The impact of First Aid/CPR changes on
Red Cross Swimming and Water Safety programs
Please share this information with Water Safety Instructors during in-service training and
WSI Recertification workshops.
In late 2005, the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR), an
international group examining the standards for the delivery of first aid and CPR
released the new standards for care in regards to CPR. The CPR and ECC guidelines
are based on the Consensus on Science and Treatment Recommendations (CoSTR), a
document developed by the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation. As the
science behind guidelines is constantly changing, Red Cross follows a revision schedule
based upon this report to adopt the new guidelines, making our programs more effective
in saving lives.
The following information identifies the effect of the First Aid and CPR guidelines
changes to Red Cross Swimming and Water Safety programs.
If you currently hold a valid First Aid/CPR certificate (not an FA/CPR Instructor
certification), you do not need to attend retraining at this time. You will be trained with
the new guidelines at your next regular recertification course. When recertifying your
CPR for employment purposes, a CPR level C is required. Please ensure that you
continue to follow the protocols and sequences you were taught in your current training,
as these will continue to save lives and provide first aid to those in need. Retraining is
required for Red Cross First Aid Instructors.
Red Cross Swim
The changes to the Red Cross Swim Kids and Red Cross Swim Preschool programs are
language changes, not procedure or standards changes. It won’t be necessary to issue
new progress cards when the revised materials become available.
Worksheets:
• There will be wording changes on several Red Cross Swim Preschool and Red
Cross Swim Kids worksheets – updated worksheets will be available on the A.P.
Website ( www.redcross.ca/apnet) in October 2006
Progress Cards
• The wording ‘partial/complete’ choking will change to ‘mild/severe’ choking in both
the Progress Card and Newsletter for Red Cross Swim Kids Level 7. Continue to use
your current stock of progress cards until they are depleted- we anticipate reprinting
these in 2007
Newsletters
• In the newsletter for Red Cross Swim Preschool level “Duck”, the name of the
ChildSafe course will change to ‘Child Care’ course
Swimming & Water Safety
FA Revisions 2006
September 2006
Page 1 of 2
Rescue Breathing stays in the Red Cross Swim Kids program
When new guidelines for emergency cardiac care were released by ILCOR in late 2005,
the Canadian Red Cross undertook a review of its Red Cross Swim program to ensure
that it met the new international standards.
One of the ILCOR recommendations included no longer teaching rescue breathing to the
general public and subsequently removed ventilations from the CPR . ILCOR did,
however, indicate that rescue breathing proved effective in cases of asphyxiation,
generally caused by smoke and water inhalation (i.e. drowning). In order to administer
the most effective emergency care in, on, and around the water, the Canadian Red
Cross decided that its Swimming and Water Safety programs will continue to include
rescue breathing in its courses.
Red Cross will continue to teach artificial respiration in lessons, since we will not be
teaching CPR to this group. Evidence supports teaching artificial respiration in
relationship to drowning-related incidents. Where CPR is taught, the lay rescuer needs
to do CPR for an unresponsive, non breathing person; where CPR is not taught, rescue
breathing continues to be taught as before (without pulse check). In many cases,
younger children don't have the physical strength to perform CPR compressions.
Performance of Rescue Breathing is evaluated in Red Cross Swim Kids 8 and 9 and is
not taught as part of the sequence of CPR.
Instructor Development materials
There are wording changes made throughout the AWSI and WSI manuals as well as
changes to Appendix L of the AWSI Manual. An insert for these manuals is available
online in mid October and is also included with all AWSI and WSI package orders until
the next reprint of the manuals (likely in 2007).
Swimming & Water Safety
FA Revisions 2006
September 2006
Page 2 of 2