First Aid Response Study Guide (Ireland) 2026

The First Aid Response (FAR) course

First Aid Response (FAR) is the standard workplace first aid course in Ireland. It replaced the old Occupational First Aid (OFA) course and is recognised by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA). The Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC) sets the standard and publishes the clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) that responders follow.

• The course lasts three days.
• You are assessed with a practical skills assessment and a multiple-choice exam.
• The PHECC FAR certificate is valid for two years.
• You must complete a two-day refresher before it expires.

PHECC updates its guidelines regularly. In 2026 it published new versions of the adult basic life support, burns and asthma guidelines. Always follow the version your course teaches.

Scene safety and the primary survey

1. Make sure the scene is safe and take infection control precautions, such as gloves.
2. Control any catastrophic bleeding straight away.
3. Check responsiveness. If the patient does not respond, call 112 or 999 and check breathing.
4. Open the airway with a head tilt and chin lift. If you suspect a spinal injury, use a jaw thrust.
5. Check breathing and circulation.

When you phone 112 or 999, give clear information: where you are, what happened, how many patients there are and how they are. Stay on the line and follow the instructions you are given.

After the primary survey and any life-saving care, PHECC guidelines include a secondary survey: a calmer, more detailed check for other injuries or illness. Keep reassessing the patient, because their condition can change quickly.

CPR and the AED

When the heart stops (cardiac arrest), blood stops flowing to the brain. Chest compressions push some blood around the body, and rescue breaths add oxygen. An AED can give a shock to restart a normal heart rhythm. The sooner CPR starts and the AED is used, the better the chance of survival.

If an adult is unresponsive and not breathing normally, or only gasping, call 112 or 999, send for an AED and start CPR. Gasping is not normal breathing.

• Push at 100 to 120 per minute.
• Give 30 compressions to 2 breaths. Each breath takes about 1 second.
• Keep hands-off time under 10 seconds.
• If you cannot give breaths, do compression-only CPR.
• Continue until a practitioner takes over or the patient starts to move.

Switch on the AED and follow its prompts. Make sure nobody touches the patient during analysis or a shock, then restart compressions at once.

Choking

If the patient has an effective cough, encourage them to keep coughing. If the cough is ineffective, act at once.

If the patient becomes unresponsive, start CPR and call 112 or 999. After each cycle, open the mouth and look. If you can see the object, make one attempt to remove it. Never sweep blindly.

The recovery position

Use the recovery position for a patient who is unconscious but breathing, and after a seizure has stopped. It keeps the airway clear and lets fluids drain from the mouth. PHECC guidelines also use it after poisoning, heat-related collapse and low blood sugar, when the patient is breathing but not fully alert.

Bleeding, shock and fainting

• Apply direct pressure and a sterile dressing.
• If bleeding continues, add further pressure dressings.
• Raise the limb if possible and prevent chilling.
• Call 112 or 999 if there are signs of shock or the bleeding will not stop.

Tourniquets are used for life-threatening limb bleeding that pressure cannot control. European guidance places them 5 to 7 cm above the wound, not over a joint. Use one only if your course has trained you to.

Heavy bleeding can lead to shock, where the organs do not get enough blood. A patient in shock may be pale, cold and clammy, with a fast pulse and fast breathing, and may become confused. Call 112 or 999, control the bleeding and keep the patient warm.

For fainting, lie the patient down, raise the legs, keep them from getting cold and advise them to see a doctor.

Burns

• Stop the contact with the heat source.
• Cool the burn for at least 15 minutes and watch for hypothermia.
• Remove burnt clothing and jewellery, unless stuck to the skin.
• Leave blisters intact and cover the burn.
• For burns to the face or possible smoke inhalation, call 112 or 999.
• For chemical powder, brush it off, then rinse with water.

Sudden illness

Stroke: FAST

A stroke happens when blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. Fast treatment in hospital can limit the damage, so do not wait to see if the signs improve. Even if the signs go away, the person still needs to go to hospital. Keep the patient comfortable and stay with them until the ambulance arrives.

Cardiac chest pain

Call 112 or 999. A First Aid Responder may give 300 mg of aspirin, dispersed in water or chewed. Do not give it to anyone under 16, or with an active stomach ulcer, a bleeding disorder or a known severe reaction to aspirin.

Asthma

Treat every asthma attack as an emergency until proven otherwise and call 112 or 999. Listen to the patient. Do not lay them down or put your arm around them. Being unable to finish a sentence in one breath, exhaustion, confusion or a blue colour are signs of a life-threatening attack.

Anaphylaxis

Call 112 or 999. Sit the patient half upright if they are struggling to breathe. If they collapse, lie them flat with the legs raised. If they have their own adrenaline auto-injector, it goes into the outer thigh.

Low blood sugar

For a known diabetic who is confused, give a sweetened drink, wait 5 minutes and reassess. If there is no improvement, call 112 or 999. If they improve, advise a carbohydrate meal, such as a sandwich.

Seizures and poisoning

During a seizure, protect the patient from harm and support the head. Once it stops, use the recovery position. For poisoning, make sure the scene is safe, call 112 or 999, and keep any container or packet for the ambulance crew.

Heat, cold, water and injuries

• Heat: move the patient out of the heat, give cool fluids if alert, and cool them by removing clothing, fanning or tepid sponging.
• Hypothermia: handle gently and do not let them walk. Remove wet clothing and wrap them in dry blankets with an outer insulating layer. Give hot sweet drinks if they are alert and can swallow.
• Drowning: remove the patient from the water only if it is safe, horizontally if possible. Start CPR if needed. Anyone rescued from the water should go to the emergency department, however well they seem.
• Spinal injury: if in doubt, treat it as a spinal injury. Encourage the patient to keep still; do not forcibly restrain them.
• Limb injury: support or splint it in the position found and use Rest, Cooling, Compression, Elevation.

Putting it together: worked examples

The multiple-choice exam often describes a short scene and asks what you should do next. Work through the primary survey in order, and deal with the most serious problem first. These examples show how.

A colleague collapses in the canteen

1. Check the scene is safe and put on gloves if you have them.
2. Look for catastrophic bleeding. There is none.
3. Check responsiveness. The patient does not respond, so call 112 or 999 and ask someone to bring the AED.
4. Open the airway with a head tilt and chin lift and check breathing.
5. The patient is only gasping. This is not normal breathing, so start CPR at 30:2 and attach the AED as soon as it arrives.

A worker is burned by hot water

Stop the contact with the hot water. Cool the burn with cool running water for at least 15 minutes, and keep the rest of the patient warm so they do not get too cold. Remove watches or rings near the burn unless they are stuck. Leave any blisters alone and cover the burn. If the face is burned, or the patient may have breathed in steam or smoke, call 112 or 999.

A visitor with diabetes is confused and sweaty

If they can swallow, give a sweetened drink. Wait 5 minutes and check them again. If they are no better, call 112 or 999. If they improve, advise them to eat a carbohydrate meal, such as a sandwich. Never give food or drink to a patient who cannot swallow safely.

A child chokes on a sweet

If the child is coughing well, encourage them to keep coughing. If the cough is weak or silent, give up to 5 back blows, then up to 5 abdominal thrusts, and repeat. For an infant, use back blows and chest thrusts instead. If the child becomes unresponsive, call 112 or 999 and start CPR, checking the mouth after each cycle.

Key numbers to remember