Emergency First Aid at Work +Forestry | Blended Learning

Emergency First Aid at Work +F (EFAW+F): Blended Learning

The same EFAW+F qualification, in a format built around how forestry and land-based teams actually work.

Our EFAW+F face-to-face course covers the complete Emergency First Aid at Work syllabus, plus the additional content Forestry England requires for low-risk activities on its land. This blended learning version delivers the identical qualification. It has the same syllabus, the same assessment standard and the same certificate options, split across 2 hours of online pre-learning and a single 6-hour classroom day.

For teams managing seasonal contracts, working across dispersed sites, or travelling some distance to a training venue, this format reduces time away from site without reducing the standard of training. The online pre-learning covers the theory. The classroom day is dedicated entirely to practical skills, scenario work and assessment.

Is EFAW+F the right course? EFAW+F is for low-risk activities on Forestry England land, such as work by contractors and deer stalkers, and for anyone not undertaking the Commission’s defined “core operations” (harvesting, civil engineering, mechanised ground preparation, planting, fencing, pesticide application, and forest nursery activities). If your role involves core operations, you need the 3-day FAW+F course instead.

Driver CPC note: Chris Garland Training does not deliver Driver CPC training. Attending this course does not count towards the Forest Haulage Safety for Professional Driver Certificate of Professional Competence.

How the Course Works

Online pre-learning (2 hours, self-paced)

This covers the underpinning theory: legislation, the role of the first aider, basic anatomy and physiology, and the additional Forestry Commission context. You complete this before your classroom day, on any device.

Classroom day (6 hours)

This covers all practical skills, scenario work and assessment. It includes the core EFAW syllabus and the Forestry Commission’s additional elements for low-risk forestry environments: recognising hypothermia and hyperthermia, managing catastrophic bleeding with tourniquets and haemostatic agents, adder bites, anaphylaxis, crush injuries, and Lyme disease.

Course Details

Course syllabus includes:

Note: The Emergency First Aid at Work course syllabus is set by the Health and Safety Executive. However, as a result of the European Resuscitation Guidelines 2025 and the UK’s Resuscitation Council 2025 guidelines coming into effect from January 2026, the course syllabus requirements of the HSE & Forestry Commission are also likely to change during 2026. If and when they do, our course syllabus will be updated accordingly.

• Health & Safety legislation with regards to first aid
• Understanding the role & responsibility of the first-aider, including:
  • managing incidents
  • gathering & using available equipment
  • the importance of preventing cross infection
  • the need for recording incidents and actions
• First aid kits & their contents
• How to assess an emergency situation in order to act safely, promptly and effectively
• Recognising & administering first aid to a casualty who is/has;
  • unresponsive & breathing normally (recovery position)
  • unresponsive & not breathing normally (CPR & use of Defibrillator)
  • the difference between a heart attack and a cardiac arrest
  • choking
  • wounded and bleeding
  • small cuts, grazes and bruises
  • small splinters
  • minor burns and scalds
  • having a seizure
  • suffering medical shock
• Forestry Commission syllabus (PPG59) elements, including;
  • Recognising and treating;
    • extreme cold (hypothermia)
    • extreme heat (hyperthermia)
    • catastrophic bleeding
    • Adder snake bites
    • Anaphylaxis
  • The use of tourniquets and haemostatic agents
  • Crush injuries
  • Lyme disease

Certificate:

• Certified by Chris Garland Training:
  • PDF format certificates are issued as standard, but paper certificates can be requested as well.
  • Your certificate is valid for 3 years.

Course Type:

• Blended Learning:
  • <30% Online pre-learning.
  • >70% Face-to-face training (maximum of 12 learners to 1 instructor).

Course duration:

• The blended learning course includes around 3-4 hours of e-learning that you can dip in and out of before taking an end of course exam.
• The face-to-face session runs from 9am until 3pm.

Test:

• Practical observation:
  • You’ll need to demonstrate giving first aid for forestry workers as you would in an emergency situation, such as providing CPR on the floor.
  • You need to score 100% to achieve a pass.
• Exam:
  • You will also undertake a multiple-choice question paper.
  • The pass mark is 70%.
  • There are 20 questions (14/20 correct to pass).
  • If you require any reasonable adjustments to enable you to undertake your assessments, please discuss these with us before making your booking.

Pre-requisites:

• You’ll need to be able to demonstrate first aid procedures as you would in a real activity environment. This includes providing CPR to a casualty who is on the floor. So you must be physically capable of doing this to pass the course.
• We recommend that you have at least GCSE grade D/Level 1 English & Maths before undertaking this course. This is not mandatory – please contact us to discuss any reasonable adjustments to accommodate your needs.
• The EFAW+F (Blended learning) course is suitable for anyone over 16 looking to undertake the responsibilities associated with being a nominated first aider.

Candidates:

• All classroom courses have a minimum and maximum number of candidates that we can take on a course.
  • Minimum: We need a minimum of 4 candidates on an open/scheduled course for the course to run. Click here for more details.
  • Maximum: We are limited by the Health & Safety Executive, and (where applicable) by the Awarding Organisation, to a maximum of 12 candidates per instructor.
• Should you have more than 12 candidates to be trained, please contact us to discuss your training needs.

Geographical coverage:

• The emergency first aid at work +F (blended learning) course is available to candidates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• We can deliver it in other countries, but the protocols that we teach meet the current UK practice, protocols & guidance.

Venue:

• Scheduled EFAW+F (blended learning) courses run at our training centre in Knutsford, Cheshire.
• Visit our Joining Instructions page to read about what you will need to bring/wear, etc.

Joining instructions:

• Visit this page to read the course joining instructions.

Private courses:

• To arrange a private EFAW+F (blended learning) course for yourself or your colleagues, please fill in our quote request form.

Links:

• Forestry England (aka Forestry Commission) website first aid page.

Prefer Fully Face to Face?

This course is also available as a single full day, delivered entirely in the classroom. View the face-to-face EFAW+F course.