PHECC First Aid Response (FAR) Course
Phoenix STS is a PHECC Recognised Institution delivering First Aid Response (FAR) training for workplace first aiders in Ireland. The course provides at least 18 contact hours over 3 days, includes Cardiac First Response Community, and leads to a joint PHECC/Phoenix STS digital certificate for learners who pass the practical and written assessments.
What is the PHECC First Aid Response course?
First Aid Response, usually shortened to FAR, is the PHECC course recognised by the Health and Safety Authority for occupational first-aid training in Irish workplaces. It prepares a learner to assess and assist a person who becomes suddenly ill or injured, use the skills set out in the PHECC responder guidance, and provide an effective handover when emergency medical services arrive. The course includes Cardiac First Response Community, covering cardiopulmonary resuscitation, use of an automated external defibrillator and choking response for adults, children and infants. Learners also develop practical skills for patient assessment, common medical emergencies, injuries, bleeding, shock, burns, unconsciousness, communication and incident records. Phoenix STS is listed by PHECC as a Recognised Institution for First Aid Response. On successful completion, the learner receives a joint PHECC/Phoenix STS digital certificate.
Who should attend FAR training?
FAR is intended for people selected as workplace first aiders and for others who need this recognised first-aid skill set. It is used across offices, construction, manufacturing, hospitality, retail, education, childcare, sport, community organisations, healthcare and residential services.
Entry requirements and practical participation
PHECC does not set a formal entry qualification or minimum age. A learner must, however, have enough maturity to understand the knowledge, practical skills and responsibility associated with first aid and defibrillation. The course involves practical work, including CPR at floor level. Anyone who may need an adjustment should contact Phoenix STS before booking so the practical and assessment requirements can be explained and reasonable arrangements can be considered.
Role, risk assessment and scope
FAR can be taken by a member of the public or a healthcare practitioner. Whether it is the right course for a particular employee depends on the person's role, the employer's first-aid risk assessment and any additional clinical or sector-specific requirements. FAR does not replace a regulated clinical qualification or an employer's local emergency procedures.
What does the FAR course cover?
The programme follows the PHECC First Aid Response Education and Training Standard and the current PHECC responder Clinical Practice Guidelines. The 2026 Responder CPGs take precedence over older versions.
Course content includes:
- scene safety, infection precautions and incident procedure
- primary and secondary patient assessment
- obtaining and recording a SAMPLE history
- Cardiac First Response Community
- adult, child and infant CPR
- safe use of an automated external defibrillator
- choking response for adults, children and infants
- common medical emergencies within the FAR scope
- external bleeding, shock and wound care
- fractures, sprains, strains and suspected spinal injury
- care of an unconscious person
- burns and electrical injuries
- hypothermia and hyperthermia
- communication with the patient, bystanders and emergency services
- recording care and giving an effective handover
- responder wellbeing and awareness of personal limits
Teaching combines short presentations, instructor demonstrations, group discussion, skills practice and realistic scenarios. The emphasis is on applying the correct sequence safely, not simply remembering a list of facts.
How long is the PHECC FAR course?
The initial FAR course must provide at least 18 contact hours, including assessment and excluding breaks. PHECC states that this averages 6 hours of instruction per day, so the standard classroom programme is delivered over 3 days.
Phoenix STS normally delivers the course over 3 full training days. Modular delivery may be considered by prior agreement, provided the approved programme, full contact time, practical work and assessments are completed. The precise timetable must be agreed before the course starts.
The practical instructor-to-learner ratio must not exceed 1:8. HSA guidance also states that the instructor must have a mannequin and training AED for every 2 learners. Phoenix STS therefore limits a course with one instructor to 8 learners.
How is the FAR course assessed?
Learners must pass both the practical skills assessments and the written assessment.
Practical assessment uses the PHECC Cardiac First Response Community skill assessment sheet and the PHECC First Aid Response skill assessment sheets. The instructor may formally assess skills during the course or at the end, in accordance with the approved assessment process. Practice and feedback are provided before summative assessment. The instructor carries out the FAR assessment; a separate examiner is not required.
The written assessment is a 30-minute paper containing 20 multiple-choice questions. The pass mark is 60%.
Where a learner does not initially meet the required standard, any remediation and reassessment must follow the Phoenix STS assessment policy and the PHECC course requirements. Attendance alone does not guarantee certification.
What certificate does a successful learner receive?
A learner who successfully completes the required practical and written assessments receives a joint PHECC/Phoenix STS First Aid Response digital certificate. The certificate is valid for 2 years from the course completion date.
Since 1 March 2025, the valid certificate for a PHECC-approved responder-level course is digital. The learner receives access by email. An employer or learner can authenticate it by scanning the certificate's QR code and opening the live credential page. This is separate from the PHECC register used to confirm which institutions and courses are recognised or approved.
Learners should provide an accurate personal email address for certification and should retain access to the digital credential for employment and recertification purposes.
When does a FAR certificate need to be renewed?
FAR certification is valid for 2 years. A learner seeking renewal normally completes the First Aid Response Recertification course before the certificate expires.
The standard classroom recertification course is not a 1-day course. PHECC and HSA guidance require at least 12 contact hours, including assessment and excluding breaks, averaging 6 hours per day. That is normally 2 classroom days. A separately approved blended recertification route may have a different split between online learning and classroom attendance, but the relevant approved programme must be followed in full.
PHECC allows a Recognised Institution or Approved Training Institution to consider a short grace period where a certificate has recently lapsed and there are extenuating circumstances. This is discretionary, must be considered case by case by the institution's course director, and PHECC regards 30 days as the maximum appropriate grace period. It is not an automatic extension.
Anyone whose FAR certificate has expired should contact Phoenix STS with the certificate details before booking. Phoenix STS will confirm whether recertification can be considered under its assessment policy. Where the person is not eligible, the full 3-day FAR course is required.
What are an employer's workplace first-aid duties?
Chapter 2 of Part 7 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 requires employers to provide first-aid equipment and facilities that are adequate and appropriate for the circumstances. The employer must also designate the number of occupational first aiders necessary at each place of work and ensure training is provided.
There is no single ratio that suits every workplace. The employer's risk assessment should consider the work and hazards, employee numbers, workplace size and layout, distribution of staff, shift work, accident experience, access to occupational health support, and the distance and travel time to external medical services. Planned annual leave and other foreseeable absences also need to be covered.
The HSA provides indicative numbers for different workplace categories, but the risk assessment remains the deciding basis. Workplaces with special hazards may also require additional training beyond FAR.
In healthcare, residential care and other services involving vulnerable people, the organisation must consider its staffing, clinical arrangements, service-user needs and sector-specific obligations as well as workplace first aid. FAR may form part of that provision, but it should not be presented as a universal substitute for clinical competence or a service's emergency plan.
Is FAR the right first-aid course for us?
Choose the initial 3-day FAR course for first-time learners and people who need the recognised occupational first-aid qualification. It is also the usual route for a previous FAR holder who is outside any recertification eligibility.
Choose FAR recertification for a person who holds a current FAR certificate, or whose very recent lapse Phoenix STS has expressly accepted under the limited PHECC discretion. Standard classroom recertification provides at least 12 contact hours.
Choose a resuscitation-focused course such as Basic Life Support where the person's role requires CPR, AED and related resuscitation skills but not the wider FAR scope. BLS does not replace FAR where the workplace risk assessment requires a designated occupational first aider.
If the correct route is unclear, send Phoenix STS a copy of the existing certificate and a short description of the learner's role before booking.
What does Phoenix STS provide for an on-site course?
Phoenix STS provides the PHECC-certified FAR instructor, course and assessment materials, adult, child and infant CPR manikins, training AEDs, and the first-aid equipment needed for practical sessions. The equipment plan is based on the approved learner ratio.
The customer provides a suitable training room for all 3 days, with tables, chairs, presentation facilities and enough clear floor space for practical CPR and assessment. The room must allow learners to practise safely without interruption. Course dates, daily times, access arrangements and the final learner list should be agreed in advance.
Phoenix STS delivers on-site FAR courses for organisations throughout Ireland. Public course dates may also be scheduled. Confirmed public dates, venues, prices and booking terms will be shown on the Phoenix STS booking page when available.
Why book FAR training with Phoenix STS?
Phoenix STS is listed by PHECC as a Recognised Institution for First Aid Response. Courses are delivered within that recognised scope by appropriately certified faculty and use the required PHECC assessment process.
The practical group size is controlled at no more than 8 learners per instructor. This gives each learner time to practise and be assessed using the equipment required for the course.
Organisations can arrange an on-site course and agree the timetable, room and learner administration with Phoenix STS before delivery. Learners and employers can also check the course duration, assessment and certification statements on this page against the linked HSA and PHECC sources.
Official sources and review date
Course information reviewed: 19 July 2026.
- HSA First Aid
- HSA First Aid FAQ Responses
- Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007
- PHECC Education and Training Standards
- PHECC 2026 Responder Clinical Practice Guidelines
- PHECC Recognised Institutions, Approved Training Institutions and Courses
- PHECC Responder Level Digital Certificates
Frequently asked questions
Course information reviewed: 19 July 2026.
Yes. The HSA recognises PHECC First Aid Response as the occupational first-aid training standard for Irish workplaces. The employer must still decide how many trained first aiders are needed through its workplace risk assessment.
Yes. FAR includes the full Cardiac First Response Community component, including adult, child and infant CPR, AED use and choking response. A separate CFR Community certificate is not issued as part of the FAR award.
It provides at least 18 contact hours, including assessment and excluding breaks, averaging 6 hours per day. The standard classroom course therefore runs over 3 days.
The practical instructor-to-learner ratio must not exceed 1:8. A course delivered by one instructor is therefore limited to 8 learners. Additional capacity would require an approved instructor and equipment plan.
You must pass the required PHECC practical skill assessments and a 30-minute written paper containing 20 multiple-choice questions. The written pass mark is 60%. Both elements are required for certification.
The joint PHECC/Phoenix STS digital certificate is valid for 2 years from the course completion date.
Do not assume that you can. PHECC allows an institution to consider a maximum grace period of 30 days only in extenuating circumstances and on a case-by-case basis. Contact Phoenix STS before booking. If recertification is not accepted, you must complete the full initial FAR course.
Not as a standard classroom course. It requires at least 12 contact hours including assessment and excluding breaks, averaging 6 hours per day. That is normally 2 classroom days. A separately approved blended route may divide the learning differently.
PHECC does not set a formal entry qualification or minimum age. Learners need sufficient maturity to understand the responsibility and must participate in practical training and assessment. Contact Phoenix STS before booking if an adjustment may be required.
For an on-site course, use the enquiry form or call 043 334 9611. Phoenix STS will confirm the proposed dates, learner numbers, room requirements and quotation. Public courses will have a separate booking link showing the confirmed venue, dates, price and terms when tickets are available.
Arrange PHECC FAR training
To arrange an on-site PHECC First Aid Response course for up to 8 learners, send Phoenix STS your preferred dates, location and learner numbers. We will confirm the course requirements and provide a quotation.