First Aid For Scouters provides First Aid Merit Badge instruction, CPR AED, First Aid, BLS and Wilderness First Aid (WFA) Certification Training throughout Maryland including Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Harford County and the DC area.
Hi. My name is Joe.
I am a registered Scout leader, First Aid Merit Badge Counselor and certified instructor with the Emergency Care and Safety Institute. I teach the courses listed below at discounted rates for Scouters only (I have a regular, full-time job and don't do this for a living).
I do my best to make the life saving knowledge and certification available to Scouters at affordable rates. If you provide the participants and the meeting location, I can travel to your location and provide the course. I can also arrange a venue if needed.
I am currently a Committee Member with Pack 26 and Assistant Scoutmaster with Troop 26 chartered by St Ursula Roman Catholic Church located in the Dulaney District, Baltimore Area Council. My scouting resume includes: Brotherhood member of the OA; Fellow, Doctoral Staff and faculty member of the University of Scouting; Pow Wow faculty member; Wood Badge "Fleagle's Eagle", N6-220-11-1. I also have been a Philmont trek leader and Jamboree Troop Leader ... so I can help you prep for BSA camping/hiking trips and high adventure treks to Philmont, Northern Tier, Sea Base, Swamp Base, and the Bechtel Summit (Jamboree).
The following courses are open for registration:
Combined Wilderness First Aid (Boy Scouts of America) &
Adult/Child/Infant CPR and AED - Blended Learning Model
Adult/Child/Infant CPR and AED - Blended Learning Model
The Wilderness First Aid (Boy Scouts of America Edition) course is designed to satisfy the Wilderness First Aid certification requirements for high-adventure tours including Philmont, Sea Base, Northern Tier and the Summit. Offered as a "blended learning" online and instructor led course, the student is the center of an integrated teaching and learning system that offers many resources to better prepare students.
About BSA and ECSI New "Blended Learning" Model
The BSA Wilderness First Aid Curriculum and Doctrine Guidelines have been adapted into a blended learning format option. The blended learning model allows students to take most of the classroom portion of the course online, with an in-person skills portion that will provide opportunities for students to put the information learned online into real-life scenarios. This will help clarify information learned online and develop skills for using that knowledge. The ECSI WFA online portion of the course must be completed before the skills check class thus all participants who have completed the 8-hour online Emergency Care & Safety Institute (ECSI) WFA course must show proof of successful completion. (ECSI provides the completion certificate to all successful participants at the end of the online portion of the course.)
While the model used for offering the WFA course has change, what has not changed is the requirement that the content of the WFA course meets the curricular requirements of the most current Boy Scouts of America Wilderness First Aid Curriculum and Doctrine Guidelines.
This course content includes:
Essential information for when medical help is more than one hour away
How to signal for help, when to evacuate, and recommended first aid supplies
"What to look for" and "What to do" tables for injuries and illnesses
Prevention advice ranging from altitude illness and bear attacks to lightning strikes and tick bites
All course materials provided, including the Field Guide* (with heat index and wind chill charts and featuring quick access to contents using an A-Z format) and supplies.
Course Length: 16 hours
2 Year Certification Card upon successful completion of the course.
This course is taught using the E.D.G.E. method.
PRE-REQUISITE: Current CPR certification (Note: this requisite course is INCLUDED, candidates need NOT obtain CPR certification prior to taking this course.)
*The field guide was developed as a pocket-sized, spiral bound, weather resistant version of the BSA® Wilderness First Aid Manual designed for the trail.
Course Date Options:
Online Learning with Instructor Led Session
Saturday, May 10, 2025, 8AM - 5PM
Course Location is in Parkville, MD 21234Online Learning with Instructor Led Session
Saturday, June 14, 2025, 8AM - 5PM
Course Location is in Parkville, MD 21234
The following courses are available and can be scheduled at a time and location convenient for your group:
Standard First Aid with Adult/Child/Infant CPR & AED
Standard First Aid, CPR, and AED, Eighth Edition is designed to certify individuals in first aid, CPR, and AED and fulfill workplace training requirements. Offered as an instructor led course, the student is the center of an integrated teaching and learning system that offers many resources to better prepare students.
This course content includes:
Updated content that meets or exceeds the scientific recommendations developed by the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) and is consistent with the CPR and ECC Guidelines as established by the American Heart Association and other resuscitation councils around the world
Emphasis on life-threatening conditions and focus on critical life-saving skills
Decision tables that provide a concise summary of what signs to look for and what treatment steps to take during an emergency
Current information on CPR, AED, injuries, and illnesses
New and updated content on hemorrhage control, opioid overdose response, compression-only CPR, and COVID-19
Current information on injuries and illnesses: Core information for first responders presented in a clear and straightforward format.
Hands-On Practice: Supervised by a certified instructor offering step-by-step explanations and visual demonstrations of important skills.
All course materials provided, including training manual and supplies.
Course Length: 4-5 hours
2 Year Certification Card upon successful completion of the course.
This course is taught using the E.D.G.E. method.
Adult/Child/Infant CPR & AED
Based on the latest International Consensus Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Emergency Cardiac Care (ECC), CPR and AED, Seventh Edition is ideal designed to certify laypersons in CPR and AED rescue methods for adults, children and infants. Offered as an instructor led course, the student is the center of an integrated teaching and learning system that offers many resources to better prepare students. This course content includes:
Coverage of the 2015 CPR and ECC Guidelines: Clear, concise direction on how to perform CPR and use an AED during an emergency.
Current information on injuries and illnesses: Core information for first responders presented in a clear and straightforward format.
Hands-On Practice: Supervised by a certified instructor offering step-by-step explanations and visual demonstrations of important skills.
All course materials provided, including training manual and supplies.
Course Length: 1-2 hours
2 Year Certification Card upon successful completion of the course.
This course is taught using the E.D.G.E. method.
Standard First Aid
Based on the latest first aid guidelines, Standard First Aid is designed to certify individuals in first aid and fulfill workplace training requirements. Offered as an instructor led course, the student is the center of an integrated teaching and learning system that offers many resources to better prepare students. This course content includes:
Current information on injuries and illnesses: Core information for first aiders presented in a clear and straightforward format.
Hands-On Practice: Supervised by a certified instructor offering step-by-step explanations and visual demonstrations of important skills.
All course materials provided, including training manual and supplies.
Course Length: 2-3 hours
2 Year Certification Card upon successful completion of the course.
This course is taught using the E.D.G.E. method.
Certification vs "Certification"
There are many folks that will collect people's money, provide "electronic" materials or photocopied materials and present students with a paper or laminated card. Regardless of whether the course is taken through the American Red Cross or Emergency Care and Safety Institute (both partners with the Boy scouts of America), the programs mandate that printed materials be provided to each student for certification. Additionally, both organizations provide electronic certifications that can be validated online.
To verify an American Red Cross certification, visit https://classes.redcross.org/web_common_img/assets/Verify.html.
To verify an ECSI certification, visit https://www.ecsinstitute.org/EdCenter/StudentCertificateLookup.aspx.
Paper/laminated cards are no longer sufficient proof of certification. If you aren't getting bound/printed materials and an electronic certification ID, odds are you're not really getting a recognized certification and there's the possibility that the instructor isn't being in integrity.
While fire houses and community centers generously provide training for free, unless they pay ARC or ECSI for your certification credentials, again you aren't earning a certification recorded with a national certification organization.
ARC, ECSI and other national certification organizations put certification validation tools into place to ensure that students are being trained in the latest/most current life saving techniques from instructors that must themselves re-certify every 2 years - CPR training protocols, for instance, have changed twice in the last few years.
The point is, make sure you are really getting what you are paying for.