Becoming a Firefighter: Advanced First Aid with Delta

Becoming a firefighter is a career path that is both challenging and rewarding. It requires a unique set of skills and qualifications to effectively protect the public and their property from the dangers of fire, natural disasters, and other emergencies. One of the essential prerequisites for Calgary Fire Department or Edmonton Fire Rescue Services, is having advanced first aid (AFA) training.

Two firefighters with advanced first aid training, in full gear fighting a fire, with their backs turned to the camera.

AFA training equips firefighters with the skills and knowledge they need to handle these emergencies effectively and provide the best possible care to patients. As a firefighter, you may be required to perform advanced procedures such as administering medication, bagging patients, and providing advanced airway management. AFA training provides firefighters with the advanced skills and knowledge necessary to perform these procedures safely and effectively, ensuring the best possible outcomes for patients.

In this blog, we'll take a closer look at AFA training and why it's a must for firefighters. We'll explore what AFA training is, why it's important for firefighters to have, and how to obtain this training.

If you're considering a career as a firefighter or are already working in this field, read on to learn more about how AFA training can make you a better responder in medical emergencies.

Scene Safety

The first step in any emergency situation is to ensure scene safety. As part of AFA training, firefighters learn how to assess a scene for potential hazards and risks, ensuring that they can safely and effectively provide care to patients. Using Delta’s acronyms to assist in efficient learning.

C-Spine

AFA students will learn about C-spine and Spinal Motion Restriction (SMR). What mechanisms of injury indicates the use of SMR, how to apply a cervical collar as well as packaging a patient with a suspected spinal injury.

Basic Life Support

Basic life support (BLS) is a critical component of AFA training. Firefighters learn how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and use automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to help patients in cardiac arrest. Within the completion of AFA, students will receive a BLS certificate.

Airway Management

Maintaining a patient's airway is essential in emergency situations. AFA training covers a range of airway management techniques, including using oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal airways, as well as different manual airway management maneuvers.

Breathing Management

In addition to airway management, AFA training covers breathing management techniques. Firefighters learn how to use nasal cannulas, non-rebreather masks and bag-valve-masks as well as how to correlate each apparatus to the oxygen tank while regulating flow rate.

In-Depth CPR Training

CPR is a critical life-saving skill that all firefighters must be proficient in. AFA training covers CPR in-depth, including chest compressions, rescue breathing, and AED use.

Rapid Body Survey

As part of AFA training, firefighters learn how to conduct a thorough rapid body survey, which checks for injuries that require immediate attention. This includes checking and treating for life-threatening injuries such as bleeding, flail chest, and broken pelvis.

Vital Signs

AFA training covers how to take vital signs, including manual blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, pupils, blood glucose, Glasgow Coma Scale, skin and temperature. Firefighters learn what the normal and abnormal ranges are and how to interpret vital sign readings to assess a patient's condition.

Life-Saving Medications

Firefighters may need to administer life-saving medications in emergency situations. AFA training covers how to administer medications such as naloxone, aspirin, and epinephrine, as well as how to assist with administering other medications as needed.

Patient Packaging

Packaging a patient for transport is a critical part of providing advanced first aid. AFA training covers how to package a patient onto a spine board or scoop.

Running a Call

AFA training also covers how to run a call as the primary responder from start to finish. This includes assessing the scene, providing care to patients, communicating with and delegating other responders and medical personnel.