Thank you for choosing Be Prepared First Aid Vancouver Island for your course. Below, we have some notes to help you before, during and after the program. Please take a moment to read through this for any information that is important to you.
Table of Contents
To easily navigate this information, feel free to click on any of the titles below to jump to that section
Location
We are at 201-605 Discovery Street, Victoria. The building is called Discovery Center and our entrance is located around the middle of the building, past the steel gates (to the left of the CBI health office).
You can take either the elevator or the stairwell up to the second floor. Either way, proceed past the set if fire doors next to the stairwell, and our office is right ahead.
Accessibility
The main entrance to our office possesses ramps and an elevator for individuals with mobility challenges. There are no door sills, however you will need to pass a fire door and the door to our office does not contain an auto open function. Please call our office if you require accessibility assistance. Washrooms will allow for mobility assistance devices, but doors do not possess an auto-open function.
Parking
There are a variety of pay parking options available around the area, here is a list of a few that are most convenient.
We advise you not to park on the street as the parking is 1-hour max and the city will ticket you. As well, our buildings parking lot has a 1-hour max parking and is quite busy, we cannot guarantee that parking will be available or good for the full time of your course.
Please do not park in the underground, these spaces are reserved for staff of the various businesses and they will tow without notice.
Arriving by Bicycle
There is a bike rack available to lock up your bicycle just north of our entrance, outside CBI healthcare.
Arriving by Transit
To get to our location by bus, many busses stop about a block from us. The bus stop number to get off is 100146 or 100132, or the Douglas at Discovery stop. Walk East down Discovery 1 block and you will arrive at our location on the left (Reminder: we are above CBI health).
Anti-Harassment/ Anti-Bullying – Zero Tolerance Policy
At Be Prepared First Aid Vancouver Island, we have a zero-tolerance policy for abuse, harassment, inappropriate behaviour or any phobias of any kind, including those protected by law. We follow a belief in being a safe space and respect for all people. Any accusation of inappropriate behaviour will be taken seriously and investigated.
We are professionals and ask all students to behave in the same manner. Any person who found to have violated these standards will be asked to leave and not return.
Clothing and Attire
All of our courses require physical activity. You will be actively participating in skills and demonstrations. We require close toed shoes due to WorkSafeBC regulations (runners or sneakers are best) and we advise wearing comfortable clothing. Please avoid wearing anything revealing (mini skits, low rise tops) or clothing that is not appropriate (shirts with foul language, flip flops, etc.).
Be Prepared First Aid reserves the right to ask students to leave if clothing is not in compliance with these standards.
Personal Hygiene
We ask all participants not wear heavily scented products, but please arrive in a clean state.
In all of our courses, you will be in close proximity to other students, and participants acting as a first aider may need to physically make contact with you. Please come in a clean state and avoid heavily scented body washes or perfume/cologne.
As we will be physically active, it is advised to wear and bring some sort of deodorant.
In higher level courses (Advanced First Aid, Wilderness First Aid, First Responder, Emergency Medical Responder) you may be required to take off your shoes and socks while being examined as a patient. Please keep this in mind and be mindful of fellow participants.
What should I bring for the course?
For the most part we will have everything you need for our courses. But for all of our courses we suggest you bring the following with you:
- a pen and notebook
- your course book (if you have been issued one prior to the course)
- a piece of government issued photo ID (may be required for certification in some courses)
- a sweater or jacket (can sometimes get cold in the classrooms)
- if you are wearing boots to the class, we advise a pair of sneakers to change into
- knee pads if you have any knee issues
- your own pocket mask is recommended, if you already have one (pocket masks are for sale at our site and classroom loan-out ones are available to all students)
Washrooms
Washrooms are located in the middle of the outside hallway. A key will be required to get in so please ask your instructor for it. Please ensure you return the key back to the instructor.
Breaks and Food
Our courses will have breaks, please keep the following points in mind:
- Full participation in the courses are required, please time your breaks accordingly and return at the stated time. Instructors will rarely wait for students who are not present.
- Please inform us if there are any food-based allergies, we should be aware of before or announce at the start of class. Be kind, if a fellow student states they have an allergy to something, please do not bring it to class.
- Fast-food options in the area are sparce, we advise you bring food with you to class as all participants will need to return at the scheduled time after breaks. Speak with your instructor about break schedules for food delivery times.
- A fridge, microwave, tea kettle is available for anyone to use during the breaks. Note: food will be removed every Friday from the fridge; please take your items with you if you are returning another day.
- Food can be eaten in any area of the facility, we ask that all students be responsible for their own clean-up, spills, and care for the site.
- Coffee and tea is available for everyone for a small donation.
- Some small food stuffs and cold beverages are also for a small fee. This is on an honour system so please be kind and honest in payment.
Participating in the Course
All students will be required to participate fully in all aspects of the course. This includes attendance, skills practice, scenario participation, and examination.
Attendance
- Please arrive to class before the start time and please return from breaks at the time indicated by your instructor.
- Instructors reserve the right to refuse students who are more than 15 minutes late to any class session without prior notice or valid reason.
- Students who are tardy, without a valid reason, may be allowed to register for another course, on another date, for a transfer fee of $25.00 CAD.
If you must leave the course for any reason, please inform the instructor as soon as possible. You may also contact the office if you will be late to class.
Physical Activity
All courses require physical activity, and full participation in skills, practice, and scenarios:
- In all activities, we highly recommend wearing gloves and PPE at all times; especially when you are coming into contact with other students.
- We respect all people have the right not to be touched, and this may be for a variety of reasons. Please speak with your instructor if there is a reason you wish not to be touched during the course, and we will come up with a solution to make you comfortable.
- If you have any physical limitations that may prevent you from temporarily performing certain skills or demonstrations, please speak with your instructor about reasonable accommodations.
- If a skill is required to be shown, and some limitation permanently prevents you from performing the skill, regulation states you may not qualify for legal or workplace certification, but candidate may be issued a participation certificate.
Timelines
All courses have timelines that are regulated by provincial law and federal guidelines. We are unable to ‘speed up’ courses as this would violate our agreements to teach. For start and finish times for your course please see your registration email or our website.
Examinations
All courses require a written examination to receive a certificate:
- Many courses will require a government issued photo ID. If you do not have this, please speak with the instructor how to correct this; options are available. If ID is required for issuance of a certificate, students may need to return another day with ID to receive their certificate; we cannot issue the certificate without it.
- All written examinations are multiple choice. Please read the top sheet on your exam for instructions on how to best write the exam.
- All written examinations are closed book, no cellphone/tablet, and single person (no sharing of answers). Any attempts at cheating will not be tolerated and may result in a forfeiture of their certification.
- All written examinations are timed. Instructors will state how long candidates will have and advise if time is nearing the end.
- Red Cross courses have a minimum pass percentage of 75% and WorksafeBC courses have a minimum pass percentage of 70% on all written examinations.
- Should a student be unsuccessful in their first attempt, the candidate may reattempt the written exam no sooner than 24 hours after the first attempt. Your instructor will discuss the options with you on this.
In all courses, students will also be required to participate in practical skills and assessments:
- In basic and intermediate level courses (CPR / Basic or Emergency First Aid / Intermediate or Standard First Aid) students will be continuously assessed on their skills and abilities during the course activities.
- Should the student be unsuccessful in the skills, your instructor will discuss their concerns with you and give you an opportunity to correct it before the end of the course.
- If the 2nd attempt is still unsuccessful, the candidate may be required to return to demonstrate the skills, or may be required to re-attempt the course at a later date.
- Should the second attempt still not be successful, the candidate will be required to take the program in full again. The program fee for the second attempt will be the same as the initial course.
- In advance courses or professional responder courses (AFA/FR/EMR/WFA) students will be required to take and pass 2 scenarios (1 medical and 1 trauma) with a pass of 70%.
- Prior to these summative assessments, the scoring chart will be shown and discussed to reduce concern and confusion.
- Should a candidate not be successful in one or both scenarios, the student will be required to re-attempt the scenario(s) no sooner than 24 hours after the first attempt.
- Should a candidate be unsuccessful on the second attempt, the candidate will be required to complete the course in full again. The program fee will be the same as the initial course.
People with English as a Second Language
We respect that English is not the first language of all participants. If you require assistance with the written examination in English, speak with your instructor and we can discuss options for you.
People with Physical or Learning Disabilities
We respect some students struggle with written language in general. We also respect some individuals may have unique physical attributes that makes a written test a challenge. If this is the case, speak with your instructor and we can discus options to accommodate your needs.
Certification
For Red Cross courses:
- At the successful completion of any Red Cross course, students will be issued a temporary 30-day certificate issued by the instructor. Within 30 days after the course, students will be sent an email containing their official wall and wallet certificate.
- Official certificates are valid for 3 years from the date of the final day of class (Exception of BLS which is valid for 1 year under regulation).
- Should a student lose their certification, simply log into your My Red Cross account to obtain a new certificate.
For WorkSafeBC courses:
- At the successful completion of any WorkSafeBC course, the student will immediately be issued a wallet certificate that is valid for 3 years from the date of the final day of the course.
- Official wall certificates are not available for WorkSafeBC courses.
- Should a student lose their certificate, they may contact Be Prepared Vancouver Island Inc. and can be issued a new certificate for a fee of $25.00 CAD.
Recertification
For most courses, students may be able to gain benefits from returning for a recertification of their ticket. A few notes are below:
- All students who are recertifying their course are required to present a copy (either physical or photo) of their current certificate prior to or on the first day of their new course.
- To meet recertification requirements, this previous ticket must not be expired and must match the student who is registered for the current course.
- All recertification courses are offered to students at a lower cost compared to their initial course. Please see our recertification course fees for more information.
- Not all courses have a condensed schedule. The following courses will have a condensed schedule (if not on this list, students will participate in the full course again):
- Advanced First Aid Recertification
- Advanced Wilderness First Aid Recertification
- Emergency Medical Responder Recertification
- Under regulation, Be Prepared First Aid Vancouver Island Inc. does not allow challenging of the courses when recertification takes place.
Want Your Next Course to be Discounted or Even Free?
We offer a referral program to all students who have taken a course with us. Speak to your instructor to sign up.
Here’s how it works:
- Open to any student who is new or has previously taken a course with us.
- Let friends, family, coworkers, even the person at the bus stop know about our courses and tell them to write your name and phone number on the registration form (you filled this out at the start your course).
- When we enter their registration form (the referred person) into our database we will see your name and phone number on the form and will apply the discount to you.
- For every person you refer that registers and completes a course, you will receive 10% off your next course, of equal value, to your last course (up to 10 referrals or 100% off per ticket cycle). This means if you took Intermediate First Aid as your last course, you will get a discount per referral for another Intermediate First Aid.
- And you can do this over and over again, when you recertify with us at the discounted rate, your 10 referrals restart again
- Note: If you do a referral, we may contact you to confirm this referral was valid and to ensure we apply the future discount to the correct person.
- Limitations:
- A maximum of 100% (10 referrals*10% each) will be accepted per ticket cycle. Any further referrals will not be honoured as a discountable referral.
- The referred participant must register, pay, and complete a course in order for the discount to be applied. Referrals who have not paid or completed the course will not be honoured.
- A participant cannot refer themselves even if they are taking another course
- A participant who is already redeeming a referral discount cannot apply a referral discount to another person (i.e. if you’re claiming a referral discount for this course, you cannot say your friend referred you)
- Referral program ceases and voids 6 months after the expiration of your latest ticket. If you have multiple tickets with Be Prepared, we will use the most recent certificate or course as your expiration.