Community First Aid and Safety

Combines CPR and first aid training to teach participants to recognize and care for breathing and cardiac emergencies in infants, children and adults; perform first aid for cuts, scrapes, bruises, burns, bleeding, sprains and strains; treat sudden illnesses, including poisonings and heat and cold emergencies; minimize the effects of shock; recognize emergencies and take action; and understand the role of AED’s in the Cardiac Chain of Survival. Useful textbook helps students retain skills and serves as a reference tool in an emergency.

CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer

American Red Cross professional rescuer courses are designed for people with a job-related duty to respond in an emergency, including nurses, law enforcement and EMS personnel, fire fighters, business and industry response teams, lifeguards, flight attendants, and others who must take action in emergency situations. Combines participant’s manual, lectures and video with hands-on skills training to cover the following areas: Recognizing and responding to breathing and cardiac emergencies in adults, children and infants; Two-rescuer CPR; Use of body substance isolation precautions to prevent disease transmission; Use of resuscitation and bag-valve masks; Use of an AED for a victim of sudden cardiac arrest.

First Aid Basics

Learn basic skills needed to administer first aid, including how to create a splint, sling, and how to stop excessive bleeding. Other topics covered include how to treat sudden illnesses as well as cold and heat related emergencies. Meets OSHA First Aid Guidelines.

Fundamentals of Instructor Training (F.I.T)

This four-hour course is a prerequisite to all Red Cross instructor specialty courses. It is designed to offer potential Red Cross instructors an opportunity to become familiar with the services of the American Red Cross as well as basic teaching techniques.

First Aid/CPR/AED Instructor

This course prepares interested people to teach Adult, Infant and Child CPR/AED, as well as, First Aid Basics Prerequisites: Must be at least 17 years of age at the completion of the course; must present a Fundamentals of Instructor Training certificate issued within the past year.

Swimming, Water Safety and Lifeguarding Courses

Choose from an exciting new collection of courses offering the best training for staying safe in, on and around the water. Courses incorporate the latest research and instructional techniques that make learning easier.

Standard First Aid and AED

Learn the skills needed to prevent, recognize and provide basic care for injuries and sudden illnesses until advanced medical personnel arrive. This course covers first aid and adult CPR in an approach that complements adult learning styles, featuring hands-on practice and real-life scenarios. Useful take-home course materials help you retain skills and serve as reference tools in an emergency that includes training in using an automated external defibrillator (AED) on a victim of sudden cardiac arrest. Meets OSHA First Aid and ECC Guidelines.

WATER SAFETY TODAY - Birmingham Area Chapter

Designed to help increase safety wherever and whenever water sports are enjoyed, American Red Cross Water Safety Today teaches easy-to-remember safety tips for pools, spas, water parks, lakes, rivers, oceans and more. This course is ideal for parents, the general public, youth in grades 4-12, youth organizations and people who participate in activities in and around the water, such as camp staff and campers. The purpose of this course is to teach individuals how to recognize, prevent, and respond to emergencies in, on or around the water.

Other Water Safety Courses

Red Cross swimming and water safety programs including learn-to-swim, life guarding, water safety instructor training and other programs are offered by many Red Cross authorized providers throughout the area. Please contact an authorized provider near you for more information.

Babysitter’s Training

If you’re 11 to 15 years old, you can get the knowledge, skills and confidence to care for infants and school-age children. Combining video, activities, hands-on skills training and discussion for a complete learning experience, Babysitter’s Training shows you how to: Respond to emergencies and illnesses with first aid, rescue breathing and other appropriate care; Make decisions under pressure; Communicate with parents to learn household rules; Recognize safety and hygiene issues; Manage young children; Feed, diaper and care for infants.
Please contact an authorized provider near you for more information.

HIV/AIDS Starter Facts

This class covers information about HIV/ AIDS including transmission, prevention, health care, social issues and demonstrates ways of presenting those facts within your community, organization and/or workplace.

Basic HIV/AIDS Education & Prevention Instructor Course

This course is designed to train individuals to share facts about HIV and AIDS. Participants will learn teaching strategies; undergo training in facts, and the psychosocial issues. Prerequisites for the course include: Must be 17 years of age at the completion of the course; Fundamentals of Instructor Training certificate issued within the past 12 months or be an authorized American Red Cross Instructor for another course and must possess a current HIV/AIDS Starter Facts Certificate (Candidates can challenge the Starter Facts course by passing the HIV/AIDS Facts Test).

African American HIV/AIDS Education & Prevention Instructor Course

This course is designed to help with the facilitation skills that are sensitive to the oral traditions and language of African Americans, especially young people. It provides a culturally specific overview of HIV/AIDS issues and helps to provide sound, reality-based information that will enhance decision-making skills and support self-protective behaviors. Prerequisites for the course include: Must be 17 years of age at the completion of the course; Fundamentals of Instructor Training certificate issued within the past 12 months or be an authorized American Red Cross Instructor for another course and must possess a current HIV/AIDS Starter Facts Certificate (Candidates can challenge the Starter Facts course by passing the HIV/AIDS Facts Test).

Pet First Aid

Your pet depends on you for his or her well-being. Whether your pet becomes ill or injured, or needs help in a disaster, the American Red Cross and the Greater Birmingham Humane Society can help. Our Pet First Aid class teaches you emergency care procedures for cats and dogs, and provides tips for keeping your pet happy and healthy too.

Wilderness First Aid Basics

The 16-hour Wilderness First Aid course is a full-day course for those who work, live or play in remote areas – away from the usual EMS service. Even though the emergency workers near these areas may be trained to search for and rescue those in need, there may be a delay in the notification of assistance, the time required to get to the patient, or in moving the patient to more advanced treatment.

Blended Learning

Blended Learning is an online program designed to prepare individuals to respond to life-threatening emergencies through a combination of online (Web-based) lessons and traditional instructor-led training. Blended Learning students complete the knowledge portion online at their own pace and convenience, then participat e in a short approximately 2 hour instructor-led session where they practice skills and demonstrate their competence. Courses available online: Adult, Child, Infant CPR, AED Training, and First Aid Training.

Introduction to Disaster Services

This online course provides an overview of our history, mission, values, key services, organization structure, our commitments and other valuable information to give you background knowledge and understanding of the organization. This self-study course will introduce American Red Cross Disaster Services and allow you to discover how volunteers support this critical mission and to explore ways they can become involved in a local chapter.
Click here to take the online course: (LINK)

Fulfilling Our Mission

Participants will be able to assess how to use their skills and abilities to strengthen the capacity of both the community and the Red Cross to better serve people affected by disaster.  They will understand the mission of the Red Cross, the principles and values that support the mission, and the expected behaviors of Red Cross volunteers and employees as they conduct the mission.  This course essentially functions as a disaster services introduction.

Fundamentals of Staff Services

This is an online course that will prepare Red Cross volunteers to work with the Staff Services function where they will help coordinate volunteer deployment and personnel needs.  This course can be taken at the chapter by appointment or through a scheduled time.

Mass Care

Prepares participants to provide immediate and identifiable feeding and sheltering activities on a chapter-administered relief operation and to initiate those activities on larger relief operations.

ARCHIE (American Red Cross Helps In Emergencies)

This purpose of this course is to prepare volunteers to participate in the Birmingham Area Chapter’s single family fire response program.   Participants will be taught how to provide basic on-scene aid to families who are displaced or affected by a fire in their homes or apartments.

Fundamentals of Disaster Assessment

Provides an overview of the new and revised concepts, procedures, tools and resources contained in the recently released Disaster Assessment document. This course in conjunction with the online portion will enable chapter disaster leadership and Disaster Assessment workers to begin to incorporate these concepts into planning, training and response activities.

Client Casework: Providing Emergency Assistance (formerly Family Services)

This course helps participants to develop interviewing skills, knowledge, attitudes, and relationships necessary to meet the disaster caused needs of individuals and their families. It will enable you to explain and provide Red Cross emergency disaster assistance to clients, use the basic forms and tools needed to assist clients, demonstrate the skills needed to perform a quality interview with a client, demonstrate appropriate use of resources and referrals, and describe the assignment setting in which emergency assistance interviews are performed.

Logistics: An Overview

The purpose of this course is to provide basic information about the activities and processes of Material Support Services activities in support of an American Red Cross disaster relief operation which include providing facilities, vehicles, and supplies. Participants will learn about the skills, abilities, and knowledge needed by Material Support Services workers and how they can get started in their local chapter.

Foundations of Disaster Mental Health

The purpose of this basic level Disaster Services training is to prepare licensed mental health professionals to provide for and respond to the psychological needs of people across the continuum of disaster preparedness, response and recovery.

ERV: Ready, Set, Roll  (Emergency Response Vehicle Driver Training)

This purpose of this course is to introduce participants to the exterior and interior operating parts of the Emergency Response Vehicle and will certify them to be ERV crew members upon successful completion of the road test. Enrollment is limited.

Self-Sufficient Shelter Orientation

This course is offered for churches or other organizations who are seeking to become an American Red Cross self-sufficient shelter.  The organization is encouraged to bring any members who would play a role in administering a shelter in its facility.  This course is also offered to for shelter teams who need new members trained or would like to have a refresher course.  The goals of this course are to give organizations the tools they need in order to operate as a shelter with minimal Red Cross support.

FEMA courses of interest

Introduction to Incident Command System, I-100 National Incident Management System (NIMS): An Introduction - IS-700 There are other courses that you might find helpful on this site as well.  These courses are free of charge and offer training in many areas.

Basic HIV/AIDS Education & Prevention Instructor Course

This course is designed to train individuals to share facts about HIV and AIDS. Participants will learn teaching strategies; undergo training in facts, and the psychosocial issues. Prerequisites for the course include: Must be 17 years of age at the completion of the course; Fundamentals of Instructor Training certificate issued within the past 12 months or be an authorized American Red Cross Instructor for another course and must possess a current HIV/AIDS Starter Facts Certificate (Candidates can challenge the Starter Facts course by passing the HIV/AIDS Facts Test).

African American HIV/AIDS Education & Prevention Instructor Course

This course is designed to help with the facilitation skills that are sensitive to the oral traditions and language of African Americans, especially young people. It provides a culturally specific overview of HIV/AIDS issues and helps to provide sound, reality-based information that will enhance decision-making skills and support self-protective behaviors. Prerequisites for the course include: Must be 17 years of age at the completion of the course; Fundamentals of Instructor Training certificate issued within the past 12 months or be an authorized American Red Cross Instructor for another course and must possess a current HIV/AIDS Starter Facts Certificate (Candidates can challenge the Starter Facts course by passing the HIV/AIDS Facts Test).

Pet First Aid

Your pet depends on you for his or her well-being. Whether your pet becomes ill or injured, or needs help in a disaster, the American Red Cross and the Greater Birmingham Humane Society can help. Our Pet First Aid class teaches you emergency care procedures for cats and dogs, and provides tips for keeping your pet happy and healthy too.

Wilderness First Aid Basics

The 16-hour Wilderness First Aid course is a full-day course for those who work, live or play in remote areas – away from the usual EMS service. Even though the emergency workers near these areas may be trained to search for and rescue those in need, there may be a delay in the notification of assistance, the time required to get to the patient, or in moving the patient to more advanced treatment.

Wilderness First Aid Basics

The 16-hour Wilderness First Aid course is a full-day course for those who work, live or play in remote areas – away from the usual EMS service. Even though the emergency workers near these areas may be trained to search for and rescue those in need, there may be a delay in the notification of assistance, the time required to get to the patient, or in moving the patient to more advanced treatment.