Medical Foundation: the syllabus

Airway, breathing, CPR and AED

Departments require current CPR certification before hire, usually at the health-care provider level, because firefighters routinely reach cardiac arrests before paramedics do. Airway, breathing, and AED questions test the exact skills those courses certify. This bank keeps the knowledge sharp between recertifications; it is educational only and never a substitute for hands-on certification training.

Bleeding, shock, wounds and burns

First aid and EMR certifications that departments require before hire spend heavy time on bleeding control, shock, and burn care, because these are the injuries firefighters meet at collisions and fires. Written exams and practical stations both draw from this material. This bank keeps it fresh; it is educational only and never a substitute for certification training.

Bones, joints, head and spine

Falls, collisions, and sports injuries fill a large share of first-aid calls, so the certifications departments require before hire test splinting, concussion recognition, and spinal care in both written and practical form. This bank keeps that course material sharp; it is educational only and never a substitute for certification training.

Medical and environmental emergencies

Heart attacks, strokes, diabetic lows, seizures, severe allergies, and heat and cold emergencies make up much of the medical call volume firefighters respond to, so the first-aid and EMR certifications departments require before hire test them heavily. This bank keeps the recognition patterns sharp; it is educational only and never a substitute for certification training.

Patient handling, consent, and legal basics

The first-aid and EMR certifications departments require before hire all close with the same non-clinical material: how to move patients without injury, when you may treat, and what the law expects of a trained responder. Interview boards probe this thinking too. This bank keeps it sharp; it is educational only and never a substitute for certification training, and local law and protocol always govern.