Cardiac First Response in Ireland: PHECC Standards and Workplace Training

Cardiac First Response (CFR) is the name PHECC, the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council, uses for its basic life support and defibrillator training standards for responders in Ireland. If you are an employer or training coordinator looking at CFR for a workplace in Dublin or elsewhere, the key points from PHECC's own documents are these: the Community level is a short course delivered by a recognised institution, certification is joint between PHECC and that institution, and the 2016 standard says certification lapses after two years. PHECC's website now lists newer 2026 standards that we have not read, so check PHECC for the current position before relying on any 2016 figure here. This guide summarises what the PHECC documents we could open say and what the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) says about defibrillators at work. It describes training standards only, with no clinical instructions. If your staff work in healthcare, see our post on basic life support (BLS) training in Irish healthcare.

What PHECC's CFR Community standard says

PHECC's Cardiac First Response Community Level Education and Training Standard (version 3, June 2016) describes a Cardiac First Responder at Community level as a person trained in CPR and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) who responds to someone who has suddenly collapsed. It says the standard is intended for members of the public, healthcare practitioners, emergency medical services, and trained members of volunteer organisations and agencies such as An Garda Síochána and Civil Defence. It also notes that CFR Community is a pre- or co-requisite for PHECC First Aid Response courses.

The standard lists four learning outcomes: recognising the signs of a life-threatening emergency, responding safely using basic life support, retrieving and using an AED during cardiac arrest, and reporting and recording actions and handing over to emergency medical services. It organises the content into three modules: Basic Emergency Care, Accessing and Use of an AED, and Safety and Communication. PHECC's webpage for the course describes it as a short course teaching basic life support skills including AED use.

We have deliberately not described the skills themselves. Those are taught and assessed by qualified instructors, and the standard is the place to read the detail.

Who can deliver CFR training

According to the standard, courses are delivered by a certified CFR instructor using the PHECC CFR video, and applicant institutions must agree to use PHECC's CFR training materials. A CFR Community Instructor can teach Community courses, and a CFR Advanced Instructor can also teach them. Joint PHECC and recognised institution certification is mandatory. PHECC's webpage for CFR Community lists the recognised institutions in a table, and the first page we could see included organisations such as Civil Defence College, Dublin City University and the Garda College alongside private providers. The page shows no date, so check it for the current list.

The same standard sets out instructor requirements: a minimum age of 18, CFR Community or First Aid Response certification within the last 12 months, at least 12 hours (two days) of instructional methods training, plus a period of supervised teaching practice that the standard does not specify. For employers, the practical point is to ask any provider which recognised institution issues the certificate and whether the instructor holds current PHECC instructor certification.

Course format, ratios and assessment

The June 2016 standard says providers must use PHECC's CFR video. It describes one instructor delivering the course in about four hours for up to six students, with more participants extending the duration. It sets an instructor-to-student ratio of 1:6 to 1:8, with 1:8 allowed only in exceptional circumstances, and a student-to-equipment ratio of 3:1 for AEDs and manikins. A skills assessment on PHECC's assessment sheet is mandatory. Because these figures come from a 2016 document, treat them as the position at that date and confirm the current standard with PHECC or your provider.

The standard also says there are no specific entry criteria, including no minimum age, although participants should be mature enough to understand the knowledge, skills and implications of defibrillation and to complete the assessment. PHECC's 2015 FAQ for CFR courses adds that PHECC Recognised Institutions use 16 as a benchmark age for AED use. That FAQ is dated 2015, so treat it as background.

How long certification lasts

The 2016 standard says certification lapses after two years. It gives a standard refresher interval of one year after initial certification, recommends that refresher training occurs as frequently as possible, and says refresher content is not standardised and there is no requirement for it to be led by a CFR Instructor. PHECC's 2015 FAQ similarly states that CFR certification is valid for two years. Our suggestion, not a legal requirement: diarise both dates, a refresher at about one year and a full renewal before the two years run out.

CFR Advanced and medication modules

PHECC's 2015 FAQ describes two basic life support levels, CFR Community and CFR Advanced, with Advanced building on Community. PHECC also published a separate 2016 standard (STN022) that combines CFR with training in administering named emergency medicines, under S.I. 449 of 2015; PHECC's page now lists a 2026 Emergency Medicines standard, formerly CFR and Medications for Listed Organisations, which we have not read. It says CFR certification is a prerequisite for most of those modules and that the certification lapses after two years. Those modules are outside the scope of this guide, and the document says it is uncontrolled when printed, so check phecc.ie for current versions.

What the HSA says about defibrillators at work

The HSA's guide to first aid at places of work, published in December 2007, refers to the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 299 of 2007), Part 7, Chapter 2. It says that providing an AED "should be considered" in workplaces that have occupational first-aiders, that cost makes it unreasonable to expect every employer, especially small ones, to have one, and that training other employees in AED use is encouraged. It also notes that costs include maintenance and refresher training. The guide does not say that an AED is mandatory, and the content we read does not address PHECC certification. Because it is a 2007 document, check the HSA's current first aid pages as well. Our guides to first aid training for Dublin workplaces and workplace first aid training cover the wider employer duties.

A practical approach for employers

The following points are our suggestions, not legal requirements.

• Decide through your risk assessment whether CFR, occupational first aid or both fit your workplace, and record why.
• Ask the provider for the name of the PHECC recognised institution and check that the certificate carries both names.
• Keep a register of who is certified, the certificate dates, the one-year refresher date and the two-year expiry.
• If you buy an AED, name a person responsible for checks, consumables and records, and tell staff where it is. A 2008 guide on community CFR programmes, written for an earlier system, recommends a designated person and maintenance records, but check current arrangements.
• Spread certified staff across shifts and sites so cover does not depend on one person.

What we could not confirm

We could not open the HSA's current first aid FAQ pages, so we have not described them. We did not find a current PHECC page giving fees or course lengths and have quoted none. Several PHECC documents we read date from 2015 and 2016. PHECC's education and training standards page now lists new 2026 standards, including a Cardiac First Response (Community) standard and an Emergency Medicines standard (formerly CFR and Medications for Listed Organisations), which we have not read, so the 2016 figures in this guide may have changed. Please check PHECC directly.

Learnsignal's offices are off Baggot Street in Dublin, and we offer in-person training from there. For current details, see our CPD pages.

Frequently asked questions

Who issues a CFR Community certificate?

According to PHECC's standard, certification is joint between PHECC and the recognised institution that delivers the course.

How long does CFR certification last?

PHECC's 2016 standard says it lapses after two years, with a refresher recommended at one year.

Is there a minimum age?

The standard sets no minimum age for participants, but participants should be mature enough to understand and complete the assessment.

Does the law require every workplace to have a defibrillator?

The HSA guide we read (December 2007) says an AED should be considered where there are occupational first-aiders, but does not make it mandatory. Check the HSA's current pages.

Is CFR the same as occupational first aid?

The PHECC standard describes CFR Community as a pre- or co-requisite for PHECC First Aid Response courses, so they are related but separate. Our guides on workplace first aid explain the employer duties.

In short, check the recognised institution, diarise the refresher and expiry dates, and base AED decisions on your risk assessment and current official guidance.