Singapore Red Cross

The Singapore Red Cross Academy (SRCA) is a leader in lifelong learning for resilience, offering training in first aid, psychosocial support, and humanitarian skills. SRCA strengthens resilience by empowering individuals with essential knowledge and skills, focusing on preparedness, effective response and reducing vulnerability while fostering a culture of care.

Centre for First Aid and Resuscitation (CFAR)
The Centre for First Aid and Resuscitation (CFAR), established in the 1990s, backed by more than five decades of knowledge and expertise in teaching standards. CFAR promotes first aid education and skills through comprehensive training in first aid, CPR, and lifesaving techniques. CFAR trains volunteers, youths, educators, domestic helpers, migrant workers, corporate groups and in various communities and organisations. In Year 2024 alone, SRCA had certified more than 13,000 individuals and engaged additional 10,000 individuals to be aware about the importance of first aid and to work towards the goal of having a first aider in every home. CFAR will continually offer a wide range of SSG-funded and SRFAC Accredited First Aid & Life Support courses for volunteers, youths, working adults, domestic helpers, migrant workers and communities, to enhance community preparedness and resilience, ensuring swift responses to critical situations. Aligning with the national efforts to promote improved first responder rates, CFAR partners with relevant authorities such as the Ministry of Home Affairs, promoting SGSecure and MyResponder to increase bystander CPR and AED rates. Regionally, CFAR collaborates with other National Societies as part of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (RCRC) Movement to enhance capacity-building of first aid training courses, trainers’ qualifications and standards with support from the Global First Aid Reference Centre (GFARC).

First Aid Training in Singapore began in 1935 when the basic skills were taught by an expatriate doctor working at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH). Within a few years, the responsibility for first-aid teaching was taken over by the then Director of Medical Services. The training of volunteers in first-aid skills began from the Singapore Red Cross Society in 1949. The need for a short, intensive skills-based training for Singapore was appreciated. The Singapore Red Cross Society continued its first aid advocacy of first aid and resuscitation. With the changing needs of the industry and communities, various first aid and resuscitation programmes are offered in half-day or in a day or modular sessions, where learners will be able to pick up the skills through hands-on practice and be put through a short theory and practical test to earn a certificate in the course. CPR training, in its present form, began in Singapore in 1983 at the SGH. The Singapore Red Cross Society adopted it in 1985. With the formation of the then National Resuscitation Council (NRC) in 1998 and the then National First Aid Council (NFAC) in 2001, a target to have at least one trained first-aider in every home was expressed. In April 2018, both Councils merged to form the Singapore Resuscitation and First Aid Council (SRFAC) where Singapore Red Cross Society is an active organisation playing a part to maintain standards and qualifications in Singapore.

The courses have met differing organisational, industrial and legal requirements. Well-established course contents are largely similar since they began teaching first aid and resuscitation topics while the mode of delivery and facilitation of the course content has changed over the years. More practical hands-on sessions are preferred over lecture theory sharing only. With technology enhancement, use of eLearning platforms such as Gnowbe with SUSS or Learning Management System with e-Learning has changed the learning landscape for CFAR. In the coming years, one can expect more e-Learning modules to be offered as part of blended-learning, enabling learners to come to the Red Cross training premises for engaging face-to-face practical hands-on training and testing sessions.

Since SRCA had first signed its collaboration with SUSS in 2020, the two parties have co-developed three online courses including CPR + AED, Basic First Aid and First Responder on Water Safety.