and realistic scenario practice.
Secondary Skills taught in this course:
- Injury Assessment
- Illness Assessment
- Bandaging
- Splinting for Dislocations and Fractures
Includes first aid treatment reference for the following emergencies:
Allergic Reactions (incl. anaphylaxis), Asthma, Bruises, Burns, Chemical Burns, Choking (adult, child, infant), CPR (adult, child, infant), Cuts, Dental Injuries, Diabetic Problems, Dislocations and Fractures, Electrical Injuries, Eye Injuries, First Aid Kit Assembly, Fish Spine Injury, Frostbite, Heat Exhaustion, Heatstroke, Heart Attack, Hypothermia, Insect Stings, Jellyfish Stings, Octopus Bites, Poisoning, Scrapes, Seizures, Snake Bites, Spider Bites, Sprains and Strains, Stroke, Temperature Related Injuries and Venomous Bites and Stings.
The Emergency First Response CPR & AED course teaches the basic principles of CPR and how to deploy and use an Automated External Defibrillation (AED) in an emergency situation. This life saving device can increase a patient’s chance of survival from a cardiac arrest by fifty percent.
This course is very popular for annual CPR (re-)training often required for the workplace.
The Emergency First Response Care for Children course is an innovative CPR, AED and First Aid training course that teaches participants how to provide emergency care for injured or ill children (ages one to eight) and infants less than one year old. Participants learn about the types of medical emergencies that children face, and how they differ from adults. The curriculum also includes the importance of attending to basic emergency situations with children, the emotional aspects of caring for children, secondary care for children, and preventing common injuries and illnesses in children.
The Emergency First Response Care for Children course trains the lay rescuer to follow the same priorities of care used by medical professionals. The student masters the priorities and the procedures of patient care for infants and children in a non-stressful learning environment, which reduces the performance anxieties that interfere with learning and enhances confidence when rendering aid in a real medical emergency.
The course includes both primary care (CPR) and secondary care (first aid) skills. The primary care portion of the course prepares the rescuer to help an infant or child with a life-threatening emergency such as choking or cardiac arrest. Secondary care focuses on developing first aid skills and building the rescuer’s confidence to help an infant or child in need when emergency medical services are either delayed or unavailable. The Care for Children course content is based on guidelines from the Pediatric Working Group of ILCOR.
Care for Children Primary Care Course Content:
- Scene Assessment, Barrier Use, Primary Assessment, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR, child and infant), Serious Bleeding Management, Shock Management, Spinal Injury Management, Conscious and Unconscious Choking Management (child and infant)
- Recommended Skill
– Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Use (child)
Care for Children Secondary Care Course Content:
Injury Assessment
Bandaging
Illness Assessment.
Emergency First Response region-specific (Americas) workplace courses offer a convenient, complete and ongoing solution to meeting regional workplace compliance standards in CPR, AED and First Aid training. Emergency First Response courses encompass adult, child and infant CPR and first aid skills, and incorporate Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) training and emergency oxygen use. Courses are flexible in design to accommodate scheduling and training needs and can be taught together or alone in any combination.
Our courses meet OSHA Guidelines 29 CFR 1910.151 compliance standards for workplace safety at the local, regional and national levels. Courses follow Guidelines 2005 for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and emergency cardio-pulmonary care standards set by the Basic Life Support (BLS) Working Group of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR). New CPR & AED Course (Americas).
CPR & AED Course
This course is a stand-alone CPR and AED Course that takes about 2.5 to 4 hours to complete. It encompasses one and two rescuer CPR and AED training for adults with the option to include CPR and AED use on infants and children. The course is designed to meet regional and national compliance standards for workplace safety. Course materials support flexible delivery options, including the Emergency First Response Independent Study method, the video-guided approach and the Instructor-led technique.
During the Emergency First Response Instructor course, you will build on your skill as an Emergency Responder and focus on developing your instructional abilities to teach these skills to others. The Instructor course provides you with the additional training necessary to teach the Emergency First Response Primary Care (CPR), Secondary Care (First Aid), Care for Children, CPR & AED courses. (Most region-specific workplace courses require additional training.) Through a multi-media approach of independent study, classroom sessions and practical teaching assignments, you learn to conduct Emergency First Response courses.
The instructor course covers specific goals and performance requirements for the Primary Care, Secondary Care, Care for Children and CPR & AED courses, along with instruction on how to structure learning, the requirements of performance-based training, and your role as the instructor in the learning environment. You also learn how to motivate students, evaluate student knowledge, present course content effectively, become proficient in developing students’ hands-on skills practice sessions, and are taught how to present an effective scenario-based learning experience. You’ll also receive information helpful in marketing your EFR business.
Prerequisites:
To enter the Emergency First Response Instructor course, you must be 18 years old and have completed CPR and first aid training in the past 24 months or a be a practicing medical professional such as a physician, Emergency Medical Technician, Paramedic or Registered Nurse.
DAN
Emergency Oxygen for Scuba Diving Injuries
The DAN Emergency Oxygen for Scuba Diving Injuries course is designed to train and educate interested individuals in the techniques of using oxygen as first aid for a suspected dive injury. In addition, this course will introduce the fundamentals of recognizing diving injury warning signs, response and management. This program also provides an excellent opportunity for experienced divers and instructors to continue their education.
Recommended Minimum Hours of Training
Knowledge development= 2 hours
Skills development= 2.5 hours
The time needed to teach the course varies depending on several factors including the number of students and their ability to process the educational components of the program.
Knowledge Development
Topics covered in Emergency Oxygen for Scuba Injuries are:
- atmospheric gases
- respiration and circulation
- decompression illness
- oxygen and diving injuries
- handling oxygen safely
- oxygen delivery systems and components
Course participants must complete the DAN Emergency Oxygen for Scuba Diving Injuries examination with a minimum passing score of 80 percent. The instructor will review the examination with each participant to ensure 100 percent understanding of the material.
This course requires current certification in DAN Basic Life Support: CPR and First Aid or other full CPR course.
Skill Development
At the end of this program, you will be able to:
- Assess the scene and oxygen provider safety.
- Identify the main components of the DAN Oxygen Unit.
- Assemble and deploy a DAN Oxygen Unit.
- Select and prepare the appropriate oxygen mask.
- Operate an oxygen unit and using these oxygen-delivery devices:
- demand inhalator valve and mask
- constant-flow, nonrebreather mask
- manually triggered ventilator and/or bag valve mask
Re-certification is required every 24 months.
First Aid for Hazardous Marine Life Injuries (HMLI)
Although serious hazardous marine life injuries are rare, most divers experience minor discomfort from unintentional encounters with fire coral, jellyfish and other marine creatures at some point in their dive careers. Learn how to recognize and minimize these injuries.
The First Aid for Hazardous Marine Life Injuries course is designed to provide divers with knowledge regarding specific types of marine life injuries and the general first aid treatment for those injuries. This course introduces students to identification of potentially hazardous marine life as well as how to avoid injuries.
This program also provides an excellent opportunity for experienced divers and instructors to continue their education.
Recommended Minimum Hours of Training
Knowledge development:1 hour
Skills development: 3 hours
The time needed to teach the course varies depending on several factors including the number of students and their ability to process the educational components of the program.
Knowledge Development
Topics covered in the First Aid for Hazardous Marine Life Injuries course include:
- vertebrate and invertebrate envenomations
- traumatic injuries
- life-threatening complications
- seafood poisonings
- avoiding marine life injuries
Course participants must complete the DAN First Aid for Hazardous Marine Life Injuries examination with a minimum passing score of 80 percent. The instructor will review the examination with each participant to ensure 100 percent understanding of the material.
Skill Development
At the end of this program, you will be able to:
- Perform a scene safety and initial assessment.
- Provide shock management.
- Provide injury management for stinging envenomations, spiny envenomations and contact injuries.
- Control external bleeding.
- Place a pressure immobilization bandage.
- Manage a severe allergic reaction.
- Develop an emergency assistance plan.
Re-certification is required every 24 months.
On-Site Neurological Assessment for Divers (Neuro)
Approximately two-thirds of divers with decompression illness experience damage to their nervous system. These signs are often vague and can go unrecognized by the diver, causing the symptoms to be dismissed as insignificant or not dive related and delaying treatment.
Additionally, stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability. Recognizing signs and symptoms of a possible stroke and activating EMS can minimize lasting effects.
The Neurological Assessment course focuses on how to obtain essential information about an individual involved in a dive emergency or suspected of having a stroke and what information to relay to emergency medical services.
The DAN Neurological Assessment course is designed to:
- Describe the warning signs of stroke or decompression illness.
- Identify when it is appropriate to conduct an neurological assessment.
- Conduct a neurological assessment.
Only medical professionals should diagnose medical conditions. The information you gather while performing a neurological assessment can be useful to the emergency physician in understanding the extent of the injury and how it has changed during the time it took to transport the patient to definitive care.
Recommended Minimum Hours of Training
Knowledge development: 1 hour
Skills development: 3 hours
The time needed to teach the course varies depending on several factors including the number of students and their ability to process the educational components of the program.
Knowledge Development
Topics covered in Neurological Assessment include:
- nervous system overview
- stroke
- decompression illness
- conducting a neurological assessment
Course participants must complete the DAN Neurological Assessment examination with a minimum passing score of 80 percent. The instructor will review the examination with each participant to ensure 100 percent understanding of the material.
Skills Development
At the end of this program, you will be able to:
- Use a F-A-S-T assessment.
- Take a history.
- Take vital signs.
- Assess cranial nerves.
- Assess motor function.
- Assess mental function.
- Assess coordination and balance.
Re-certification is required every 24 months.
Basic Life Support: CPR and First Aid
The DAN Basic Life Support: CPR and First Aid (BLS: CPR&FA) course offers entry-level training in providing basic life support to adults with life-threatening injuries while activating emergency medical services.
Basic life support includes one-rescuer cardiopulmonary resuscitation, use of an automatic external defibrillator (AED) and additional skills such as controlling bleeding and caring for a choking person or a person in shock. The first aid portion of this program includes key skills such as conducting illness and injury assessments, bandaging, splinting and performing emergency moves.
This program meets 2010 International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation and American Heart Association guidelines on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiac Care.
Recommended Minimum Hours of Training
Basic life support= 6 hours
First aid= 2 hours
The time needed to teach the course varies depending on several factors including the number of students and their ability to process the educational components of the program.
Knowledge Development
Topics cover in the BLSFA course include the following:
- basic life support
- scene safety assessment
- CPR (single rescuer, adult only)
- obstructed airway
- first aid assessments
- control of external bleeding
- bandaging and wound management
- shock management
- medical emergencies
- lifting and moving
Course participants must complete the DAN BLS: CPR & FA examination with a minimum passing score of 80 percent. The instructor will review the examination with each participant to ensure 100 percent understanding of the material.
Skills Development
At the end of this program, you will be able to:
- Perform a scene safety assessment.
- Perform one-rescuer CPR on a nonbreathing person.
- Use an AED.
- Perform injury and illness assessments.
- Place an unconscious patient in the recovery position.
- Provide assistance to a choking adult.
- Provide care for shock.
- Provide care for external bleeding.
- Secure a bandage using correct techniques.
- Splint an injured limb.
Re certification is required every 24 months.
CPR Health-Care Provider with First Aid
Whether you are diving a few hours from shore or days from civilization, dive accidents frequently require more advanced levels of care than are offered by traditional or entry-level CPR programs. CPR Health-Care Provider with First Aid (CPR HCP) teaches advanced techniques of basic life support.
This course is ideal for dive professionals and divers interested in understanding the next level of resuscitation techniques. It is designed to be applicable to the diving market — featuring scenes and scenarios pertinent to diving situations — as well as the nondiving healthcare market.
CPR HCP also includes basic life support skills for adults, children and infants. This program meets 2010 International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation and American Heart Association guidelines on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiac Care.
Recommended Minimum Hours of Training
Knowledge and skills development= 8 hours
The time needed to teach the course varies depending on several factors including the number of students and their ability to process the educational components of the program.
Knowledge Development
Topics covered in the CPR HCP course include the following:
- scene safety assessment
- CPR (single and two rescuer, adult, child and infant)
- obstructed airway
- suctioning
- control of external bleeding
- bandaging
- shock management
Course participants must complete the DAN CPR: HCP examination with a minimum passing score of 80 percent. The instructor will review the examination with each participant to ensure 100 percent understanding of the material.
Skills Development
At the end of this program, you will be able to:
- Perform a scene safety assessment.
- Perform one and two rescuer CPR.
- Use an AED.
- Perform injury and illness assessments.
- Place an unconscious patient in the recovery position.
- Provide assistance to a choking adult, child and infant.
- Provide care for external bleeding.
- Secure a bandage using correct techniques.
- Provide care for shock.
- Splint an injured limb.
Re-certification is required every 24 months.
Diving Emergency Management Provider
A dive emergency is rarely a single event. More often than not, separate small problems compound to create a larger emergency.
Divers interested in understanding first aid care for dive emergencies can take the Diving Emergency Management Provider (DEMP) course from a DAN Instructor. This program integrates the knowledge and skills from several DAN training programs into a single course — at a significant time savings without sacrificing any skills.
The DEMP course includes the knowledge and skill development from each of the following DAN course:
- Basic Life Support: CPR and First Aid
- Emergency Oxygen for Scuba Diving Injuries
- Neurological Assessment
- First Aid for Hazardous Marine Life Injuries
After completing the skill and knowledge development portions of this program, the students then bring everything together in a composite scenario.
Recommended Minimum Hours of Training
Knowledge and skill development= 2 days (1 day using online knowledge development).
The time needed to teach the course varies depending on several factors including the number of students and their ability to process the educational components of the program.
Course participants must complete the DAN DEMP component examinations with a minimum passing score of 80 percent on each exam. The instructor will review the examinations with each participant to ensure 100 percent understanding of the material.
Re-certification is required every 24 months.
Diving First Aid for Professional Divers
The DAN Diving First Aid for Professional Divers course is designed with aquariums, commercial diving companies and scientific diving operations in mind where the provider may be exposed to both the general public and diving specialists as part of their job. It is also an excellent risk management course for the recreational dive community due to its comprehensive first aid coverage.This program includes Emergency Oxygen for Scuba Diving Injuries, Neurological Assessment, First Aid for Hazardous Marine Life Injuries as well Basic Life Support: CPR and First Aid. It is based on guidelines provided by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for workplace CPR and first aid.Retraining in this program is required every two years following successful completion of the course — although some local protocols and regulations require more frequent retraining.Recommended Minimum Hours of Training
Knowledge and skill development= 2 daysThe time needed to teach the course varies depending on several factors including the number of students and their ability to process the educational components of the program.Knowledge Development
Topics covered in the DFA Pro course include:
- scene safety assessment
- blood borne pathogens
- CPR (either single rescuer adult only or two rescuer CPR for adults, children and infants)
- use of an AED
- oxygen first aid
- neurological assessment
- first aid for hazardous marine life injuries
Skills Development
At the end of this program, you will be able to:
- Assess scene safety.
- Conduct initial and secondary assessment.
- Provide CPR (single adult rescuer).**
- Use an AED.
- Provide care for shock.
- Control external bleeding.
- Manage an obstructed airway.
- Conduct a secondary assessment.
- Bandage and splint injuries.
- Place a pressure immobilization bandage.
- Address a severe allergic reaction.
- Provide emergency oxygen administration.
- Conduct a neurological assessment.
- Develop an emergency assistance plan.
** DFAPro can also be run with a full health care provider component including two person rescuer CPR for adult, children and infant. Ask your instructor for more details.
Diving Emergency Specialist (DES)
Continuing education is an important way for divers to continue to hone their diving skills and improve as divers. DAN understands the importance of being an active and involved diver who takes the time to learn about not just new dive techniques but also techniques to care for yourself and others injured in a dive accident.
To recognize this commitment to dive safety, DAN created a recognition program — Diving Emergency Specialist. The DES designation is a way to commend divers who have sought the training they need to be prepared buddies and safer divers.
To earn this recognition, divers must hold a Rescue Diver certification and either a current DAN Dive Emergency Management Provider (DEMP) certification (2012 version) or current DAN Diving First Aid for Professional Divers certification (2012 version).
A recue diver who has a current CPR certification from another agency may still earn the DES recognition by completing Emergency Oxygen for Scuba Dviing Injuries, First Aid for Hazardous Marine Life Injuries, AND Neurological Assessment.
This program is open to any diver.
To receive this recognition, submit your application directly to DAN Education with photocopies of all the required certifications and the $20 application fee.
DES recognition includes a:
- waterproof Diving Emergency Specialist certification card
- DES certificate
- DES shoulder patch
Have you already achieved what it takes to be a DES diver? Submit your application today.
Dive Medicine for Divers
Dive Medicine for Divers (DMFD) provides a comprehensive educational approach to diving physiology and first aid. Ultimately, enhancing our knowledge and understanding of how our bodies react to the pressures and stresses of diving lead to safer diving practices.Dive Medicine for Divers is for individuals interested in better understanding dive physiology and dive safety. It includes topics not normally addressed in dive training, including fitness to dive, safety planning and basic physical examinations. The modular approach presents a number of lecture topics and discussions presented by a DAN Instructor integrated with video segments and additional self-study information.Upon completing the components of each level, divers will learn the various basic first aid skills involved in assessing and caring for an injured diver. They will learn ways to prevent dive accidents and how to respond to them when they do happen. Taking dive first aid courses is highly recommended for skill development.Dive Medicine for Divers Level 1 topics:
- Fitness to dive – Discusses physical fitness and medical conditions that can keep divers out of the water and explains basic ear-clearing techniques.
- Safety planning – Addresses processes and procedures to make your dives safer and actions that can be used in dealing with the aftermath of a dive accident including handling of the diver’s equipment for an investigation and taking care of the rescuers’ emotional needs.
- Basic examinations – Introduces the use of a stethoscope in determining the presence (or absence) of breathing sounds.
Dive Medicine for Divers Level 2 topics:
- Decompression Illness and Barotrauma – Reviews decompression theory and provides an overview of decompression illness including a short discussion of neurological symptoms. Presents an introduction to dive accident management and what happens during a hyperbaric chamber treatment. Explains the various potential barotraumas to which a diver can be exposed and their identifying symptoms. Participants will examine several dive accident cases and how they were treated. A final discussion will address important elements of accident and injury reporting.
- Equipment related issues – Teaches essentials of cleaning, sanitizing and maintaining equipment with emphasis on accident prevention.
- Allergic reactions and taking blood pressure – Participants learn proper use of an EpiPen® and how to take a blood pressure.
Dive Medicine for Divers Level 3 topics:
- Gas toxicities and partial pressure – Covers nitrogen narcosis, hypercapnia and oxygen toxicity and examines gas laws and the physiological impacts the human body experiences under pressure.
- Drowning – A discussion of the cascade of events that can lead to a diver’s death and preventative measures.
- Providing care and the Good Samaritan Law – Understand the obligation and/or consequence of providing care. Emphasizes the appropriate role of the rescuer.
- Ear barotrauma – Introduces the Teeds Scale and includes photos depicting various ear injuries. Covers basic ear anatomy and visualization with an otoscope.
DAN Instructor Qualification Course (ICQ)
DAN Instructors are scuba diving educators who want to offer dive safety programs to their students. To become a DAN Instructor, you must participate in a DAN Instructor Qualification Course (IQC).
The IQC follows a modular format. There is a Core Module and then a separate module representing each training program. You can take all nine modules as part of one course, or just take the Core Module and one course module – whatever you are interested in teaching. Later, as long as you remain a current and active DAN Instructor, you can take additional modules without retaking the Core Module. The Core Module is now available online in English and Spanish.
Prerequisites for DAN Instructor Qualification Course:
- DAN Member
- Active scuba diving educator(*)
- Current CPR Instructor
- Documentation of First Aid training
(*) Any scuba diving instructor, assistant instructor, or dive master/dive con who is also a CPR and First Aid instructor with a recognized training agency can attend the IQC.