First Aid & Water Safety Training: Who It’s For & Why Does It Matter?

February 16, 2026

Do I need to do a First Aid or Water Safety Course?

This is a question many people ask at some point, yet around 38% of UK adults report that they have never completed any form of first aid training.

People choose to attend First Aid or Water Safety courses for a wide range of reasons, and just as many reasons are often given for not doing them. Lets have a look at why people do attend training, why some avoid it, and what should make people seriously consider taking a course.

First Aid Training

First Aid training is far more common than Water Safety training, so let’s start there.

Why do people do First Aid training?

The most common reason people attend a First Aid course is because their employer requires it. All employers are legally required to carry out a First Aid Needs Assessment to determine how many trained first aiders they need and at what level, based on the risks of their workplace.

Other common reasons include:

Supporting clubs, sports teams or youth groups
Caring for children or vulnerable people
Having a family member with a medical condition

Why do people NOT do First Aid training?

Some of the most common reasons people avoid First Aid training include:

Assuming the course will be boring
Fear of blood or medical situations
Believing it’s too expensive
Thinking they’ll “never need it”, so why bother!

Ironically, these assumptions often disappear once people actually attend a well-delivered course.

Who SHOULD get First Aid Trained?

Quite simply, EVERYONE.

The more people who are First Aid trained, the safer our communities become.

Why people SHOULD do A First Aid course!

One of the most important skills taught in First Aid training is CPR.

Around 50–60% of people who suffer cardiac arrest have no prior heart condition
Approximately 80% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the home
Bystander CPR can increase survival chances by over 80%
Yet 40–50% of adults say they wouldn’t feel confident performing CPR or using an AED

This means it’s more often a loved one, not a stranger, who may need help most urgently. Why would you not want to know how to help?

First Aid training also covers:

Anaphylaxis and use of EpiPens
Diabetes-related emergencies
Stroke recognition
Shock and serious bleeding

Everything taught on a First Aid course has the potential to save a life or prevent a situation from becoming worse. And importantly, First Aid courses don’t have to be boring, overly graphic or expensive.

Types of First Aid Course

There are so many different types of courses out there:

Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW)
First Aid at Work (FAW)
Paediatric First Aid (EPFAW and PFAW)
Outdoor First Aid (EOFA & OFA)
First Aid At work for Forestry (FAW + F)
FREC Courses (FREC3, FREC4, FREC5 etc)
Expedition Medic Courses
+ endless lists of others!

What do they all mean? Well the simple ones first!

EFAW and FAW are the core workplace qualifications which follow a standard set by the HSE.

EFAW covers essential life-saving skills
FAW builds on this with broader medical conditions and injuries

Paediatric First Aid courses are usually based on the Workplace awards, with a focus on applying these principles to infants and children.

Outdoor, forestry and specialist courses, are usually based on Workplace awards. adapted to remote or higher-risk environments, where help may be delayed and conditions are more challenging. These courses often place greater emphasis on catastrophic bleeding, evacuation and decision-making, as well as dealing with incidents likely to occur in whatever sector the course is aimed at.

Advanced courses such as FREC and Expedition Medic are aimed at those using first aid professionally, but sometimes also attended by experienced First Aiders wanting a deeper level of knowledge.

Water Safety Training

Water Safety training is far more underestimated than First Aid training.

We live in a country surrounded by water, and many people assume they already know how to stay safe. Unfortunately, familiarity often leads to false confidence.

Who does do Water Safety Training?

Most people who attend Water Safety training do so because:

Their job requires it
Their organisation’s risk assessment demands it

Occasionally, people attend through clubs or volunteering roles, but very few members of the public ever choose to take part in Water Safety training voluntarily.

Who and why should people do Water Safety Training?

Water Safety training is important for anyone who spends time in or around water, not just professionals.

This includes:

Teachers and school staff
Outdoor instructors and youth leaders
DofE supervisors
Employers and organisations
People who take part in watersports
Members of the public who visit beaches, rivers or lakes

Water Safety training helps people:

Recognise hazards
Understand changing conditions
Make safer decisions
Prevent incidents before they happen

It focuses on awareness, planning and prevention, while also giving people the confidence to respond calmly and correctly if something does go wrong.

There has been huge investment in installing public access rescue equipment around our waterways, but how many bystanders would know how to use it?