Instructor Resources

The National Safety Council is committed to sharing relevant resources to help keep our instructors, our members and the public informed about COVID 19 protocol. We are following directives from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local officials, as well as the U.S. Department of State.

We have released COVID-19 CPR Guidelines for all NSC First Aid Instructors that describe guidelines for lay rescuers, as well as professional (out of hospital) rescuers. View the latest technical bulletin here. In addition, we are temporarily changing the policy regarding skills testing following the completion of the NSC First Aid, CPR and AED online course. This policy change will be extended as needed. See all interim CPR Guidelines here.

NSC also has implemented heightened health and safety measures for all employees and guests in all of our buildings. Instructors must ask all class participants to read and sign this form attesting they are feeling well, have not traveled to a Level 3 country and have not been directly exposed to someone with COVID-19. Please post this sign near the entrances to your building.

These materials for authorized instructors include the 100 industry-specific scenarios for customizing training.

Case Scenarios

Optional Case Scenarios

All instructors are reminded of the following with regard to issuing course completion cards:

• All completion cards must be printed or typed.  Hand-written completion cards are not acceptable.
• Expiration dates for all cards may not exceed two years from the completion date.
• Completion cards must be filled out completely, and include the correct course name.  The course completion card template you received with your instructor kit includes a field in the upper-right hand portion of the card. The correct course title must be printed on every card. See the following example:

• Only official NSC course titles may be printed on completion cards. The only course titles that may be used on NSC completion cards are:

• First Aid
• Pediatric
• Pediatric Plus
• Advanced First Aid
• Emergency Medical Responder

• Adult CPR & AED
• Adult and Child CPR & AED
• Adult, Child and Infant CPR & AED
• Pediatric CPR & AED
• BLS for Health Care Providers

For more information, please consult the Instructor Guidelines located in the front of your Instructor Manual.

• View BBP Completion Card Template
• View First Aid, CPR & AED Completion Card Template
• View Completion Card Instructions
• View Language for Completion Cards
• View Completion Card Form Sample

• Error in Burns Segment of First Aid Video
• Pediatric Supplement: This link will provide you with the Instructor Manual pages for Pediatric that will be used to teach the supplement in California and Lousiana.
• BLS Exam B -- Corrected Version: The Basic Life Support Instructor Materials, which are included on the Instructor CD Part 1 and the USB, include an incorrect student exam. Exam A is repeated and shown as Exam B.

Room sizes vary and not all will be as large as the 30’ x 50’ room we use for training but the diagrams here will give you some minimum distances for manikin set up. Another example of room set up can be found in your “Preparing to Teach First Aid Courses” DVD.

While NSC encourages those interested in learning first aid and CPR to take an NSC First Aid or CPR course, instructors may be asked to give a brief orientation on first aid. This outline can be used as a guide.

For cleaning and care information on your manikins, please see the specific manufacturer's recommendations. 

Prestan Manikins

CPR Prompt Manikins

By default, Windows 10 is set to NOT auto play DVDs when inserted. Use AutoPlay to tell Windows what you want to happen when you insert media or devices. View the instructions.

For IRC roster submission, there are three essential "save " points you must click to be sure the roster you submit will be available for retrieval at a later date.

Download Roster Form

Food Allergy Research and Education works on behalf of the 15 million Americans with food allergies, including those at risk for life-threatening allergies. View the map of the U.S. for the status of school epinephrine legislation and guidelines across the country.

Instructors may copy these Performance Checklist for Skills (appendix B in the NSC Advanced First Aid, CPR & AED Textbook) and use within their classes.

We have compiled a list of NSC products and pricing, including NSC part numbers and ISBN numbers.

We'll send you a complimentary review copy of the first aid student workbooks or textbooks so you can see if they will meet the needs of class.

• Advanced First Aid, CPR & AED
• Basic Life Support
• Bloodborne & Airborne Pathogens

The National Safety Council is committed to sharing relevant resources to help keep our instructors, our members and the public informed about this rapidly developing situation. We are following directives from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local officials, as well as the U.S. Department of State.

At this time, NSC is proceeding with classes and trainings as planned; however, we will continue to follow all government updates, guidance and reports to determine the appropriate course of action for any NSC class. NSC instructors must consult this technical bulletin outlining protocols to follow with all classes.

NSC also has implemented heightened health and safety measures for all employees and guests in all of our buildings. Instructors must ask all class participants to read and sign this form attesting they are feeling well, have not traveled to a Level 3 country and have not been directly exposed to someone with COVID-19. Please post this sign near the entrances to your building.

Participants take a self-assessment before they start to determine which areas they already have knowledge and where they need to learn more. The courses are then adapted for each individual. Benefits include up to 50% reduction in learning time, increased engagement, cost savings (less time studying means less time away from the job), convenient online format.

NSC First Aid CPR & AED Online Adaptive Course

For emergency response teams, safety personnel, supervisors, individuals requiring certification, general public.

• Recognize a medical emergency
• Handle breathing and cardiac emergencies
• Sustain life until professional help arrives

For an OSHA-compliant completion card, students must complete skills testing by an authorized tester. Additional fee may apply.

NSC Bloodborne & Airborne Pathogens Online Adaptive Course

For health care professionals, lab technicians, dentists, dental hygienists, fire, police, ambulance, EMS and others.

• Learn about bloodborne and airborne pathogens, including Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV and TB
• Learn proven steps to reduce exposure risks and prevent infection
• Be able to take action if an exposure occurs

Participants who successfully complete the training will receive a course completion card, printed at the end of the course.

Purchase now or call (800) 621-7619.

We closely follow state legislation relating to public access AED programs. From time-to-time, we highlight interesting bills making their way through the sausage factory. Keep in mind the changes described below will apply only if these bills are passed and become law. For now, they are proposed changes.

Tennessee school AED placement requirement: Pending legislation in Tennessee would require the placement of AEDs in all public schools. The bill would also require that students receive CPR/AED instruction and conduct sudden cardiac arrest drills. The bill has passed both houses and is awaiting the governor's signature. Tennessee SB 1135.

Georgia AED law changes: Pending legislation in Georgia would remove certain training, agency notification and reporting requirements applicable primarily to first responder AED programs. Remaining provisions appear to conflict with some of the requirements applicable to volunteer bystander AED programs. The bill doesn't fix these conflicts so some confusion will remain if the it passes (as they do now). Georgia HB 264.

Colorado AED placement encouragement and school donation requirement: Pending legislation in Colorado would encourage public places capable of accommodating 100 or more people to deploy AEDs and would require public schools to accept AED donations. An earlier version of the bill would have removed the state's burdensome and unhelpful AED program requirements and dramatically strengthened immunity protections for everyone involved in Colorado AED programs. Those changes have been removed in the current version. If the bill passes in its current form, AED program burdens will remain high and legal protections will remain quite limited. Colorado HB 19-1183.

When issuing first aid completion cards that meet the Coast Guard requirement, please include the following numbers to the card:

First Aid: NATSAF-202
CPR: NATSAF-133

Please include both numbers when completing both First Aid and CPR requirements

• Updated Information for Epinephrine Administration
  • To reduce injury and infection when administering epinephrine to victims suffering from a severe allergic reaction, the U.S. FDA has updated patient instructions for the use of epinephrine auto-injectors.
• Teaching First Aid to Child Care Providers in California
  • All instructors teaching EMSA-approved courses must be affiliated with an authorized NSC Training Center. For quality control purposes and to ensure compliance with EMSA regulations, the policies in this bulletin are effective immediately.

The ILCOR First Aid Task Force did not identify the administration of naloxone as a first aid measure to be evaluated. Evidence reviews for 22 active first aid questions and reviews (and subsequent treatment recommendations) had to have been completed by the end of January 2015 to be included in the 2015 Guidelines.

At a recent First Aid Task Force meeting in Chicago, we learned that evidence on this topic is being reviewed by the Advanced Life Support Task Force. This Task Force will be making a treatment recommendation based on this evidence in 2015.

Instructors should be aware of a minor change across all programs regarding risk factors that may cause rescuers to suspect a spinal injury. Previously, program materials identified “victims 65 or older,” and “children over the age of 2 with trauma to the head or neck” as potential triggers to suspect spinal injury. These two statements have been removed. The rationale behind this change is that rescuers providing care to any victim with trauma to the head and/or neck should suspect a possible spine injury.

When the California EMS Authority re-approved NSC Pediatric First Aid, CPR & AED course, it required NSC to modify some materials. In tick bites and bee/wasp stings, NSC deleted a step or bullet point. In cleaning wounds, NSC reworded a step to reflect a California-mandated procedure. In the asthma segment, NSC added material from the EMS Authority’s Inhaled Medications Training. These changes were rolled into our textbook revision in 2016. You may use textbooks you already have provided you include these modifications and supply your students with a copy of the Injected Medications Training content.

• EMSA Textbook & Instructor Manual
• Training Curriculum

This link will provide you with the Instructor Manual pages for Pediatric that will be used to teach the supplement in California and Lousiana. 

View Supplement

• When it comes to First Aid training, inexpensive and easy to make props provide realism to the classroom. An example of this would be the use of a “Halloween” scar-kit and fake-blood to care for lacerations, as well as the proper use of PPE. Purchasing inexpensive button-down shirts from a thrift store can ensure your student’s clothing remains clean, but still provide the realism to allow for proper bandaging and actual use of BSI.
• To simulate chemical burns, an inexpensive scar-tissue kit and a little bit of flour, can have dramatic effect and reinforce the importance of proper care for chemical burns.
• For more advanced classes, when teaching avulsions and amputations, using a set of old work gloves, fake blood, and a “severed” hotdog as a finger, will allow students to prepare visually for more significant injuries, as well as actually performing proper procedures for caring for amputations.

• Avoid speaking when students are writing in their workbooks. Wait until they have finished writing and then begin to speak.
• Before answering a student’s question, repeat or rephrase the question. This is especially helpful if the question comes from the back of the room or if the student speaks in a soft voice.
• Announce when you are going to read or call attention to something in the workbook or Quick Guide, and reference the page and page location. This allows the students to find and reference it. For example, “Let’s turn to Scenario 2: Chemical Spill, on the top of page 33—I’ll read it for you.” It is usually easier for deaf/HH students to read directly from the source.
• Turn your body towards the deaf/HH student when you speak, and avoid blocking your face with any object. Deaf/HH students use face and lip-reading cues to follow what is being said.
• Watch for expressions of frustration, confusion and inattention. You may have to explain the content in a different way to help the student understand.
• Don’t speak louder than normally or exaggerate your mouth movements. Keep your rate of speech the same as it always is.

• When teaching the first aid course, I ask the participants to bring their own first aid kit to the course, either from their work vehicle or from their home. Then, as we work through the various sessions in the workbook, we review what we could use from the first aid kit to provide basic first aid. If we are near the first aid kit that is provided for everyone in the building, we look to see what contents to use from that kit, as well.
• By having their own first aid kits in the classroom, they 1) get familiar with the contents of their own first aid kit, 2) see what they could use from the kit, and 3) inspect their kit and discard expired items. Too many people don’t really know what they have in their first aid kits!