BCU (British Canoe Union) First Aid

Aquatic and Outdoor First Aid courses for Clubs, Coaches and Leaders

Paddle Sport coaches and leaders for the BCU (British Canoe Union) and the SCA (Scottish Canoe Association) have to hold a valid first aid certificate to maintain there award.

‘New rules came into force in January 2012 stating that all coaches at Level 3 and above have to hold a ‘2 day’ first aid qualification and those at or below Level 2 are required to attend a specific ‘8 hour’ course (Aquatic First Aid).’

The National School of First Aid Training is on the BCU’s list of approved providers as we are an ITC Approved and regulated first aid course provider.

For instructors, coaches and other outdoor professionals our 2 day Outdoor First Aid course is recommended.
For canoe clubs, the 8 hour Outdoor First Aid course is very popular.

Our outdoor first aid courses all deal with outdoor incident management and improved techniques using items such as buoyancy aids, jackets, gaffer tape, paddles,throw ropes etc.

In-house or public course?

It is much better for you and the relevance of the training you receive for us to come to you and deliver a course at your centre Doing this means we can get to know and fully understand your needs, requirements and concerns, structuring your course around these to give you the best experience possible.

In-house course work out on average 70% cheaper than public courses.
They also have a lot of added benefits for your instructors.

We have a number of public course running throughout the country, please see our course calendar for dates and locations.

Need more details?… Want to know more?…

First aid training/course requirements for British Canoe Union (BCU) awards and paddle instructors have been notoriously complex.

We have a number of different first aid courses that will meet the requirements for your BCU award(s). These courses and qualifications will also meet with other NGB’s first aid requirements for your ‘licence to practice’.

Depending on what award you have, will depend what course you need to complete (as a minimum) to maintain your BCU award. The BCU first aid requirements are based on the length of course, there for we have decided to split the list of approved courses up based on their duration.

British Canoe Union (BCU) First Aid Training Courses

4 Hour Course

Appointed Person Certificate (we have a specific Appointed Persons first aid award, however if this is booked as an in-house course we will contextualise it to BCU/Outdoor requirements and award it as an ‘Appointed Persons Certificate for the Outdoors’)

6+ Hour Courses (from 01/01/2012 this is acceptable for the 1-day requirement):

Emergency First Aid at Work (QCF Level 2)
Emergency First Aid at Work (SCQF Level 5) We offer this qualification as an optional extra with our 2 day (16 hours) ITC Outdoor First Aid Course (SCQF Level 5)

8+ Hour Courses (from 01/01/2012 these are acceptable for 1-day requirement):

Outdoor First Aid Emergency Action (QCF Level 3) (this is a one day (8 hours) course)
ITC Outdoor First Aid (QCF Level 3)
ITC Outdoor First Aid (SCQF Level 5)

(all of these options are formal qualifications not just awards)

2+ Day (Minimum 12 hours) Courses:

ITC Outdoor First Aid (Level 3) (this is seen as a more ‘pure’ outdoor first aid course than the SCQF version as its designed as an Outdoor First Aid qualification from its conception as opposed to being build opon the EFAW as the SCQF one is)
ITC Outdoor First Aid Certificate (SCQF Level 5) (for years this was the ONLY official Outdoor First Aid qualification you could get and was the bench mark for all others, we also offer an optionl extra Emergency First Aid at Work qualification with this one)
ITC Outdoor First Aid Incident Management (this course can be bespoked to your exact requirements and needs and is certificated through our Ofqual and SQA authorised & regulated awarding body)
ITC Advanced Outdoor First Aid (ideally you will already have an OFA qualification)
First Aid at Work (QCF Level 3) (3 day course – we would advise against this course as it does not include some basic water related first aid subjects e.g. Hypothermia!)
First Aid at Work (SCQF Level 6) (3 day course – we would advise against this course as it does not include some basic water related first aid subjects e.g. Hypothermia!)

How do I know if a First Aid course is going to be OK?

Check the length of course required for your Coaching/Leadership qualification
Check if the course appears on the list above, if not/and
1. Ultimately check with the BCU/your centre manager or club chairman
2. Give us a call or drop us an email

Links: Please see the links below for further information (click on the titles):