Employers write “first aid certification required” on a job posting and assume everyone knows what that means. They do not, and the result is people booking the wrong course and paying for it twice.
Here is the difference between the three you will actually encounter in British Columbia.
Occupational First Aid (OFA) Level 1
This is the British Columbia workplace standard. It exists because the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation requires workplaces to provide first aid coverage matched to their size and hazard level, and for a great many sites that means a designated attendant holding OFA Level 1.
It is the certification most Surrey job postings mean, especially in construction, warehousing, manufacturing and trades. If you have been named as your workplace's first aid attendant, this is almost certainly what is being asked of you.
Emergency First Aid
The shorter general course, usually a single day. It concentrates on the emergencies that kill quickly — a blocked airway, severe bleeding, cardiac arrest — and it includes CPR.
Good baseline training and often enough for lower-risk roles, volunteering, coaching and personal preparedness. It is not automatically accepted where a regulation specifically names OFA Level 1.
Standard First Aid
The longer general course, typically two days. It covers everything Emergency First Aid does, then adds a much wider range: bone and joint injuries, burns, head and spinal injury, medical conditions such as diabetic emergencies and seizures, and environmental injuries like heat stroke and hypothermia.
Higher-risk workplaces, many childcare and care-sector employers, and most roles where you are likely to be first on scene for something that is serious but not immediately life-threatening will ask for Standard rather than Emergency.
So Which One Do You Book?
- The posting says OFA Level 1 — book OFA Level 1. Do not substitute.
- It says “first aid and CPR” with no level — ask. If you cannot ask, Standard First Aid with CPR Level C covers the widest ground.
- You work with children — you likely need Emergency Child Care First Aid with CPR/AED Level B, which is a different course again.
- You are in healthcare — you probably need Basic Life Support (BLS), the provider level.
- You only need CPR — CPR/AED Level C on its own.
The Mistake That Costs People Money
Booking the cheapest or shortest course and hoping it will be accepted. It frequently is not, and there is no partial credit — you take the correct course from the start, at full cost, having already paid for the wrong one.
Two minutes of checking prevents it. Read the exact wording your employer used, and if it is ambiguous, ask them which level they require before you book anything.
How Long Any of Them Lasts
Three years, across the board. See our guide on how long first aid certification lasts in BC for what happens when it expires and when to rebook.
Not Sure? Call Us
We would rather spend a minute on the phone than have you sit the wrong course. Read out what your employer wrote and we will tell you which one matches it.
Browse our first aid courses in Surrey, or contact us for the current schedule.