Several agencies provide emergency care training, ranging from basic CPR courses for everyday people to advanced certifications for healthcare professionals and military personnel. The right one depends on your goal: whether you need a workplace certification, want to be prepared at home, or are pursuing a career in emergency medicine.
American Heart Association
The American Heart Association (AHA) is the largest provider of CPR and emergency cardiovascular training in the United States. Its courses fall into two broad categories. Heartsaver courses cover CPR, AED use, and first aid for people with little or no medical background. These are the courses most people take to meet a job requirement or an OSHA regulation, and they work well for anyone who simply wants to know what to do in an emergency.
For healthcare professionals and first responders, the AHA offers a separate track: Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), and Pediatric Emergency Assessment, Recognition, and Stabilization (PEARS). BLS certification typically takes about two to three hours and costs around $80. ACLS is more intensive, requiring roughly ten hours of coursework for initial certification at a cost of about $260. Both include an online learning portion followed by an in-person skills session. The AHA also sells CPR training kits for schools, youth sports groups, and community organizations that want to teach the basics without issuing a formal certification card.
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross offers a similar lineup of CPR, AED, and first aid courses for the general public and for workplaces. Red Cross certifications are widely accepted by employers and meet the same OSHA standards as AHA courses. The Red Cross also provides training in areas like babysitter first aid, lifeguarding, and wilderness first aid, giving it a slightly broader catalog for non-medical professionals. Most Red Cross courses are available as blended learning (online content plus a short in-person skills check) or fully in-person classes.
FEMA’s Community Emergency Response Team
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) runs the Community Emergency Response Team program, known as CERT. Unlike CPR-focused courses, CERT trains volunteers in a wider set of disaster response skills: fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. The goal is to prepare community members to help during large-scale emergencies when professional responders are stretched thin.
CERT basic training uses a standardized curriculum with instructor guides, participant manuals, and hazard-specific materials. FEMA also offers free online courses through its Emergency Management Institute, including IS-317 (Introduction to CERT) and IS-315 (CERT and the Incident Command System). These are open to anyone and provide a solid introduction before you commit to the full in-person program. Volunteers who move into leadership roles can take train-the-trainer and program manager courses through EMI as well.
Local CERT programs regularly hold drills designed around the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program, so the training stays practical and current. If you’re interested in broader emergency preparedness rather than a single clinical skill, CERT is one of the best free options available.
National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians
If you want to work in emergency medical services professionally, the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) is the credentialing body you’ll go through. NREMT doesn’t teach courses directly. Instead, it sets the standards and administers the certification exams after you complete an approved training program at a college, fire academy, or EMS school.
NREMT recognizes four certification levels. Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) is the entry point, covering basic assessment and first aid. Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) is the most common field certification, preparing you to perform interventions with the standard equipment found on an ambulance. Advanced EMT (AEMT) adds skills like IV access and certain medications. Paramedic is the highest level, with extensive training in cardiac care, pharmacology, and advanced airway management.
All four levels require recertification on a two-year cycle. The continuing education hours break down into national, local, and individual components:
- EMR: 16 total hours
- EMT: 40 total hours
- AEMT: 50 total hours
- Paramedic: 60 total hours
Half of those hours must come from nationally approved content. The rest are split between local training (run by your agency or medical director) and individual continuing education you choose yourself. Missing the renewal deadline by even a day triggers a late fee and, if you miss the grace window entirely, you may need to retest.
NOLS Wilderness Medicine
Standard CPR and first aid training assumes an ambulance is minutes away. Wilderness medicine courses prepare you for situations where professional help could be hours or days out. The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) is the most widely recognized provider in this space.
The flagship course is the Wilderness First Responder (WFR), an 80-hour program covering patient assessment, trauma management, wound and burn care, dislocation reduction, selective spine immobilization, and evacuation decision-making. It also teaches long-term patient management for situations where you’re caring for someone well beyond the golden hour. The WFR is recognized by the American Camp Association, meets Boy Scouts of America wilderness first aid requirements, and is approved by the U.S. Coast Guard for merchant mariner credentials. It also counts for 70 hours of EMT continuing education credit through the Commission on Accreditation of Pre-Hospital Continuing Education.
For people who don’t need the full 80-hour commitment, NOLS offers shorter Wilderness First Aid (WFA) courses. Other organizations like SOLO (Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities) provide similar wilderness certifications with comparable curricula.
NAEMT Tactical Training
The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) provides tactical emergency care training originally developed by the Department of Defense. Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) teaches evidence-based trauma techniques for battlefield conditions, and NAEMT delivers the courses in three tiers. TCCC for All Service Members is a 7-hour course. The Combat Lifesaver tier runs 40 hours and targets non-medical military personnel heading into combat zones. The Combat Medic/Corpsman tier is 63 hours and designed for medics, corpsmen, and pararescue personnel.
For law enforcement and civilian tactical teams, NAEMT offers Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC), which adapts the same principles for domestic scenarios like active-shooter events or high-risk law enforcement operations.
Workplace Requirements Under OSHA
Your employer may be the reason you’re looking for training in the first place. Federal OSHA regulations require that when no hospital or clinic is close to a workplace, the employer must have at least one person on site who is trained in first aid, along with adequate first aid supplies. The regulation doesn’t specify which agency must provide the training, only that the person be “adequately trained.” In practice, most employers accept AHA or Red Cross certifications.
Workplaces where employees could be exposed to corrosive materials must also have emergency eyewash and body-flushing stations available for immediate use. If first aid responders at your job might encounter blood or infectious materials, the employer is required to supply personal protective equipment like gloves, gowns, and eye protection under the bloodborne pathogens standard.
Choosing the Right Course
For most people who need a workplace card or want basic readiness, an AHA Heartsaver or Red Cross CPR/First Aid course is the simplest path. It takes a few hours and costs under $100. If you work in healthcare, BLS is the minimum, and ACLS or PALS may be required depending on your role. Outdoor professionals and recreation leaders should look at wilderness-specific certifications from NOLS or SOLO, since standard first aid doesn’t prepare you for remote settings. Community-minded volunteers benefit most from FEMA’s CERT program, which is free and covers a broader range of disaster skills. And if you’re considering a career as an EMT or paramedic, you’ll complete an approved training program and then certify through the NREMT.