# Starting to teach the First Responder Course



## Wassim (Dec 29, 2009)

Hi Gang

I don't know how I stumbled on his forum, but I am so glad that I did.

I am an EMT-B or EMT-I which ever is applicable in your neighborhood, and I was first certified in PA in 1986. I now live and work in CA and a company has asked me to teach first responder level classes for security officers. I know my material and I am sure of myself as an instructor, what I am looking for is to answer the question:

How do you teach EMS stuff to none EMS people? 

Most books are geared towards the squadron of first responders working side by side with fire or EMS personnel. But what about a security officer who is by himself or herslef manning a position at their site taking care of security issues such as access control and monitoring alarms, giving directions to people, sometimes these officers could be a private security team for a celebrity or an executive person, some other times they are part of a group of security at a ball game or a concert.

How do I teach the course with the "You are it and you better hold your own grounds until the ambulance arrives" mentality. With no or minimal equipment and the best they can do is initiate care while EMS rolls to their location, average time 4 to 6 minutes. What can you say to make this security officer react and know what to do and be confident in what they are doing knowing that they are it, and if they don't do it nothing is done until the ambulance arrives.

I hope I do not scare them away...

Thanks for any suggestions.

Happy Holidays

Wassim


----------



## EMSLaw (Dec 29, 2009)

The American Red Cross First Responder curriculum ("Emergency Response") is geared more towards an industrial first responder - at least, that's what all the videos showed.  I don't know, but I would suspect given the nature of the organization, that the National Safety Council's course is much the same.  

Much of the benefit I took from the first responder course was that it taught solid, meat-and-potatoes first aid skills.  First responders learn to take vitals and a SAMPLE history, and the majority of the rest of the time is spent on splinting, bandaging, delivering oxygen, etc.  And CPR, of course.  I can't tell you, as someone who now rides on an ambulance, how great it is when you show up and the first responder (usually police, in our case) can tell you the patient's chief complaint and a basic history.  

As far as their confidence, I'd just stress that they are the first trained people to arrive on scene, and that their role is to keep the patient stable until an ambulance can arrive.  They'll have way more training than a lay responder, and the most important thing is to keep calm.


----------



## LucidResq (Dec 29, 2009)

I just completed my second year as an instructor for the "Advanced First Responder" course for my search and rescue team. My students had no real prior public safety / EMS training besides BLS for Healthcare Providers and their basic SAR training. 

Based on my experience and their feedback, two important elements were making situations/explanations/scenarios applicable to what they would actually be doing in the field; and focusing on medical terminology. 

Why waste my time giving the scenarios from the EMT-B book in which they respond to calls on an ambulance, when in reality, they are much more likely to find themselves with extremely limited resources on a search line stumbling across who've they've been looking for - an elderly man with Alzheimer's who wandered away from his family's vacation cabin? If the security guards work events think about what they are likely to run into - heat exhaustion? Hypothermia? Etc...

Also, I have consistently received positive feedback about how I go into detail on medical terminology. When you understand the root words, it is much easier to UNDERSTAND rather than MEMORIZE, and you can start picking apart unfamiliar words by the roots and prefixes and such.


----------



## mycrofft (Dec 29, 2009)

*Learn about teaching adults also.*

Tale a class on adult education, and take note about what parts of a class make you impatient with the teacher and what parts help you, how they are done/presented.


----------



## rescue99 (Dec 30, 2009)

Wassim,

What will you be teaching and in how much time? I teach Emergency Responder in the Work Place courses frequently in every type of business setting from railroad workers to executive office buildings to auto plants. The typical layperson course learns FA/CPR/AED/BBP and 02. Courses are typically 8 hours with a few up to an EMR level (48-64 hrs). The big plants (i.e. Ford) may have the more involved levels of training. Some are licensed but, most are not. 

Best way to understand what the student needs to learn is to view all material / books several times before entering the classroom. Understanding their limitations, what to do and what not to do in their setting and using a team approach works well. Being that policies are so different place to place, my job does not focus on policy but rather on the skills at hand. I get into some minor detail about what to expect when EMS arrives but, only as far as what the arriving crew wants from the initial responder. It's most important for the work place responder to know what to do while 911 is on the way and how to help facilitate access into and out of the area. 

If the location is your own, you may know some of the policies and how they're handled. Otherwise it's difficult to teach to policy. A company safety officer/representative is the employee's best source for knowing what is specific to each location.


----------



## Melclin (Dec 30, 2009)

I'm not sure that history taking and medical terminology are really appropriate for a first responder, although I may be confusing your terms. Whats the point of wasting time on trying to get them to remember terms that are essentially useless to them. When is it going to matter that they know that superior is above inferior; or that -ostomy means the creation of an opening. Better of spending time on the conceptual basics, ABC, haemorrhage arrest etc. And keep it practical - don't always use the unconscious pt in cardiac arrest. There are plenty more likely scenarios in which the ABCs are just as crucial to survival and easily applicable by the first responder. The hypoglycemic pt who lapses into unresponsiveness in your presence for example. Easy to forget that when they slumped forward in their chair, they occluded their airway.


How much of a first aid role are they intended to play (in the sense that they flush eyes, hand out band aids and warm up mildly hypothermic under dressed teenage girls)? Or are they just supposed to know how to keep a person alive in a real emergency until EMS get there should the proverbial s**t hit the fan. With a 4-6 minute response time, a firm and practical understanding of the ABC basics seem like it would be plenty.


----------



## apumic (Dec 30, 2009)

As others have stated, consider what their needs are. This is likely to vary by where you are (geographically, climate, etc.) and what your students will be doing functionally (security guard? police officer? recreational supervisor? event staff? youth camp director? aquatics manager?).
I worked for about 6 years in aquatics (water safety, lifeguarding, management), including time training lifeguards and the things we taught them were focused around what our guards would run into in a water park facility. In their case, we focused on detecting and handling spinals (aquatic and on land), splinting, applying O2, CPR/AED, ABCs, SAMPLE Hx, aquatic rescue & removal, BSI considerations in aquatics, and so forth. We also focused a lot on how to determine whether or not to call 911. One thing to realize with FRs is that, unlike EMT-Bs, they will very often make the ultimate decision as to whether or not 911 is called. Depending on the setting, FRs may assess, treat, and release up to 99+% of patients w/o ever referring to EMS/911. This necessitates good judgment skills, so you need to train them in rough and dirty methods of determining actual life-threatening situations (and if/when they necessitate 911/EMS) as compared with lesser injuries and illnesses (e.g., a spinal injury vs. a minor abrasian or heat cramps vs. heat exhaustion vs. heat stroke).


----------



## firetender (Dec 31, 2009)

Maybe I'm being a little blind here but aren't there principles of being a first responder that apply across the board? 

If you are first on the scene of a medical or traumatic emergency, how you intervene in life threatening situations, protect the patient, and manage and prepare the scene for the arrival of better trained personnel applies no matter your job description.

The only variables would be anticipating potential scenarios based upon location, event, exposure, equipment, and the like.

I don't know that it's your responsibility to teach a security guard when, how and where to use what you teach him. He's going to have to figure that out himself. (For example, when will he protect the patient as a first responer and when will he protect the scene as a security guard?) 

All you can do is present him tools he can use in medical intervention, teach him how to set priorities of medical care, and how to prepare for the arrival of help.


----------



## Wassim (Dec 31, 2009)

Thanks EMSLaw

<<< The American Red Cross First Responder curriculum ("Emergency Response") is geared more towards an industrial first responder - at least, that's what all the videos showed.>>> <<<  National Safety Council's course ... >>>

I will check into these organizations and buy their material. I guess I will have a variety of sources of material and that is perfectly OK.

<<< solid, meat-and-potatoes first aid skills. >>>
Yeah this is my intenstion too. I am big on solid skills and I would also go into some customer service issues training that we teach security officers, because no matter what you have in front of you it is always a customer-provider relationship. 

Thanks for sharing your ideas. You say you are an attorney? Wow I will be sending you a whole bunch of questions about the Good Samartitan Laws and medico-legal issues in the near future.

Happy Holidays.

Wassim


----------



## Wassim (Dec 31, 2009)

Hi LucidResq

<<< ... making situations/explanations/scenarios applicable to what they would actually be doing in the field; and focusing on medical terminology. >>>

Yes I have taken this into consideration and built the course about 60% hands on and 40% class time. I am also trying to build a list of medical terms that First Respondres/EMS may use frequently enough to warrant knowing and understanding. I have taken 3 Medical Termonology classes at the community college, and I am versed in this area. So I will use the Root-Prefix-Suffix understanding technique and see how far we go. If one thing, I am adaptive and can change strategies mid stream if it is this one is not working.

<<< find themselves with extremely limited resources on a search line stumbling across >>>

Exactly the point of this thread. It is one thing to be a FR in a city where ambulaces and fire engines respond within minutes, but what if you are out there hiking with your clinet and something happens, response time is off the charts to a City FR, and in this particular siutation, all you have is your skills, hands and heart.

<<< If the security guards work events >>> 
Yes, these were quick examples, but there are more situations.

Thanks again.

Wassim


----------



## Wassim (Dec 31, 2009)

Hi mycrofft

<<< Learn about teaching adults also. >>>

Yes this is in the works. I asked my employer to set a budget for my training and he agreed. This semester even though I will be an instructor, I will also be attendding the EMT-I refresher course, and then next semester attend an Adult Education Certificate course.

Thanks
Wassim


----------



## Wassim (Dec 31, 2009)

Hi rescue99

<<< What will you be teaching and in how much time? >>>

So far I am teaching the DOT National Standard Curriculum for the First Responder, but as I learned from this thread, this might morph into a blended courses that covers the DOT standards. The information will be from multiple sources and organizations, and I will make sure that we will cover all the items in the DOT standards.

As to how long, the whole course is 48 hours chopped into 8 hour classes over 3 2-day weekends.

<<< I teach Emergency Responder in the Work Place courses >>>

Is this the American Red Cross course? I will be looking into it because EMSLaw suggested it has a single individual "industrial first responder" which might help my students relate to better than the EMS-centric teaching materials out there.

<<< It's most important for the work place responder to know what to do while 911 is on the way and how to help facilitate access into and out of the area. >>>

Yes this is going to be the 1st issue when it comes to my security officers students. They are the ones who will respond and become the first responder, and then they will need to muster some help from other officers if they have them to accomplish the escort duty. If the officer is a single entity at his or her post, the officer will have to ask someone, possibly from facilities management to escort EMS to the patient.

Thanks for your input. I will look into the ARC material and hopefully get what I am looking for.

Wassim


----------



## Wassim (Dec 31, 2009)

Hi Melclin

<<< I'm not sure that history taking and medical terminology are really appropriate ... -ostomy means the creation of an opening. >>>

I agree with you that -ostomy and many of these medical terminologies are not needed, but the basics are essential in my opinion:

Anterior-Posterior, Lateral-medial, Superior-Inferior, Distal-Proxiaml and the likes are important to know and understand becuase it goes to patient care.


<<< Better of spending time on... >>>

I agree, this will be covered because it is part of the DOT curriculum. Its not what to cover the issue of this thread, the issue is how to relate what to cover that so far to me seems EMS-centic vs. single individual responder with minimal equipment, possibly an AED and an O2 tank, and the courage to be the cutting edge in the situation at hand.

<<< How much of a first aid role are they intended to play >>>
The idea is that we are training to hold your own until EMS arrives, which could be 4-20 minutes in urban settings, or hours or days in wilderness settings. Less wilderness more urban.

<<< Or are they just supposed to know how to keep a person alive in a real emergency until EMS get there should the proverbial s**t hit the fan. >>>

Yes. Some of these security officers protect executives, celebrites and people of status, and they need to do all that in most cases as a team but possibly alone at times.

Thanks again, and Happy New Year.


----------



## rescue99 (Dec 31, 2009)

Wassim said:


> Hi rescue99
> 
> <<< What will you be teaching and in how much time? >>>
> 
> ...



Okay Wassim, this one is easy. 

You must teach the hour to hour DOT curriculum to maintain a legit program for licensure. In order to cover additional material (except for the minor details as you go), you have to add unofficial additional hours onto the end of the course. 

If you are teaching a certified MFR (not for licensure), I suggest adding to the end of the course as opposed to incorporating a lot of additional hours as well. It's just less confusing. For instance; I recently taught MFR to a group of teachers and para-pros. They wanted additional pediatrics and school related training. I had to add 8 hours onto the end of the course to meet those needs because they were going to test NR. On the other hand, Ford Motor hold their's as traditional MFR courses with intermittent additions geared toward their site and area. Of course this meant adding to the overall hours of the course too. Another branch of the auto company was more related to office workers and required only an 8-9 hour course to meet their needs. Everywhere is different. 

Bottom line; depends on whether it's a certificate or licensure and how much additional detail is needed. Each has unique details that can either be addressed in quick answer fashion or must be added on in the end for more in depth detail (i.e. extra peds). Skills are an as you go sort of thing so that part is pretty easy. If you teach a certified course have a plan on how you want to address large amounts of site specific information. I say do most of it in the end. I Don't want students failing tests. Those are NOT site specific. 

ASHI, ESCI, ARC all have MFR/EMR programs available. ASHI uses Brady material, ARC their own and ESCI is AAOS. All of these can be upgraded and approved to meet DOT objectives for licensure or taught as certified courses. Last I knew, MFR/EMR's for licensure have to be taught by a licensed I/C and approved by appropriate state offices according to each state's policy on EMS education.


----------



## Wassim (Dec 31, 2009)

Hi apumic

<<< As others have stated, consider what their needs are. >>>
Yes this is always the goal of any educational system. But what I was hoping for is to discover the existance of teaching material that is not EMS-centric and by that I mean a book that takes the first responder from truly the lay-person's perspective vs. the student that is going to become part of the EMS. In the books that I have, they talk about the FR as the fire or police, with a team, but my idea is to teach security officers to be stand-alone FR and be able to function and stand alone until EMS arrives.

<<< We also focused a lot on how to determine whether or not to call 911. >>>
Yes, calling or not calling, is a skill. Also when and how to call is another aspect we teach. But our officers will in most cases call. There are cases where the celebrity would rather have a low key and travel annonumisly to the hospital, and in this case the FR would need to know how to package and safely transport the celebrity.

Wassim


----------



## Lifeguards For Life (Dec 31, 2009)

Wassim said:


> Hi apumic
> 
> <<< As others have stated, consider what their needs are. >>>
> Yes this is always the goal of any educational system. But what I was hoping for is to discover the existance of teaching material that is not EMS-centric and by that I mean a book that takes the first responder from truly the lay-person's perspective vs. the student that is going to become part of the EMS. In the books that I have, they talk about the FR as the fire or police, with a team, but my idea is to teach security officers to be stand-alone FR and be able to function and stand alone until EMS arrives.
> ...



What skills do you feel are pertinent to the roles to be filled by your students?


----------



## Wassim (Dec 31, 2009)

Hi firetender

<<< Maybe I'm being a little blind here but aren't there principles of being a first responder that apply across the board? >>>

Yes there are. In fact the First Responder teaches you the skills that you will use for all patients even when you advance and become a paramedic.

<<< For example, when will he protect the patient as a first responer and when will he protect the scene as a security guard? >>>

Not exactly, but to acctually morph the roles into a single responding unit. Now we all know life over limb, over property, but the Security Officer has to move from life to limb to property, vs. say an EMT who's concern is life, and the fire fighter who's concern is property, the Security officer has shared roles. We are adding this training to make it so.

Happy Holidays

Wassim


----------



## rescue99 (Dec 31, 2009)

Wassim said:


> Hi apumic
> 
> <<< As others have stated, consider what their needs are. >>>
> Yes this is always the goal of any educational system. But what I was hoping for is to discover the existance of teaching material that is not EMS-centric and by that I mean a book that takes the first responder from truly the lay-person's perspective vs. the student that is going to become part of the EMS. In the books that I have, they talk about the FR as the fire or police, with a team, but my idea is to teach security officers to be stand-alone FR and be able to function and stand alone until EMS arrives.
> ...



A MFR course does not center around group response. It talks about it but, the end points are single responder responsibilities and skills. 

Anything outside of the scope has to be either easily incorporated or added on to the end of the course in order to stay in line with objectives.


----------



## Wassim (Jan 1, 2010)

rescue99 said:


> A MFR course does not center around group response. It talks about it but, the end points are single responder responsibilities and skills.
> 
> Anything outside of the scope has to be either easily incorporated or added on to the end of the course in order to stay in line with objectives.


Hi rescue99

What does MFR stand for? Medical First Responder, or something else?

Wassim


----------



## rescue99 (Jan 1, 2010)

Wassim said:


> Hi rescue99
> 
> What does MFR stand for? Medical First Responder, or something else?
> 
> Wassim



 Medical First Responder. EMR in some circles.


----------



## NomadicMedic (Jan 1, 2010)

I am a certified instructor for the ARC, and have taught the Emergency Response course a few times. If you're looking at that material, I'd hold off, as the text and workbook are VERY outdated. There are several pages of updates that need to be included when the course is taught. Also, the entire CPR and much of the O2 admin portion of the text are completely outdated.

However, if you are planning on teaching, it might behoove you to take a "certified instructor course" simply for liability sake. If one of your students acts outside his or her scope, you might be on the hook. Teaching a First Responder class on my own isn't something I'd even consider...


----------

