Calgary & Leduc
Which course do I need?
We teach 28 courses, and several have two names. Rather than making you learn the catalogue, answer a few questions and we'll point you at the right one, and tell you why.
Question 1 of 3
Compare every course
All 28 courses side by side: how long each takes, what it needs first, how long the certificate lasts, which CPR level it carries, and what renews it. Sort by any column. Useful when you are planning several steps ahead, booking for a crew, or working out where an existing certificate leaves you.
| Basic First AidBFAformerly Emergency First AidWorkplace first aidDates open | Approx. 7 hours (1 day) | None | 3 years | CPR-C included | Retake course | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intermediate First AidIFAformerly Standard First AidWorkplace first aidDates open | 2 days (approx. 17 hours), or blended (approx. 8.5 hours in class) | None | 3 years | CPR-C included | Retake course | |
| Intermediate First Aid with BLSIFA + BLSformerly Standard First Aid with BLSWorkplace first aidComing soon | Approx. 2 days plus the BLS component | None | 3 years (BLS component 1 year) | BLS included | ||
| First ResponderFRProfessional responderComing soon | 40 hours minimum (CRC Program Standards 2025) | None | 3 years (BLS component 1 year) | BLS included | Retake course | |
| Advanced First AidAFAProfessional responderDates open | 80 hours (multi-week cohort; class days approx. 9:00-5:30, breaks included) | None | 3 years (BLS component 1 year) | BLS included | ||
| Emergency Medical ResponderEMRProfessional responderDates open | 80 hours over a multi-week cohort (class days approx. 9:00-5:30, breaks included) | 3-year EMR certification (CPR/BLS component 1 year) | BLS included | |||
| First Responder to Advanced First Aid BridgeFR to AFAProfessional responderComing soon | 40-60 hours (CRC Program Standards 2025) | 3 years (BLS component 1 year) | BLS included | |||
| Advanced First Aid to EMR BridgeAFA to EMRProfessional responderComing soon | Approx. 20 hours over 2 days | 3-year EMR certification (CPR/BLS component 1 year) | BLS included | Top of its track | ||
| EMR to Advanced First Aid BridgeEMR to AFAProfessional responderComing soon | Approx. 9 hours (1 day) | 3 years (BLS component 1 year) | BLS included | Top of its track | ||
| Advanced First Aid RecertificationAFA RecertProfessional responderDates open | Approx. 42.5 hours (5 days) | 3 years (BLS component 1 year) | BLS included | Retake course | ||
| EMR RecertificationEMR RecertProfessional responderComing soon | Approx. 40 hours | 3-year EMR certification (CPR/BLS component 1 year) | BLS included | Retake course | Top of its track | |
| CPR-A & AEDCPR-ACPR & health careDates open | Confirmed at registration | None | 3 years | CPR-A | Retake course | |
| CPR-C & AEDCPR-CCPR & health careDates open | Approx. 5 hours | None | 3 years | CPR-C / AED | Retake course | |
| Basic Life SupportBLSCPR & health careComing soon | Approx. 4.25 hours | None | 1 year | BLS provider | ||
| BLS RecertificationBLS RecertCPR & health careComing soon | Approx. 2.5 hours | 1 year | BLS provider | Retake course | Top of its track | |
| Oxygen TherapyO2CPR & health careComing soon | Approx. 1 hour | None | Per Canadian Red Cross standard, confirmed at registration | Not included | Retake course | |
| Airway ManagementAirwayCPR & health careComing soon | Approx. 1 hour | None | Per Canadian Red Cross standard, confirmed at registration | Not included | Retake course | |
| Stay Safe!Stay Safe!YouthWaitlist | 5 to 6 hours | Age 9+, or Grade 3 completed | Does not expire. Stay Safe! issues a completion certificate rather than a timed certification. | Not included | Retake course | |
| Babysitter TrainingBabysittingYouthWaitlist | 7 to 8 hours | Age 11+, or Grade 5 completed | Does not expire. Babysitting issues a completion certificate rather than a timed certification. | Not included | Retake course | |
| Emergency Child Care First AidECCFAChild care first aidWaitlist | Approx. 8 hours (1 day) | None | 3 years | CPR-B included | Retake course | |
| Standard Child Care First AidCCFAChild care first aidComing soon | Approx. 16 hours (2 days) | None | 3 years | CPR-B included | Retake course | |
| Remote First AidRFAWilderness & remoteWaitlist | 20 hours, with more than half taught in a non-urban setting | Good health and physical condition | 3 years | Not included | Retake course | |
| Wilderness First AidWFAWilderness & remoteWaitlist | 40 hours, with more than half taught in a non-urban setting | Age 16+, good health and physical condition | 3 years | Not included | Retake course | |
| Wilderness First ResponderWFRWilderness & remoteWaitlist | 80 hours, with more than half taught in a non-urban setting | Age 16+, good health and physical condition | 3 years (BLS component 1 year) | Not included | Retake course | Top of its track |
| Marine Basic First AidMarine BFAMarineWaitlist | 16 hours, or blended as 8 hours online plus 8 hours in class | Age 16+ | Set by Transport Canada under TP 13008E, confirmed on your certificate | Not included | Retake course | |
| Marine Advanced First AidMarine AFAMarineWaitlist | 31 hours | Age 18+ | Set by Transport Canada under TP 13008E, confirmed on your certificate | Not included | Retake course | |
| Self-Care & WellnessSelf-CarePsychological first aid & wellbeingWaitlist | 45 to 90 minutes online, plus 1.5 to 2 hours in class | Recommended age 16+ | No recertification period applies to this course | Not included | Retake course | |
| Psychological First AidPFAPsychological first aid & wellbeingWaitlist | 12 hours in person, or blended (45 to 90 minutes online plus 7 hours in class) | Recommended age 16+ | 3 years | Not included | Retake course | Top of its track |
Hours and validity come from the course pages themselves and are confirmed at registration. Certificate validity is set by the Canadian Red Cross and printed on the certificate you receive. Bridges have no recertification of their own: you renew at the level the bridge leaves you holding.
Where the paramedic ladder is heading
If you’re starting the responder pathway with an eye on a paramedic career, it helps to know the national ground is shifting under the titles. Since 2000, the profession has been defined by the Paramedic Association of Canada’s National Occupational Competency Profile (NOCP): four clinical levels — EMR, PCP, ACP and CCP — each profiled against eight competency areas, from professional responsibilities through therapeutics to transportation. That profile is what Alberta’s regulation and the national registration exams were built on.
In 2024 the PAC’s decade-long “Vision 2025” plan produced its successor: CSA Z1660, the National Competency Framework for Paramedics (NCFP), with a companion Career Framework. The new model thinks in careers rather than entry points: five pathways — clinical practice, leadership, research, education, and policy — each with five levels, a push toward degree entry to practice, and proposed advanced roles such as Specialist Paramedic and Paramedic Practitioner.
What that changes for you today: very little, and knowing that is the point. Registration and scope in Alberta remain the Alberta College of Paramedics’ call, the EMR → PCP → ACP ladder is unchanged as the path you actually register on, and the new framework’s titles are not protected titles in Alberta. The EMR course is where that ladder starts, under either framework — and the competencies you build in it carry forward whichever document ends up describing them.
Sources: PAC, National Occupational Competency Profile for Paramedics (2011); Cameron & Batt, Career Framework for Paramedics, 1st ed. (PAC, 2024). Framework development is ongoing — confirm current registration requirements with the Alberta College of Paramedics.
Still not sure?
Employers, schools and fire services each set their own requirements, and they change. Send us the wording of what you’ve been asked for and we’ll tell you which course matches, including if the answer is a shorter, cheaper one.
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