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Certification tells you a volunteer has been assessed; it does not tell you they know what to do in your building. The gap between the two is filled by specifics: where the first aid kit is, where the defibrillator is and whether it is accessible at the times you operate, who has a key, what address an ambulance should be given, and which entrance they should use. None of that is taught on a course.
Walk it once, physically, with the people who will be present. Time how long it takes to reach the defibrillator from the furthest point you use, check the kit is complete and in date, and confirm the emergency contact information on the wall is current. Organizations that do this once a year find something wrong nearly every time, and each thing found is cheap to fix in advance.
Write down the arrangement and keep it where volunteers actually look. A single sheet, who is trained, where the equipment is, what to do first, what address to give, is more useful than a policy document nobody has read, and it is the thing a new or occasional volunteer needs most.
Updated for 2026. Updated in 2026. What follows is the position as it stands today.
Course content follows the current ILCOR consensus on science and the American Heart Association guidelines for CPR and emergency cardiovascular care. American Aquatics and Safety Training is not affiliated with, and does not certify on behalf of, the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross.
On timings: the CPR/AED course runs 275 minutes (4 hours 35 minutes) in the classroom, including a 10 minute skills examination and a 20 minute written examination.
Reviewed by Jackie Stern, Lifeguard Instructor, Firefighter and EMT. Jackie Stern has taught lifeguarding for more than 20 years and works as a firefighter, EMT and swim instructor. She reviews course content, prerequisites and rescue standards against current certification requirements.