First Aid

First Aid training is an essential part of the Air Cadet training syllabus and is mandatory for all our staff and cadets. This training and knowledge fulfils our obligation to broaden citizenship skills and also equips our people with skills that can be used when things go wrong.

The Cadet Progressive Training syllabus for First Aid is broken down into four levels:

The blue HeartStart Badge is the introduction to First Aid in the Royal Air Force Air Cadets. The award is an initiative coordinated by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to promote and develop Emergency Life Support (ELS). It is achieved during a 2 hour practical training session.

The next step is the Bronze Youth First Aid badge. ​The aim of this award is to provide enhanced first aid training. The qualification is valid for 3-years. The training will be delivered over 12-hours, To gain this award the cadet must have completed the heartstart course. This course is called Youth First Aid, and is usually run over one weekend.

Next is the Silver Activity First Aid badge. ​The aim of this award is to provide comprehensive first aid training. The qualification is equivalent to First Aid at Work. The training will be delivered over 18-hours. To gain this award the cadets must have completed the Youth first aid Course. This course is called Activity First Aid, and is usually run over 2 weekends.

Finally, cadets can achieve the Gold Instructor First Aid badge. This award provides training that will allow a cadet to become an instructor and assessor for Youth First Aid. In order to gain this award the cadet must be 16 years of age, a Master cadet or above, and have achieved their Silver Activity First Aid badge. This course takes place over a week long residential.