Humanitarian Academy

First aid

First Aid in Humanitarian Settings: Life-Saving Actions and Field Emergencies

Assessment, alert, resuscitation, bleeding, burns, heat and triage: the life-saving actions for places where the hospital is far away.

  • 4 days · 24 hours
  • 3 levels · 3 certificates
  • 3 scenarios
  • Verifiable certificate
Start the course
  • Free, unlimited access
  • 4 one-day modules
  • 3 scenarios and 12 quiz questions
  • 3 graded case studies and 3 exams
  • Certificate in your name, verifiable online

What you will learn

  • Secure a scene, protect yourself, assess a casualty and give a complete alert.
  • Perform life-saving actions: cardiopulmonary resuscitation, defibrillator, recovery position, relieving choking, direct pressure and tourniquet.
  • Manage common field emergencies and provide psychological first aid.

Course information

Level
Beginner → Intermediate → Advanced (one certificate per level)
Study time
24 hours over 4 days (lessons, case studies, exercises)
Format
Online, at your own pace, free and unlimited access
Assessment
Per level: graded case study + 20-question exam (30 to 40 min, pass marks 70%, 75% and 80%)
Credential
Named, numbered certificate of achievement, verifiable online (QR code)
Reference frameworks
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) · WHO, War Trauma Foundation, World Vision International · WHO and ICRC

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A 3-level certification pathway

Progress from Beginner to Advanced. Each level ends with a graded case study and a timed exam, and leads to its own verifiable certificate.

Level 1Beginner

Exam: 20 questions · 30 min · 70% to pass

Beginner certificate

By the end of this level, you will be able to:
  • Secure a scene and protect yourself from infection.
  • Assess a casualty and give a complete alert.
  • Place a casualty in the recovery position.
  1. Day1Safety, assessment and alertThe first aider's role: protect, alert, assist · Securing the scene and protecting yourself · Assessment: response, airway, breathing · Calling for help: a clear and complete message · The professional framework: standards, duty of care and the first aider's limits · The full assessment step by step: primary survey, secondary survey and monitoring · Alerting, MEDEVAC and CASEVAC: building the field chain of care · Worked example: road traffic accident on an isolated track · Reusable tools: checklists and field sheets · Common mistakes, contextual variations and what auditors look for · Interview questions and key references Scenario: The worker who fell from the scaffolding
  2. Graded case study : Accident on the mission road Rural track, 90 minutes from the nearest health post · 20 questions including a case study · 70% to pass
Level 2Intermediate

Exam: 20 questions · 30 min · 75% to pass

Intermediate certificate · Opens after the Beginner certificate

By the end of this level, you will be able to:
  • Perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation and use a defibrillator.
  • Stop severe bleeding (pressure, tourniquet) and recognise shock.
  • Manage burns, fractures, heatstroke, dehydration and bites.
  1. Day2Life-threatening emergencies: cardiac arrest, choking, bleedingCardiac arrest: cardiopulmonary resuscitation · The defibrillator and the recovery position · Choking: clearing the airway · Severe bleeding and shock · The chain of survival and high-quality CPR: what really makes the difference · Team resuscitation and defibrillation: roles, timing and special circumstances · Choking and bleeding: detailed techniques and points of vigilance · Worked example: cardiac arrest on the premises of a field office · Tools: kit contents, CPR card and equipment checks · Common mistakes, contextual variations and what assessors expect · Interview questions and key references Scenario: Cardiac arrest in the meeting
  2. Day3Injuries, environment and psychological first aidBurns, wounds and fractures · Heat, cold and dehydration · Bites, stings, seizures and sudden illness · Psychological first aid · Trauma in detail: burns, wounds, head, spine and limbs · Environmental and medical emergencies: heat, cold, dehydration, bites, poisoning · Psychological first aid in practice: method, communication and limits · Worked example: a distribution day in extreme heat · Tools, common mistakes and contextual variations · Interview questions and key references Scenario: A day at 43 °C
  3. Graded case study : Emergencies at the distribution site Displacement site, distribution day, extreme heat · 20 questions including a case study · 75% to pass
Level 3Advanced

Exam: 20 questions · 40 min · 80% to pass

Advanced certificate · Opens after the Intermediate certificate

By the end of this level, you will be able to:
  • Organise the response to a mass casualty incident (START triage).
  • Manage war wounds while awaiting evacuation.
  • Provide psychological first aid and protect the team after the event.
  1. Day4Advanced module Mass casualties, triage and war woundsMass casualty incident: organise before treating · START triage · War wounds while awaiting evacuation · After the event: the team and the witnesses · Preparing a mass casualty plan: organisation, zones and roles · Triage in practice: START, re-triage and other methods · Weapon and blast injuries: detailed management until evacuation · Worked example: explosion at Doran market · After the event: staff support, lessons learned and tools · Interview questions and key references
  2. Graded case study : Explosion at the market Town in a conflict zone, central market · 20 questions including a case study · 80% to pass

Who is it for?

All humanitarian staff, especially in remote postings: field teams, drivers, logisticians, guards, community mobilisers, security focal points and volunteers.

The certificate

With at least 70% correct answers in the final assessment, you receive a certificate in your name, with a unique code that recruiters can verify on Humanitaires Jobs. A free Humanitarian Network account is required.

Key concepts

The vocabulary you need to master for this course and the exam.

Assessment
Ordered check of a casualty: response, catastrophic bleeding, airway, breathing.
CPR
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation: chest compressions, with or without rescue breaths.
AED
Automated external defibrillator, which analyses the heart rhythm and delivers a shock if needed.
Recovery position
Side position for an unconscious casualty who is breathing.
Tourniquet
Tight band above a limb wound to stop catastrophic bleeding.
Shock
Circulatory failure, often after bleeding.
ORS
Oral rehydration salts against dehydration.
PEP
Post-exposure prophylaxis, to be started within 72 hours of exposure to blood.
START triage
Rapid method for sorting casualties into green, yellow, red and black.
Psychological first aid
Humane, practical support: look, listen, link.

References and recommended reading

The official texts and sector reference works on which the course is based.

  1. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) (2020). International First Aid, Resuscitation, and Education Guidelines. www.ifrc.org/document/international-first-aid-resuscitation-and-education-guidelines
  2. WHO, War Trauma Foundation, World Vision International (2011). Psychological first aid: guide for field workers. www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241548205
  3. WHO and ICRC (2018). Basic Emergency Care: approach to the acutely ill and injured. www.who.int/publications/i/item/basic-emergency-care-approach-to-the-acutely-ill-and-injured
  4. International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) (2006). First aid in armed conflicts and other situations of violence. shop.icrc.org