Somebody hands you a form. It says you need current first aid certification before the season starts, before the license renewal goes in, or before you can be alone with the kids. You have never taken a first aid class, you do not know what the difference is between first aid and CPR, and the deadline is closer than you would like.
This is the most common question we get from coaches, day care staff, and volunteers across Lake County. Here is the short version: the class you almost certainly need is AHA Heartsaver First Aid, it runs 1 to 2 hours, it costs $95, and you leave with the card in your hand.
Who this class is for
Heartsaver is the American Heart Association course built for people outside healthcare. If you are responsible for other people but you are not a nurse or a paramedic, this is your track. That covers a lot of Lake County:
- Youth sports coaches and assistant coaches
- Day care and preschool staff
- Teachers, aides, and after school program leaders
- Camp counselors and scout leaders
- Personal trainers and gym staff
- Church and community volunteers
- Warehouse, factory, and office safety team members
- Nannies, babysitters, and parents who want to be ready
You do not need any medical background to take it. Nobody is going to quiz you in front of the room.
What Heartsaver First Aid actually covers
The Heartsaver First Aid class works through the emergencies that actually show up on a sideline, a playground, or a shop floor:
- Wounds and bleeding control
- Burns
- Broken bones and sprains
- Head, neck, and spinal injuries
- Shock
- Allergic reactions
- Heat illness
A pediatric focus is available on request, which is worth asking for if your group is a day care, a preschool, or a youth league. Say so when you book and the scenarios get built around the ages you actually work with.
First aid and CPR are two different cards
This is where people get tripped up, and it costs them a second trip. Read your requirement word for word. If it says first aid and CPR, or first aid, CPR, and AED, that is two certifications:
- Heartsaver First Aid, 1 to 2 hours, $95. Injuries and medical emergencies, as listed above.
- Heartsaver CPR AED, 2 to 3 hours, $95. Adult, child, and infant CPR, AED use, and choking relief.
- BLS Provider, 90 minutes, $85. The healthcare version. If your form says BLS or BLS for Healthcare Providers, book this instead of Heartsaver.
Most coaches and day care staff need the two Heartsaver courses. Most people who work in a clinic or hospital need BLS. Current pricing for all of them is on the class prices page. If the wording on your form is vague, call and read it to us before you pay for anything.
Where Lake County students come from
Classes are held at 28959 Pilgrims Pass, Lakemoor, Illinois 60051, right on the McHenry and Lake County line. That puts a class within a short drive for people in:
- Wauconda and Island Lake
- Round Lake and Fox Lake
- Grayslake and Volo
- McHenry, Johnsburg, and Spring Grove
- Crystal Lake and Woodstock
Classes run seven days a week, roughly 9:00 am to 6:30 pm, and weekend classes are available on request. There is no waiting list, which is the part most coaches care about in August when the season is already starting.
Certifying a whole staff or coaching roster
If the requirement applies to your entire team, do not send people in one at a time. Onsite group training is available anywhere in northern Illinois, and group rates apply. The instructor comes to your gym, field house, day care, school, or office with the manikins and AED trainers, and everyone gets certified in one session. That is usually less disruptive than pulling staff out across three weeks of separate appointments. Book it through onsite group training, or ask for a quote through the contact page.
What you leave with
Every class ends with a two year American Heart Association card, issued at the end of class. You hand it to your league, your director, or your licensing packet the same day. There is nothing to wait on in the mail.
Classes are taught by Ray Mamerow, a certified American Heart Association instructor with more than thirty years in healthcare who has been teaching CPR since 2010. The format is hands-on, not a video you watch in the back of a room. You practice, you get corrected, and you leave knowing what your hands are supposed to do. Past students have left 49 Google reviews at a 5.0 star average, and you can read more of them on the testimonials page.
Book your first aid class
Pick a time on the online calendar and you are set. If you are certifying a group, or you are staring at a form that does not make sense, call or text 815-690-0664 and we will sort out which class you need before you book it.
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