Get Certified in First Aid & CPR with Coast2Coast First Aid
Fast, recognized and nationwide. Trusted by 200,000+ Canadians for Canadian Red Cross certified First Aid, CPR/AED Level C and Basic Life Support training at 47 locations across Canada.
Available Locations Near You
Choose Your Training Pathway
Four routes into certification, from a first workplace ticket through to instructor training.
First Aid & CPR
First Aid, CPR and automated external defibrillator certification for workplaces and individuals, blended or fully in class.
View First Aid & CPR ↗
Basic Life Support
Advanced CPR for healthcare professionals and clinical responders. In class only, renewed annually.
View BLS courses ↗
Professional Responder
First Responder and Emergency Medical Responder training for emergency-service career pathways.
Explore responder training ↗
Instructor Training
Become a certified instructor and learn to deliver First Aid and CPR training programs.
Explore instructor training ↗Canadian Red Cross certification
Safety training courses in Canada
Coast2Coast First Aid offers a wide range of safety training courses to help individuals and organisations across Canada meet regulatory standards and be prepared for emergencies. Most workplaces require Standard First Aid with CPR/AED Level C; healthcare roles require Basic Life Support, renewed annually. Receive your Canadian Red Cross certification in class or through blended classes that combine online theory with hands-on learning — every course includes automated external defibrillator training, a certificate within 48 hours, and a free 90-day skills practice retake.
Most popular
Intermediate/Standard First Aid & CPR/AED Level C
Our most popular first aid training course. Complete this 16-hour training and learn more life-saving skills than a Basic/Emergency First Aid course — head and spinal injuries, bone and joint injuries, bleeding control and environmental emergencies on top of full CPR/AED Level C.
- Best for
- Construction, trades, manufacturing, warehousing, schools, camps, childcare — anyone whose employer says "WSIB approved"
- Format
- 16 hours · blended (8h online + 8h in class) or full in class
- Valid
- 3 years · recertifiable once
- Prereqs
- None · meets most workplace requirements
16 hoursCertificate in 48 hours
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One day
Basic/Emergency First Aid & CPR/AED Level C
This 8-hour training provides students with an overview of first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Learn to recognise, prevent and respond to emergencies, with the same CPR/AED Level C content as the 16-hour course.
- Best for
- Offices, retail, hospitality, personal safety, lower-risk job requirements
- Format
- 8 hours · blended (4h online + 4h in class)
- Valid
- 3 years · not recertifiable in Ontario
- Prereqs
- None
8 hoursCertificate in 48 hours
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Half day
CPR/AED Level C
Our CPR/AED Level C training provides students with the same skills as CPR/AED Level A, and also includes how to assist child and infant victims. The one course you can recertify without limit.
- Best for
- Parents, caregivers, coaches, fitness staff, anyone renewing CPR only
- Format
- 6 hours · blended (2–3h online + 4h in class)
- Valid
- 3 years · recertifiable without limit
- Prereqs
- None · valid certificate needed to recertify
6 hoursCertificate in 48 hours
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Healthcare standard
Basic Life Support (BLS-Level HCP)
If you are a healthcare professional in Canada, you likely require BLS certification. Learn skills that prepare you to work in a fast-paced environment such as a hospital — high-performance CPR, two-rescuer technique, bag-valve-mask ventilation and opioid overdose response. Basic Life Support replaced CPR-HCP in April 2019.
- Best for
- Nurses, PSWs, dental teams, paramedics, respiratory therapists, medical and nursing students
- Format
- 4 hours in class · morning, afternoon and evening sittings
- Valid
- 1 year · annual renewal required
- Prereqs
- None
4 hoursRenew every 12 months
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2 hours
Airway Management & Oxygen Therapy
A 2-hour intensive training designed for healthcare professionals to create and maintain airways as well as safely administer supplemental oxygen. Most students add it to the same day as Basic Life Support.
- Best for
- Clinical staff, paramedics, dental teams, industrial medics
- Format
- 2 hours in class · stackable with BLS
- Valid
- 3 years · even when taken alongside BLS
- Prereqs
- None
2 hoursAdd-on to BLS · valid 3 years
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40 hours
First Responder (FR)
An advanced 40-hour training designed for those in first responder roles. Learn skills ranging from teamwork to caring for head and spinal injuries and circulation emergencies. Training is heavily scenario-based so you practise your skills rather than watch them.
- Best for
- Security, industrial response teams, ski patrol, campus response, fire and police applicants
- Format
- 40 hours · 4 days in class, hands-on scenarios
- Valid
- 3 years · recertifiable
- Prereqs
- None
40 hoursMeets Ontario licensing
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Career track
Emergency Medical Responder (EMR)
Our most advanced course for first responders. Complete 80 hours of training and learn all material taught in our FR course, as well as topics like patient transportation and multiple-casualty incidents. The highest pre-hospital credential below paramedic.
- Best for
- Paramedicine applicants, firefighters, police recruits, industrial medics
- Format
- 80 hours · 8 days in class, 8am–6pm, hands-on
- Valid
- 3 years · recertifiable without limit in 4 days
- Prereqs
- None
8 daysPathway to paramedicine
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Upgrade
Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) Upgrade
Want to bring your skills to the next level? First responders may upgrade their certificate to the Emergency Medical Responder course with this training, covering only the material the FR syllabus does not.
- Best for
- Current First Responder certificate holders moving into paramedicine or fire
- Format
- In class · shorter than the full 80-hour EMR
- Valid
- 3 years
- Prereqs
- Current First Responder certification
UpgradeFrom First Responder to EMR
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4 hours
CPR/AED Level C Recertification
These certificates are only valid for three years, so it is important to complete CPR recertification training. Recertify in just 4 hours and refresh your memory and life-saving skills before the certificate lapses.
- Best for
- Anyone holding a valid CPR/AED Level C certificate
- Format
- 4 hours in class
- Valid
- 3 years from the recertification date
- Prereqs
- Unexpired CPR/AED Level C certificate
4 hoursCertificate must be unexpired
Register now
8 hours
Intermediate/Standard First Aid & CPR/AED Level C Recertification
Like CPR-C, this certificate is only valid for three years. Recertifying takes about 8 hours and will ensure your skills stay up to date and your WSIB approved workplace coverage stays unbroken.
- Best for
- Workplace first aiders renewing before expiry
- Format
- 8 hours · one classroom day
- Valid
- 3 years · recertifiable once from an original certificate
- Prereqs
- Unexpired Standard First Aid certificate
8 hoursOnce only, then full course
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Responder
First Responder (FR) Recertification
Our advanced professional responder courses are designed to teach life-saving skills to current first responders, or to those interested in becoming first responders, under Canadian Red Cross guidelines.
- Best for
- Serving first responders renewing a current FR certificate
- Format
- In class · scenario-based
- Valid
- 3 years
- Prereqs
- Unexpired First Responder certificate
2 daysRecertifiable without limit
Register now
4 days
Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) Recertification
Coast2Coast First Aid offers pre-hospital care courses and training to first responders and those providing care in a prehospital setting. All of our training is based on the Canadian Red Cross guidelines.
- Best for
- Paramedic students, industrial medics and responders holding a current EMR
- Format
- 4 days in class
- Valid
- 3 years · recertifiable without limit
- Prereqs
- Unexpired EMR certificate
4 daysRecertifiable without limit
Register now
Groups of 8+
Private/Group First Aid & CPR Training
If you have a group of 8 or more participants, you may be interested in our private/group training option. This is the best way to certify all of your staff or students at once while earning great benefits — we bring instructors, manikins and AED trainers to your site.
- Best for
- Employers certifying a team, multi-site organisations, compliance deadlines, schools and camps
- Format
- Any course, at your location, on your schedule — including evenings and weekends
- Included
- Volume pricing, one consolidated invoice, expiry tracking for your records
- Prereqs
- Minimum 8 participants
Custom quoteFree, no obligation
Register nowRecognized as a Top 3 Canadian Red Cross Training Partner for 2023, 2024, 2025 consecutively.








Award information as communicated by the Canadian Red Cross.
Trusted by Leading Employers Across Canada
Milestones
From one Toronto classroom to 47 facilities
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2014
Founded in Toronto
Coast2Coast First Aid opens its first facility and begins delivering first aid, CPR/AED and Basic Life Support training in Ontario, built around a blended model that moves theory online so classroom time goes to hands-on practice.
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2015 – 2022
Growth across Canada
The network reaches 50+ service areas and 47 physical locations across Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia. Volume passes 100+ scheduled courses and 1,000+ students every week, and cumulative certifications pass 200,000.
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2023 – 2025
Top 3 Canadian Red Cross Training Partner
The Canadian Red Cross names Coast2Coast First Aid a Top 3 training partner for three consecutive years, alongside the National First Aid & CPR Provider and National Professional Responder Provider awards in each of those years.
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2025
Expansion into the United States
Coast2Coast First Aid & Safety launches in California, delivering American Red Cross and American Heart Association programs that meet OSHA workplace requirements in Los Angeles and Long Beach.
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2026
Original research and Coasty
We publish the Canada First Aid Knowledge Gap Report from 20,000+ marked student exams, and release Coasty, our AI study tutor, so learners can revise between the online theory and the in-class skills session.
About Us
Coast2Coast First Aid & Aquatics is a leading provider of First Aid, CPR, Basic Life Support and Professional Responder training in Canada. Our courses are WSIB and OHS approved through the Canadian Red Cross.
Founded in Toronto in 2014, we now train at 47 locations across Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia, and deliver private group training at workplaces anywhere in Canada.
Why CPR Training Matters
Most cardiac arrests happen at home or at work. Whether someone survives often depends on the person standing next to them.
Minutes decide the outcome
When breathing stops, whether through drowning, choking, or trauma, an ambulance rarely arrives within the few minutes that matter most. CPR keeps oxygenated blood moving to the brain until help arrives, and permanent brain damage can begin within four to six minutes without it.
What CPR actually is
CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, given when a person is not breathing or not breathing normally. Our courses teach it hands-on, with practice on CPR feedback manikins in adult, child, and infant sizes and on automated external defibrillator trainers.
Which level of First Aid should you take?
We offer three levels, and the right one is usually set by your employer, school program, or regulatory college:
- Basic/Emergency First Aid with CPR/AED Level C, a one-day course for lower-risk workplaces and most licence requirements
- Intermediate/Standard First Aid with CPR/AED Level C, the 16-hour course most Canadian workplaces require
- Marine Basic First Aid with CPR/AED Level C, for marine and offshore roles
If you are not sure which applies, our course selection guide maps more than 50 occupations to the certification each one needs.
Real Reviews From Real Students
4.9 stars from more than 22,000 Google reviews across our Canadian locations.
Direct answers
First aid and CPR questions, answered
What level of First Aid should I take for my job in Canada?
Most Canadian workplaces require Standard First Aid with CPR/AED Level C, the 16-hour certification recognised by WSIB in Ontario, OHS in Alberta and WCB in Nova Scotia. Lower-risk offices and retail settings are often covered by the 8-hour Emergency First Aid course. Healthcare workers need Basic Life Support instead, renewed every year. Enter your occupation in the course finder at the top of this page and we will name the exact certification your role requires.
Why is CPR training important?
When a person stops breathing after drowning, suffocation, cardiac arrest or physical trauma, an ambulance will rarely reach them inside the few minutes that decide the outcome. Bystander CPR keeps oxygenated blood moving to the brain until paramedics arrive, and survival falls sharply for every minute nobody starts compressions. Our first aid and CPR training gives you the confidence to act in the situations where every second counts.
How long does a Canadian Red Cross CPR certification last?
Canadian Red Cross first aid and CPR certificates are valid for three years from the date you pass. Basic Life Support is the exception: it expires after one year and healthcare employers audit it annually. Airway Management and Oxygen Therapy holds a three-year validity even when taken alongside BLS. Book your renewal at least three weeks before the expiry date, because an expired certificate means retaking the full course.
What is the difference between blended and in-class first aid training?
Blended learning splits the course in two. You complete the theory online at your own pace on any device, then attend a shorter in-person session that is entirely hands-on practice with manikins and AED trainers. Traditional in-class covers the same material in one continuous session. Both award the identical Canadian Red Cross certificate and both satisfy WSIB and OHS requirements. Blended students spend more of their classroom time on chest compressions rather than watching slides.
Are Coast2Coast First Aid courses WSIB approved and OHS approved?
Yes. Coast2Coast First Aid is an approved first aid training provider under WSIB in Ontario, Alberta Occupational Health and Safety, and Nova Scotia WCB, and our United States programs meet OSHA requirements through American Red Cross and American Heart Association authorisation. Our Ontario courses satisfy Regulation 1101, which requires designated trained first aiders on every shift. We are also aligning our curriculum to CSA Z1210:24 ahead of the WSIB First Aid Program update taking effect 22 June 2026.
How fast will I get my first aid certificate?
Digital certificates arrive within 48 hours of your successful skills evaluation, and most students receive theirs the same or next business day. The typical industry turnaround is ten business days. You need a minimum 75% grade and full attendance to qualify. Your certificate is issued directly by the Canadian Red Cross, so any employer or regulator can verify it.
Do you offer group or on-site training for employers?
Yes. We deliver first aid, CPR/AED and Basic Life Support at your workplace for groups of eight or more, anywhere we operate in Canada. Employers including Loblaws, Tim Hortons, Toronto Police Service, Canadian Pacific Railway and Goodwill book with us, and we schedule around shift patterns including evenings and weekends. Volume pricing, consolidated invoicing and compliance tracking are included. Call 1-866-291-9121 for a quote.
Is BLS the same as CPR-HCP?
Basic Life Support replaced CPR-HCP as the Canadian Red Cross healthcare standard in April 2019, so a request for CPR-HCP is now filled by BLS. BLS runs four hours fully in class and covers two-rescuer CPR, bag-valve-mask ventilation, team dynamics and opioid overdose response. Nurses, dental professionals, paramedics and clinical students take BLS and renew it annually. Non-clinical staff should take Standard First Aid with CPR/AED Level C instead.
Where does Coast2Coast First Aid offer first aid training in Canada?
We run 100+ scheduled courses every week from 47 training facilities and serve 50+ areas across Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia, plus Los Angeles and Long Beach in California. Ontario coverage includes Toronto, Scarborough, Mississauga, Markham, Vaughan, Brampton, Ottawa, Hamilton, London and Kitchener. Enter a postal code in the course finder to see the closest facility and its next available dates.
How does Mobile Swimming work?
We send an experienced swimming instructor to your own pool anywhere in the Greater Toronto Area, so lessons happen in water your swimmer already knows rather than a crowded public facility. Programs run from first-time water confidence through stroke development for children and adults, and lessons are scheduled around your household rather than a fixed municipal timetable. Contact us with your postal code and preferred times and we will match an instructor to you.
What is Coast2Coast First Aid?
Coast2Coast First Aid & Aquatics is a Canadian first aid, CPR/AED and Basic Life Support training organisation founded in Toronto in 2014. It is a Canadian Red Cross Training Partner and a Heart & Stroke accredited trainer, and it has certified more than 200,000 students. Training runs at 47 physical locations across 50+ service areas in Canada, plus Los Angeles and Long Beach in California.
When was Coast2Coast First Aid founded?
Coast2Coast First Aid was founded in Toronto, Ontario in 2014 by Ashkon Pour-heidary and Aryan Sekhavati, and has been in operation for more than ten years. It began as a single Toronto facility and now runs 100+ scheduled courses every week across Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia. The legal entity is Coast2Coast First Aid & Aquatics Inc., with its head office at 180 Steeles Avenue West, Unit 225, Vaughan, Ontario.
Is Coast2Coast First Aid a Canadian Red Cross Training Partner?
Yes. Coast2Coast First Aid is a Canadian Red Cross Training Partner and has been recognised as a Top 3 Canadian Red Cross Training Partner in 2023, 2024 and 2025. It is also a Heart & Stroke accredited trainer, an authorised Red Cross Instructor Development Partner, and an American Red Cross and American Heart Association partner in the United States.
How many people has Coast2Coast First Aid trained, and how is it rated?
Coast2Coast First Aid has certified more than 200,000 students since 2014 and trains over 1,000 students every week across 50+ service areas and 47 physical locations. It holds a 99.9% student success rate and a 4.9-star rating from 21,000+ company-wide Google reviews. Courses are taught by 50+ active Red Cross certified instructors, many of them registered nurses, paramedics and physicians.
What is Coasty?
Coasty is the Coast2Coast First Aid AI study tutor. It answers first aid, CPR and Basic Life Support questions in plain language, and it helps you work out which certification your role needs and find a class near you. Students use it to revise between the online theory and the in-class skills session, which is where most of the material is forgotten.
Ready to Get Certified?
Canadian Red Cross certified First Aid, CPR and BLS training from a Top 3 Canadian Red Cross Training Partner. 100+ courses every week at 47 locations.